* Comcast pairs with Spider-Man
Comcast Corp.’s customers have the exclusive opportunity to see the fourth and final trailer for the upcoming Spider-Man 3 movie (release date: May 4) through the company’s on-demand service or Web site.
Customers will also have access to additional material about the film and soon-to-be video game.
Comcast’s GameInvasion.net will feature videos and interviews providing details on the video game.
* Camiant up for ‘product of the year’ award
Camiant’s policy server—the multimedia policy engine (MPE)—has been named a finalist for product of the year by the Massachusetts Network Communications Council.
The policy server has been deployed by global service providers, including Cox Communications, Buckeye Cable and Singapore’s StarHub. According to the Yankee Group, the policy management market is estimated to eclipse $700 million by 2010.
The annual award recognizes innovation by a Massachusetts network communications company.
* RCN partners with Hispanic ad agency
RCN Corp. announced its partnership with the New York-based, Hispanic-focused advertising agency OLE to create marketing programs in support of its Hispanic offerings.
RCN’s Hispanic services include MiVision (“my vision”)—cable TV programming with more than 36 Spanish-language channels and VOD—and MiTelefono (“my telephone”), an international calling plan to 23 Latin American countries, plus Spain and Puerto Rico, with rates as low as 4 cents per minute, the company said.
Last week, RCN pulled out of San Francisco, selling its assets and 18,000 subscribers to Astound Broadband, a subsidiary of Wave Division Holdings LLC in Kirkland, Wash., for $45 million. The company is trying to strengthen its regional roots in the Northeast and Chicago, but some analysts are concerned about investor unrest.
* Verizon’s FiOS TV strikes yet again
Verizon’s FiOS TV service has won yet another franchise, this time in Montgomery County, Md. It will be available to 19,000 more households in Potomac, Chevy Chase, North Bethesda, Randolph Hills and the Montrose area, making 90,000 the county-wide total.
FiOS TV is delivered over Verizon’s fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) network. It is also available in parts of California, Delaware, Florida, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and New Jersey.
* J:COM creates new media business department
Jupiter Telecommunications (J:COM) established a new Media Business Department within its Marketing & Sales Division. The new department is charged with diversifying revenue streams and broadening the scope of operations. One of the new J:COM operation’s first responsibilities will be to increase the strength of its group media advertising and strengthen programming.