• by Fern Siegel , January 16, 2009

The network devoted to adults 50+ just got a distribution boost. Retirement Living TV has reached a carriage agreement with Comcast to air its shows on digital television. Comcast will carry the RLTV's lineup 24/7.

RLTV's new distribution is also key for advertisers trying to reach a large, multi-generational population boosted by aging baby boomers. Adults 50+ spend $2.3 trillion annually, per RLVT. Also, 12,000 adults turn 50 each day. Fifty may be the new 40; remember: Madonna is 50.

RLTV, which launched in September 2006, features Emmy award-winning programming that tackles various subjects: health, finance, travel, comedy and drama. Often, it builds series in partnership with aging organizations, such as "My Generation," a half-hour lifestyle magazine series, produced by AARP.

RLTV's lineup also includes "The Florence Henderson Show" and "Daily Café," a one-hour, weekday program jointly produced in partnership with NBC News.

Currently, Retirement Living shows are carried on Verizon FiOS service to about 1.6 million homes. Comcast has 24.4 million cable customers; it already carries E! Entertainment Television, Style Network, Golf Channel, G4 and Versus, among other channels.

"Comcast is proud to support Americans 50+ with the kind of targeted programs that only RLTV offers," said Matt Bond, executive vice president of content acquisition for Comcast, in a statement. Adds John Erickson, RLTV's founder: "Comcast and RLTV are answering the needs of Americans 50+ who are breaking the rules of what is expected of them. We are creating a revolution of information, entertainment and communication."