Comcast Technology Solutions, a division of Comcast Cable which was formed last Fall, has announced an expansion of its the Video Platform solution to support multiple monetization models as well as complete video processing, management, multi-CDN distribution and playout. In addition, the Video Platform includes out-of-the-box templates for front-end user experience with partners Accedo and You.i TV, which can be fully customized.

The Video Platform builds on capabilities of thePlatform, which Comcast acquired back in 2006, along with multiple other technologies now under the Comcast Technology Solutions roof.

Several weeks ago, Barry Tishgart, VP, Video Platform at Comcast Technology Solutions briefed me on the expanded capabilities and overall company strategy. Barry emphasized the company’s core proposition is to help content providers simplify and streamline their multi-platform content distribution and monetization.

Barry said that Comcast Technology Solutions is already working with 50 of the 100 biggest cable TV networks, often already handling their files for VOD distribution. Last October Comcast Technology Solutions also announced it is powering Time’s new People/Entertainment Network (PEN) on multiple platforms.

This gives the company an opportunity to  extend these relationships to online and mobile, building on knowledge of how to distribute high-quality video. Importantly, Barry said that Comcast Technology Solutions is emphasizing its ability to support multiple monetization elements including subscription management, promotion, storefront support and billing. Barry sees all of these as required to flexibility support content providers who are rapidly experimenting with multiple business models as OTT video gains momentum.

At a time when cord-cutting is front of mind for all industry executives, it’s a twist for the largest cable TV operator in the U.S to have a robust solution for enabling TV networks to launch direct-to-consumer offers beyond the multichannel bundle. But ultimately there’s a synergy and co-existence between Comcast’s cable business and its technology business, with the latter serving as something of a hedge against the fortunes of the former, while also benefiting from its core capabilities.

In fact, Comcast Technology Solutions has become a major technology provider to the industry through multiple acquisitions and by leveraging capabilities it built for its own use (the X1 licensing program is a great example). Barry sees Comcast Technology Solutions as more like MLBAM and the big integrators than traditional Online Video Platforms (OVPs), in its ability to provide all the complex video technology and support major content providers now need.  

[Note: Comcast Technology Solutions is a VideoNuze sponsor]