The Comcast history began in 1963 when Ralph J. Roberts, Daniel Aaron and Julian A. Brodsky purchased a small local cable system in Tupelo, Mississippi with 1,200 subscribers. Long before the widespread use of cable service, these three founding entrepreneurs had a vision in which they saw the future of technology and realized the importance of cable service to that future.
By 1969 they renamed the company from American Cable Systems to the first use of the Comcast name as Comcast Corporation. They incorporated at that time in Pennsylvania and by 1972 had grown large enough to start their first public NASDAQ stock offering. They continued to grow over the following years, and with the introduction of widespread cable television in the early 80s were able to double their customer base to 1.2 million subscribers with the purchase of Group W Cable in 1986.
The same year, Comcast made a founding investment in the QVC network, once again showing their entrepreneurial spirit and foresight into the future of marketing concepts. With the nearly immediate success of the QVC channel, the method of marketing, advertising and conducting sales began to change as Americans realized they could buy items directly without a middle man using modern communications to get a better price than retail/ Manufacturers saw they could charge a bit more than wholesale in this new win-win sales paradigm.
Over the next few years Comcast continued to grow by buying out smaller local companies and received awards for their business finesse, entrepreneurial talent and corporate growth. They further entered the field of cell phone service, expanding once again and getting involved in the industry before it became the widespread standard for communications you know it as today. Proceeding into the later nineties, Comcast continued to grow and diversify. They didn’t just continue to purchase cable companies and television networks, but also invested in sports ventures, teams and arenas as well as sports networks as the multitude of cable channels allowed for a more diverse viewing of events and games than ever before.
In 2001 Comcast confirmed its relevance and staying power with the acquisition of Home Team Sports, the Golf Channel and the Outdoor Life Network. They further purchased a 10% interest in E! Entertainment and bought out the AT&T broadband cable systems in six states shortly before the two companies announced their intention of a merger. The Comcast Network won the Innovator Award for Local Programming as well and by this time, each of the Comcast founders had individually won the Distinguished Vanguard Award. Ralph Roberts was inducted into the Cable Hall of Fame for his innovative contributions to the industry. With over 50 years of experience, Comcast has always been a strong advocate for entrepreneurship and innovation.
As a celebration for this spirit they are conducting a contest for up and coming small business entrepreneurs with a chance to win prizes to help companies survive. The contest is based on a simple entry of an essay to describe your business and how you’ve used innovative technology applications to enhance the customer and employee experience within your company. Your company can be recognized for all the time and hard work you have already put in, and hopefully continue to pursue your dream of maintaining a successful business.
Comcast has continued since that time to expand their services and provide innovation with new technology in the communications field. What started as a small entrepreneurial venture has achieved worldwide fame and recognition as one of the leading international companies for providing communications service. Comcast continues their entrepreneurial endeavors through offering the fastest internet available.
