* Cox adds to VOD menu
Cox Communications has beefed up its VOD library, and now offers up to 1,300 hours of on-demand fare.
Cox, which offers VOD in markets such as Las Vegas, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, and San Diego, has added “free” content from several networks, including MTV, PBS Kids Sprout, G4, National Geographic Channel, Speed, and Fuse.
* SCTE seeks Expo award nominations
The Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers has issued a call for nominations for its Cable-Tec Expo 2006 Awards.
The 2006 confab is set to run June 20-23 in Denver. The deadline for nominations is Friday, March 3. More information about the awards is available on the Web.
* Jaskiewicz joins BendBroadband
BendBroadband of Oregon has appointed Thomas Jaskiewicz to director of headend & plant operations.
Jaskiewicz most recently served as general manager of General Communications Inc. (GCI) in Ketchikan, Alaska. Before that, he was vice president of technical operations for WideOpenWest, an operator that serves metro portions of Colorado, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan and Illinois.
Jaskiewicz launched his broadband career in 1979 in Sellersville, Pa. with what was then known as Suburban Cable TV.
* ESPN to put Super Bowl commercials online
If you miss a commercial during Sunday’s Super Bowl between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Seattle Seahawks, ESPN has got you covered.
The sports net will offer all of them during and after the big game via its ESPN Motion service, as well as at ESPN.com and ESPN360, a broadband-only service offered in partnership with some high-speed service operators.
* Telewest, Corning weave HFC upgrade
U.K. operator Telewest Global Inc. is weaving fiber from Corning Inc. to underpin a round of upgrades of its hybrid fiber/coax (HFC) networks.
More specifically, Telewest is tapping Corning’s “NexCor” singlemode fiber, which will add capacity to the op’s “Teleport” video-on-demand service. The latest expansion to include Corning’s fiber includes networks in Preston and Liverpool.
* Correction
A news item appearing Monday included an incorrect timeframe for Cox Communications’ plans to phase out its existing interactive program guides with software from Gemstar-TV Guide International. The correct timeframe is early 2007, which is now reflected in an updated posting of the story.
