Comcast Media Center and SES AMERICOM Form Joint Marketing Alliance; New Service Leverages CMC's Digital Distribution Platform and AMERICOM's Premier Satellite Services to Support Cable's Demand for Advanced Digital Applications

Business Wire, August 10, 2005

DENVER & PRINCETON, N.J. -- Kicking cable's digital transition into high gear, SES AMERICOM, the leader in standard and high-definition cable programming distribution across the U.S., together with Comcast Media Center (CMC), a business unit of Comcast Cable operating the industry's largest multichannel digital distribution platform, today announced the latest of several joint marketing and services agreements that focus on providing centralized solutions to support the cable industry's delivery of advanced services offerings, such as HD, VOD, and VoIP.

Under a joint marketing agreement announced today, the two companies are developing a digital transport service that utilizes SES AMERICOM's AMC-4 satellite to distribute digital formats of the most widely distributed cable channels to cable systems offering all-digital video services to their customers. These services together with CMC's HITS (Headend In The Sky) digital overlay platform provide operators with a total digital solution that minimizes the investment at the cable headend.

Earlier this spring the two companies combined forces to offer a comprehensive package of HDTV production, origination and transmission services. The HD joint offering, which utilizes SES AMERICOM's HD-PRIME(TM), the industry's only two-satellite HD cable neighborhood (AMC-10 and AMC-11 C-band satellites at 135 and 131 degrees west, respectively), is designed to foster the development of HD content for the rapidly growing HDTV market in the U.S.

With the newest joint offering, SES AMERICOM combines the bandwidth of three satellites, AMC-4, AMC-10 and AMC-1, to form an arsenal of versatile satellite resources for the deployment of the combined offerings by the two companies. CMC will continue to support the industry with its content origination, transmission, headend authorization and 24/7 field support services.

"This broad alliance between Comcast Media Center and SES AMERICOM marks the long-term commitment of both organizations to drive and support the exciting and prosperous future of cable," said Gary Traver, senior vice president and COO of Comcast Media Center. "Expanding our digital service aboard SES AMERICOM's satellites is one of the key solutions for unlocking the bandwidth to deliver a broader array of digital video services to millions of consumers across the country."

"Delivering CMC's expanded digital services via SES AMERICOM is the path to nirvana for cable operators who want to clear their analog shelves to feed subscribers' insatiable appetite for HD, telephony, and on-demand services in virtually every cable system in America," said Bryan McGuirk, president of North American media services for SES AMERICOM. "It's just the first of the advanced solutions being developed by our two companies to build the next generation of cable. Stay tuned."

Launched in 1999, the AMC-4 satellite is a Lockheed Martin A2100 hybrid C-band and Ku-band spacecraft located at 101 degree west longitude. When paired with AMC-1 at 103 degree west, AMC-4's C-band transponders offer a premier cable neighborhood that can be picked up on a single ground antenna. AMC-4's Ku-band transponders serve the broadcasting, VSAT, business television, and broadband Internet markets.

Launched in 2004, AMC-10 and AMC-11 are all C-band A2100 spacecraft, built by Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems. They're optimized for next-generation programming services, including high-definition channels. Each of the 24 transponders is supported by a 20 watt SSPA, delivering almost a 20% increase in power over their predecessors.

About Comcast Media Center

Comcast Media Center (CMC), a business unit of Comcast Cable, provides a total content management solution, enabling a single form of content to reach its target audience through multiple delivery platforms served from one central location. CMC's Content Delivery Network offers global transmission via satellite and terrestrial fiber optics, VOD and streaming distribution capabilities. CMC's Content Management Network offers broadcast quality studio, mobile and post production services, origination services for linear TV networks and live events, HDTV production and origination and quality control and media management services, including encoding and storage. Its Affiliate Services Network includes the HITS (Headend In The Sky) digital platform. Founded in 1994, HITS currently delivers over 150 digital audio and video services to more than 3,000 cable system headends. More information about the CMC is available at: http://www.comcastmediacenter.com/

About Comcast Corporation

Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) (http://www.comcast.com) is the nation's leading provider of cable, entertainment and communications products and services. With 21.5 million cable customers, 7.4 million high-speed Internet customers, and 1.2 million voice customers, Comcast is principally involved in the development, management and operation of broadband cable networks and in the delivery of programming content.