Comcast
In 2007, Comcast - like almost every other media company - was eyeing the opportunities created by the marriage of video and broadband Web services. Comcast partnered with Method to create a site that offered unique features for discovering, managing and consuming professional video available, including traditional broadcast media, previews, and web exclusives.
Challenge
As the largest provider of cable TV and broadband services in the U.S., Comcast was already a leading brand in the world of video entertainment. They have direct relationships with millions of households, and strong partnerships with the networks. Comcast's challenge was to parlay those strengths into an innovative, new presence: direct delivery of video entertainment to customers over the Internet.
Approach
Comcast's answer to that challenge was an online destination for media, Fancast.com. Method worked closely with Comcast on the strategy, connecting, and execution of Fancast. We were involved in the naming process, and created the identity, user experience, advertising and sponsorship models, and visual design for Fancast. Method also completed the front-end development, including the use of AJAX/Flash hybrid technology for smooth and responsive interactions. To ensure a successful product, we conducted user tests for the friendliness of the site's unique interfaces. The technical infrastructure was built and documented to an exacting standard to allow a seamless nation-wide rollout to Comcast's tens of millions of customers. Beyond scalability, many of the interfaces were designed to be portable to set top boxes, allowing Comcast to continue to blur the lines between the Web and traditional television interfaces.
Outcome
The resulting product provides unique tools for discovering content, including the award-winning "six degrees" content browser, which offers a fun and fluid way to find videos by tracing connections by actor, medium, and keyword. The site rewards repeat visitors by intelligently discovering user's preferences, learning what content to feature in listings to make the system more personal and useful with each visit.
"Our goal with Fancast is to make entertainment consumption amazingly simple," said Amy Banse, President of Comcast Interactive Media. "In this new age of interactive media where entertainment is available everywhere, Fancast helps consumers find what they are looking for and manage their entertainment experience across multiple platforms. For people who want their content and information immediate and easy to find, Fancast is the ultimate one-stop shop."
