Comcast, the U.S.’s largest cable-TV operator and Internet service provider, is getting into the user-generated content business. The Philadelphia-based cable giant said Monday that it has launched a public beta of user-generated video-sharing site, Ziddio.

The new channel will solicit content via contests that it will hold with partners including HBO, the Style Channel, and others. An editorial team will choose the best videos, which will appear on Comcast’s Video-on-Demand channel, said the company. In a current contest, users can send in videos of their messy homes for a chance to win a home makeover sponsored by the Style Channel show “Clean House.”

Users will also be able to upload videos to a variety of genre categories, including reality, action/drama, and music. Comcast is also planning to add community features to Ziddio which will allow users to talk to each other and rate videos on the site.

Ziddio is the creation of Comcast Interactive Media, a new business division of Comcast launched late last year to build new online services. The site, which will include video advertising, is scheduled to launch in late November or early December, said the company.

Comcast has 21.4 million cable customers, and 8.1 million high-speed Internet customers, according to the company.

Contact the writer:AWeinstein@redherring.com

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