only 32 videos posted on Comcast's system

TheDateZone.com

Washington, D.C.. (April 15) -- Could your cable TV operator find you love?

That's the premise of Comcast's new "Dating on Demand" service, which was unveiled last February in selected cities. The feature, which can be found on Comcast's Video On Demand lineup, permits singles to post two-minute videos explaining what they are looking for in a mate.

Then, in theory, if a Comcast viewer likes what he or she sees, he or she can go to DatingOnDemand.com and send the lost single a message of love. (Posting a video is currently free and it includes a six-month membership to DatingonDemand.com and its sister site, HurryDate. However, if you're not a video poster, the membership costs $14.95 a month.)

Sounds simple, right? Well, not quite. Like most initial encounters between males and females, Comcast's Dating on Demand is now just a big tease. The feature is difficult to use, out of date and lacking in willing participants. Despite widespread media attention given to Comcast's national launch in February, there were only 32 videos posted on Comcast's system in the Washington, D.C. area as of yesterday.

"Comcast's Dating on Demand may be the worst execution of a new TV technology feature I've ever seen."


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Plus, the overwhelming majority of the videos seemed to be from singles in Chicago and Philadelphia, the latter market where Comcast has been testing the service for more than a year. That's great if you're single in Chicago and Philly, but it would be a long-distance relationship for a Comcast subscriber in any other place.

Comcast and DatingonDemand.com hopes to get more singles involved by holding "Event Parties" at bars around the country at which singles could film their personal videos on site. (Presumably after consuming a beverage or two.) However, the plan seems half-baked at the moment. At DatingonDemand.com, the site says the next Event Party will be March 5 in Denver.

Yes, the next event was last month.

"We've been exploring how to do this — everything from kiosks in malls to having crews live on the road going to different venues," Matt Strauss, who's in charge of content development for Comcast On Demand, told USA Today in February.

Well, I guess the exploration is going slowly.

First Impressions
Comcast clearly jumped the gun in announcing the availability of this service. It's now the equivalent of someone going out on a first date with just one shoe on. Doesn't the cable operator know about first impressions? I have to say that this is the worst execution of a new TV technology feature I've ever seen.

Perhaps aware of the service's flaws, Comcast does not promote Dating on Demand anywhere on the system. If you didn't know it existed, you would never find it. DOD is now listed on Comcast's VOD menu under the category, "The Cutting Edge," which includes such fare as Anime videos and gaming advice from G4.

When you select a dating video, the service provides such information as the person's age and Dating on Demand ID number (which is needed if you want to send the person an e-mail at DatingOnDemand.com). However, it doesn't say where the person lives, which is equally important. (You have to go to the web site to learn more information about the person, such as place of residence.)

In addition, after viewing a video, the system forces you to go back to the original Comcast VOD menu to see another one. You can't simply go from one video to the next; you have to go back to "The Cutting Edge" menu, click on Dating on Demand again and go from there. And, one time, the system froze, forcing me to exit the On Demand service entirely.

Talk about bad first dates.

Potential
Despite the initial problems, Comcast's Dating on Demand has great potential. The online dating business has been booming for years. However, unlike other online services that do not do well on television, Dating on Demand could succeed because it appeals to a base desire -- sex. People will be more willing to interrupt their viewing to find love, as opposed, let's say, to playing a trivia game or checking their e-mail.

However, Comcast first needs to give Dating on Demand a total makeover.

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Phillip Swann is president and publisher of TVPredictions.com. He has been quoted in dozens of publications and broadcast outlets, including CNN, Fox News, Inside Edition, The Chicago Tribune, The Associated Press and The Hollywood Reporter. He can be reached at swann@tvpredictions.com or at 703-505-3064.

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