--Gravitas to Launch Horror Movie VOD Service on DISH, Charter, AT&T U-verse TV, Verizon FiOS TV
Comcast announced Monday that it is offering a special VOD programming line-up to mark Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15th-October 15th). The programming, available in English and Spanish and located in dedicated folders inside the "Top Picks" category of Comcast's VOD menu, includes HBO PPV Boxing's coverage of the September 19th Mayweather vs. Marquez bout; CineLatino movies such as "Kilometro 31" and "Mexico Mexico ra ra ra"; Univision shows such as "Cristina" and "Viva el Sueno"; various iN DEMAND movies starring Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem; the second season of HBO Latino's "Epitafios," which will premiere on-demand and which is also available in HD; CNN interviews with Eva Longoria, George Lopez, Lissette Alvarez and other Latino stars; and music videos from such artists as Shakira, Paulina Rubio and Daddy Yankee.
In addition, Comcast is providing dual English-Spanish audio on several of its new VOD movies, including "Fast & Furious" (September), "Xmen Origins: Wolverine" HD (September) and "Hannah Montana: The Movie" HD (October). Comcast claims that its On Demand en espanol service offers over 300 programming choices at any time, including movies, music, TV series and children's shows. It says that the programming receives over 2 million views per month.
In other VOD content news: Gravitas Ventures is launching a VOD offering featuring indie horror films that will be available day-and-date with (or, in some cases, earlier than) their home video release. The service, which will offer seven or more movies each month, is slated to launch on AT&T U-verse TV, Verizon FiOS TV, Charter and DISH Network next month. "We program films that drive VOD revenues while appealing to the evolving tastes of the incredibly diverse horror community," Gravitas founder and CEO, Nolan Gallagher, said in a prepared statement. "Partnering with major operators extends the reach of these incredible films and therefore helps raise awareness for the leading and future filmmakers of this genre."
