Blackbelt TV Pins First Affiliation Deal (Comcast)

From Multichannel News


Blackbelt TV Pins First Affiliation Deal


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By R. Thomas Umstead 10/15/2004 1:47:00 PM


Upstart martial-arts network Blackbelt TV announced a distribution deal with Comcast Corp. Thursday for both digital-cable and video-on-demand distribution.


The network -- which will feature martial-arts competitions, movies and classic series -- will have access to negotiate carriage arrangements with Comcast’s systems around the country, Blackbelt TV president Joshua Wexler said.


He added that the deal allows for both digital-cable and digital-tier carriage for its linear channel and includes a VOD component.


“We are proud to work with Comcast, the leading cable operator in the country, to bring Blackbelt TV, the biggest martial-arts cable network in the world, to more viewers,†he said.


Wexler said the network -- which has yet to set an official launch date -- is close to finalizing several other deals, but he would not provide specific details.