iN Demand is in at AT&T as Diva phases out of VOD

By Susan Rush
from BroadbandWeek Direct, May 7, 2002

It's only Tuesday, but it has been a good week for iN Demand. First a video-on-demand deal with 20th Century Fox studio and now AT&T Broadband.

iN Demand will supply AT&T Broadband with first-run major motion pictures, select library titles and cable network premier programming, AT&T Broadband said in a statement. IN Demand's portfolio consists of content from Universal, Sony, DreamWorks, Fox, Artisan and Hallmark.

The pay-per-view and VOD content provider will replace Diva Systems Corp. at AT&T Broadband's side in the content side of the VOD market. Diva announced earlier this year it was getting out of the VOD content licensing to focus on its core software technology. In June, iN Demand will begin offering content to AT&T Broadband in Atlanta and Los Angeles.

Last week, AT&T entered the subscription VOD market, launching a trial in the Los Angeles metropolitan area featuring content from Starz! and Showtime.

AT&T Broadband also announced it is consolidating its Headend in the Sky unit into its AT&T Digital Media Centers division. The move is designed to strengthen the digital media division's ability to integrate its service offerings and streamline customer interaction. Garry Traver, AT&T Digital Media Centers' senior vice president for video services, will oversee the operations of the combined unit.