Cable giant Comcast Corp. (CMCSA) has announced a partnership with one of the largest Blue Cross health insurers to create a new consumer-oriented digital health care technology platform. The 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:joint venture between the internet provider and Independence Health Group, the parent of Independence Blue Cross, was announced Thursday by the two Philadelphia-based companies. (See also: Media Industry Looks Weak in Q1: Pivotal Research.)

Daniel J. Hilferty, Independence's president and CEO, said the venture is part of the company's efforts to diversify it🉐s business. "The goal is to help our customers have a much better experience, higher quality experience, and understand the health care experie🐻nce better," said Hilferty in a statement. 

As for Comcast, the new project is intended to add value to the digital pipelines into millions of homes across America. In the recent period, the company has battled with cord shaving and cord cutting as U.S. households opt for new on-demand streaming and subscription-based platforms. Fortunately for Comcast, cord-cutters still need a fast internet connection, as bulls expect lower-quality video revenue to be replaced by higher-margin broadband revenues. Shares of the telecommunications behemoth, trading about flat Friday morning at $33.46, reflect a 16.5% decline 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:year-to-date (YTD), sharply underperforming the broader 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:S&P 500's 0.5% return over the same period. (See also: 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Why Comcast's Sky Bid Could Hurt.)

A Philadelphia Experiment

The new digital health platform, running as an independent firm with a 50/50 structure, is expected to roll out a pilot program in the second half of 2018 in the companies' home city. The unnamed venture, expected to go national in the second half of 2019, will also have an educational component and telemedicine capabilities. The company will first target individuals who are experiencing a health condition or procedure, such as a knee surgery, hoping to "digitize" the experience. 

For Comcast, the parent of NBCUniversal and CNBC, the joint venture serves as its first formal investment in the health care space, despite its history of working with many of its health care clients to offer added services. The move by the nation's largest cable and broadband provider comes at a transitional time for the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:disrupted health care industry, with traditional players threatened by the entrance of tech giants such as Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) and Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL). The Comcast-Independence venture intends to develop on open platform, allowing tech firms such as Amazon to plug in services and new features. (See also: Amazon Halts Plan to Sell Pharma to Hospitals.)