Comcast Roundup: Advertising everywhere, executive hockey stars and More

Every Thursday morning, find all the stories you need to know about your friendly telecommunications giant in the Comcast Roundup.

2009 may well be remembered as the start of the push for alternative online revenue models.

In a trial that was understandably held in Huntsville, Ala., Comcast found that viewers shown ads targeted to their tastes and demographics watched them nearly 40 percent longer than those who were fed more standard, general interest commercials, as the Associated Press reported yesterday.

According to the AP report, that means viewers can expect to see advertising in lots of new places and often beyond the traditional 30-second variety. Interactive and targeted online-like advertisements that won’t be opted-out and will appear in, say, on-demand video or channel guides.

The advertisers are coming and the coming years will bring about a more directed pitch than ever before.

After the jump, a Comcast executive ice skates his early morning away and the three other Comcast stories you ought to read.

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Shop Talk: A detailed look at Philly’s Q2 venture capital numbers

In our last post about VC numbers, we told you, fair reader, that no region experienced growth like Philadelphia. Though to be clear, that growth was mostly because of three mega deals. We also told you that more detailed numbers were expected from PricewaterhouseCoopers on August 3rd.

Well, we would never leave you hanging.

We dove into the numbers and pulled out the important parts, such as which Philly firms were busiest this quarter, the Philadelphia companies receiving the most investment and what industry received the most attention.

Follow past the jump for your quarterly dose of our regions venture capital activity.
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Avencia, city Dept. of Records launch LandStat real estate data site

This isn’t quite the type of city government Web site you might expect in Philadelphia.

Aggregating millions of Philadelphia real estate transactions into a set of reporting and analysis tools, LandStat is the fully-functioning love child of the city’s Department of Records and Avencia, the wonkish Callowhill-based geographic analysis and software development firm.

Using its Kaleidocade Indicators Framework platform, the site was originally designed to help city staff visualize and interpret geographic patterns and trends in the city’s real estate market. The partnership is perhaps just one of the more impressive publicly accessible web-based applications from records department data.

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CoTweet: San Francisco scene has “distinct” advantage over Philadelphia

CoTweet's new offices in San Francisco are located in Pier 38 Maritime Recreation Center, the long building in the center of the photograph. Courtesy of pier38.com

It’s nothing personal, Philadelphia.

When we reported last month that once Central Pennsylvania-based CoTweet, a team-oriented, business-focused Twitter client, was moving West for greener pastures and bluer waters, we admittedly felt some Phillinferiority complex [Editor's note: We apologize for this unnecessary Philly pun].

But the company chose San Francisco not because it felt under-served by the Greater Philadelphia region, but because it wanted to be as close to its parent platform as possible, CoTweet co-founder Jesse Engle tells Technically Philly.

“There’s something to be said for being surrounded by other companies that are going through the same thing and are potential partners,” he says. “There’s a distinct and unique advantage that a place like that has.”

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Sestak to run for Senate, paves way for Welch

Congressman Joe Sestak (D-Penn.)

Edit: added Welch’s official statement.

According to our good friends at PA2010.com, Congressman Joe Sestak (D-Penn.) will run against incumbent Sen. Arlen Spector (D-Penn.) in the Democratic primary for Senate.

Sestak’s attempted move to the upper chamber should come as no surprise to those following the race, as Sestak has been telegraphing the move for months.

The lack of a Democrat incumbent in the seventh district makes local entrepreneur and Republican candidate Steve Welch‘s quest for the seat much easier. In the previous two elections, the incumbent has won reelection 94 percent of the time.

Welch, who we interviewed two weeks ago, is a co-founder of DreamIt Ventures.

While Sestak hasn’t officially announced his Senate campaign, he has indicated to the press that he will make a “major announcement” this morning at 8:30 a.m on his Web site.

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Man detained in Iran is likely son of Phoenixville electronics magazine publisher

The Web site of U.S. Tech Interactive, an electronics trade mag whose publisher's son has been detained in Iran.

One of three backpackers detained by Iranian authorities on Friday is likely the son of Jacob Fattal, the publisher and president of U.S. Tech Interactive, a Phoenixville-based electronics industry magazine.

A man who would not give his name answered a call to the publication’s Chester County offices and confirmed there was a blood relationship but would not specify the link, citing pressure from federal authorities to avoid comment.

“The CIA and the FBI have been around,” the man said before repeatedly declining further comment.

Fox 29 reported that the backpacker’s father is a Jacob Fattal. A Technically Philly tipster made the connection, but declined to go on record or acknowledge how details of the relationship were known. Calls to the Fattal residence by Technically Philly were sent directly to a voice mailbox.

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Event highlights for the week of August 3 – August 9, 2009

What do the Phillies’ farm system, our Brian James Kirk‘s apartment and our events calendar have in common this week?

They’re all nearly empty.

Cliff Lee and new apartments aside, techies apparently are enjoying this little thing we call “summer” as the TP event calendar is as sparse as ever.

But fear not, as Refresh Philly should have enough action to keep you occupied all week when the group meets at the Comcast Center on Monday. Three speakers are scheduled, including former Q&A club member Gwen Shaffer.

The next day, you can kick it with NetSquared at NetTuesday and chat about when to use social media. The group’s new Web site will be used as an example.

All events listed on the event calendar are free to attend. Be sure to check our complete calendar for more information, or follow us past the jump.

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