RCN says it has more than doubled its VOD offerings via a new centrally managed content distribution system, architected jointly by Concurrent (NASDAQ:CCUR), SeaChange International (NASDAQ:SEAC) and RCN.
Customers in all of RCN's markets, including Boston, Chicago, Lehigh Valley (PA), New York City, Philadelphia (Delaware County) and Washington, D.C., have access to new programming immediately.
"With our new On Demand platform and expanded content selections, customers now have access to more seasons, more classics, and more HD choices than ever before - which adds to an already rich library of VOD content," said Chris Fenger, chief operating officer for RCN. "Viewership of On Demand content is increasing quickly as consumers become more and more comfortable with easily accessing that content. In addition to our own statistics, recent studies of On Demand usage from Leichtman Research confirm that over 50% of cable subscribers used On Demand in the past month - compared to 34% in 2010 and 8% in 2005. This increase is in addition to the use of streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu, both of which have expanded the use and the growing popularity of On Demand TV overall. Knowing this, we remain committed to providing our customers with the best and most diverse viewing options, and look forward to expanding our service offerings even further over the next year."
RCN launched Hulu as a channel in May and HBO GO via TiVo (NASDAQ:TIVO) in February.