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  • April 2015 (Revised June 2020)
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Comcast Corporation (A)

By: Sunil Gupta, Henry McGee, Felix Oberholzer-Gee and Margaret L. Rodriguez
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:16
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Abstract

In March 2015, the U.S. television industry received a major wake-up call. HBO, a premium cable channel with over 30 million subscribers, had announced it would begin offering a standalone streaming service. This new service would allow customers to bypass the cable companies and get direct access to HBO's programming online. The announcement was followed closely by Brian Roberts, chief executive of the Comcast Corporation. Comcast was America's largest cable and internet service provider, having built a profitable business bundling television content and delivering it via cable networks to more than 20 million households. Broadcast and cable television was a $173 billion industry in the U.S., but the rise of on-demand and streaming services meant viewers had more options than ever before. What did developments such as HBO's new service mean for the future of Comcast, and for the industry overall?

Keywords

Cable Television; HBO; Industry Evolution; Television Entertainment; Disruption; Business Model; Competitive Strategy; Media and Broadcasting Industry

Citation

Gupta, Sunil, Henry McGee, Felix Oberholzer-Gee, and Margaret L. Rodriguez. "Comcast Corporation (A)." Harvard Business School Case 715-457, April 2015. (Revised June 2020.)
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About The Authors

Sunil Gupta

Marketing
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Henry W. McGee

Entrepreneurial Management
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Felix Oberholzer-Gee

Strategy
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Related Work

    • October 2015 (Revised February 2016)
    • Faculty Research

    Comcast Corporation

    By: Sunil Gupta, Henry McGee and Felix Oberholzer-Gee
    • June 2020
    • Faculty Research

    Comcast Corporation (B)

    By: Sunil Gupta, Henry McGee and Felix Oberholzer-Gee
    • April 2015 (Revised June 2020)
    • Faculty Research

    Comcast Corporation (A)

    By: Sunil Gupta, Henry McGee, Felix Oberholzer-Gee and Margaret L. Rodriguez
Related Work
  • Comcast Corporation By: Sunil Gupta, Henry McGee and Felix Oberholzer-Gee
  • Comcast Corporation (B) By: Sunil Gupta, Henry McGee and Felix Oberholzer-Gee
  • Comcast Corporation (A) By: Sunil Gupta, Henry McGee, Felix Oberholzer-Gee and Margaret L. Rodriguez
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