Comcast To Offer 'Family Tier'

Comcast Corp. will launch a package of family-friendly cable channels early next year that will feature primarily G-rated content as well as religious and Hispanic programming.

Comcast announced Thursday that subscribers to the new "Family Tier" package will receive 16 channels, including the Disney Channel, Discovery Kids, Nickelodeon/Nick Too, Telemundo and TBN (Trinity Broadcasting), in addition to the 20 to 25 channels offered through basic cable.

The package will cost an average of $31.20 a month, depending on the region.

The move comes a week after Time Warner Cable announced a family package and 10 days after the head of a cable industry group told a Senate committee that such programming would be offered.

The cable industry has been under pressure from federal regulators and activist groups to give parents more power to shield children from programs with sexual or violent content.

Nickelodeon and CBSNews.com are part of Viacom, Inc.