Congratulations, Comcast! Your On Demand service has just passed its 20 billionth view since its launch in 2003. For comparison, iTunes has sold around 12 billion songs since it was launched in 2001 – and, even though you’re celebrating with a sweepstakes that will offer winners tickets to movie premieres or walk-on roles in 30Rock (Note to self: Sign up for Comcast just for the opportunity to get a walk-on role in 30Rock), the best gift you’ve given us is the chance to judge your customers’ tastes by revealing what the most-watched On Demand items have been for the last eight years.
For example, I can believe that The Hangover has been the most watched On Demand movie. That was a massive success in theaters and on DVD as well – and even The Blind Side makes sense as the runner-up, because… well, Sandra Bullock and the Oscar win. People would be curious.
But Couples Retreat as the third most popular On Demand movie? Seriously? Clearly, On Demand is where people turn when they’re worried that they don’t even want Netflix to know their secret movie shame.
Equally surprising is the top TV program watched On Demand: South Park. I can understand the two runners-up (Entourage and Sex and the City), because they’re likely being watched by non-HBO subscribers who don’t want to wait for the DVDs, but South Park is on a basic cable channel and re-run all the time… Is there a hardcore faithful audience re-watching each episode multiple times, or a hidden audience who can’t manage to find Comedy Central on their menu?
Comcast also provided a breakdown of most watched items by particular metric, the best part of which is the revelation that the most watched 3D programming On Demand is Yule Log 3D. Yes, really; no longer does the Yule Log have to be a passive experience on in the background during more important festive events. Now the entire family can slip on their 3D glasses and have all of the fun of the experience, except for the heat and the smell, in their own living room!
Despite the snark, 20 billion views is an impressive milestone to have hit – even moreso when you consider that, four years ago, that number was only 5 billion. Comcast’s SVP of video services, Marcien Jencke, offered this tribute to the service:
“On Demand was the first technology to give millions of our customers instant access to entertainment choices to watch on their schedule. By making a huge library of content available for free with a click of the remote, On Demand was an instant hit and continues to drive viewership.”
Well, that and secretly supporting people’s ability to watch terrible movies without anyone knowing, it seems. But nonetheless: Congratulations, Comcast. Here’s to your next 20 billion views, and many, many more Christmases spent around the 3D Yule Log.