• by David Goetzl , March 2, 2009

Cable operators, particularly Time Warner Cable, have shown some concern that "cable bypass" might catch a wave and hurt revenues. But Comcast, the country's largest operator, has taken a different tack, apparently figuring an unstoppable train is coming--and it's better to board it.

In that vein, the company said Scott Schiller, the co-founder and first vice chairman of the Interactive Advertising Bureau, has been tapped to oversee sales at four of its Web sites, including Fancast.com.

"Cable bypass" refers to a consumer's opportunity to drop cable TV, since so many content providers--from TNT to Comedy Central--are placing full episodes of premium content online. If so, a consumer may feel, why not just pay for broadband and save? TWC has displayed some frustration with cable networks--which they pay a substantial fee to--making hits such as "The Closer" and "The Daily Show" available gratis on the Web.

Comcast, however, is doing that on its own, distributing those respective programs and a slew of others on Fancast.com.

If consumers begin to drop their video subscriptions en masse, it could prove a major revenue hit for MSOs. But if a site like Fancast leads to little, if any, loss in subscribers, it may bring in additional dollars.

Those would come via ad sales, as well as persuading customers to switch to its broadband service, possibly paying more for a premium version.

The ad sales aspect falls partly to Schiller, who will run sales not only for Fancast, but film sites Fandango and Movies.com, and social-networking play Plaxo. All fall under the Comcast Interactive Media (CIM) banner.

Schiller carries the title of senior vice president of advertising sales. He will be based in New York and will report to Chuck Davis, executive vice president of Comcast Interactive Media and CEO of Fandango.

One possible gauge of how committed Comcast is to upgrading Fancast is whether it signs a deal with ESPN to offer its ESPN 360 sports programming hub. The site offers live streaming of Major League Baseball games, the NBA playoffs and college events, such as an annual Duke vs. North Carolina basketball. Cable operators have shown reticence to carry it, perhaps fearing that the streaming of top-notch sports could lead down the slippery slope of cable bypass.

Schiller comes to CIM from Glam Media, a female-targeted Web hub, where he was its first chief revenue officer and took on responsibilities as executive vice president of global marketing.

Schiller also has held senior positions at AOL, Walt Disney Internet Group and Sony Online Ventures.