Will Comcast 'Mobilize' Fancast?

Written by Jeff Baumgartner

Friday, February 29. 2008 at 03:00 PM EST Post a comment

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Even though Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) might be downplaying a wireless infrastructure strategy, it appears poised to pursue a network-agnostic mobile content strategy

Comcast, the largest MSO in the U.S., is trying to put its wireless infrastructure strategy in the background (likely to the cheers of investors who fear the capital intensity such a move would require), but it's apparently interested in serving up applications.

At the same time, carriers, including Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) and Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ), are pushing open models that would break down walled gardens that have traditionally hobbled the content growth of the cellular arena.

"In an open access world, Comcast would envision itself as a network-agnostic application," wrote Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Inc. analyst Craig Moffett noted in a report based on a recent meeting with Comcast chairman and CEO Brian Roberts and CFO Michael Angelakis.

While that still leaves plenty to interpretation, Moffett suggested the MSO could pursue a mobile content strategy based on Fancast, a Web-based entertainment and video hub it officially unveiled at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show.

Although the site still carries the "beta" label, Fancast launched with north of 3,000 hours of streaming video thanks in part to partnerships with Hulu LLC and other content sources.

There's a bit more about this as well as an update on Comcast's coming full court press into the small- and medium-sized business services sector over at Cable Digital News.

CDN's resident analyst Michael Harris also has some opinions about how content coupled with newly forged "open" systems could give MSOs the ability to become "over-the-top players" in the mobile arena.