But will they pay for it?

Brian Roberts, chairman and CEO of Comcast, expects 1 billion televisions shows to be downloaded in 2005. Speaking last November at an industry conference, Roberts plans to have 4,000 VOD choices this year, bolstering his 2004 year end goal of 3,000, with the increase driven by offerings from Sony and MGM (see Multichannel News).

Seeking to provide greater value to subscribers to reduce churn, in addition to bundled services including telephony, internet access and cell service, VOD gives cable an advantage over satellite. The question is will it be more of a retention device or contribute to revenues more than pay-per-view.