• by Wayne Friedman , February 8, 2006

NBC Universal continues to mine the on-demand programming fields, and now has completed a deal that will give customers access to its movies and TV shows through a new cable set-top box.

The deal is with Aeon Digital, a maker of digital set-top boxes, which will launch a new product this spring that will allow consumers to access NBC Universal Television Distribution shows, "Blind Date," "The 5th Wheel," and a special uncensored episode of "Jerry Springer."

NBC Universal theatrical movies will also be available--"Ray" and "The Motorcycle Diaries," "The Skeleton Key," and "The Wedding Date," as well as upcoming premieres of "The 40-Year Old Virgin" and "The Constant Gardener."

With the new Aeon set-top box, the DV-220, consumers can also access songs, radio programming, and thousands of theatrical films. In addition, the box has a built-in DVR, a wireless router, and access to the Internet. The box also includes an electronic programming guide (EPG) to locate favorite TV programs.

NBC Universal has done previous on-demand deals with Apple Computer's iTunes Music Store and DirecTV, in connection with DirecTV's new digital video recorder.