info about voom going to doom!

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Taken from Newsday...Cablevision posts $187M loss, despite subscriber gains

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U.S. releases new ratings for rollovers


Cablevision posts $187M loss, despite subscriber gains


Stocks to Open Higher Before Fed Meeting


Bailiffs Renew Seizure of Yukos Assets


Coal Miners to Lose Benefits Under Ruling



BY HARRY BERKOWITZ
STAFF WRITER

August 9, 2004, 4:37 PM EDT


Bucking an industry trend that has soured Wall Street on cable companies,
Cablevision Systems Corp. said Monday that it gained nearly 7,500 cable TV
subscribers in the second quarter.

But its Voom nationwide satellite TV venture posted a $81.5 million loss in the
quarter, contributing to a $187 million overall loss for the company, compared
with a $158 million Cablevision profit in the second quarter of 2003. Revenue
jumped 25 percent to $1.2 billion.

The quarterly results present a contrasting picture for the company's cable
business, the biggest in the New York City metro area, and Voom, which
Cablevision plans to spin off next month as part of a new company with its own
stock.

And Cablevision's cable subscriber gains contrast with subscriber losses at
each of six other major cable companies, including Comcast and Time Warner,
totaling 285,000 in the quarter. The gains also broke a string of subscriber
losses for the previous three quarters at Cablevision totaling 23,000.

The cable industry faces heightened competition from satellite TV operators,
including DirecTV, which gained 455,000 subscribers in the quarter, and from
Baby Bells that offer DSL high-speed Internet service and that have formed
satellite TV partnerships.

Voom, however, although it stresses high-definition satellite TV programming,
has a long way to go to rival the size of DirecTV and EchoStar Communications,
which total more than 22 million subscribers.

Jericho-based Voom, which launched in October, had only 25,000 subscribers
nationwide as of June 30 and has been losing one in five new customers as it
struggles with various technical and marketing hurdles. Its second-quarter loss
was bigger than its $55 million loss in the first quarter. Recently, Voom
raised prices to cut back on its losses. And as part of an effort to gain new
financing, it promised to cap future investments in the service at $150 million
a year and $600 million total.

Analysts are skeptical.

"We would urge management to shutter Voom and focus its high-definition efforts
on its core cable business," said Fulcrum Global Partners analyst Richard
Greenfield, pointing out that 83,000 of Cablevision's subscribers have taken
high-definition set-top boxes.

The strength of Cablevision's iO digital-TV service helped it buck the industry
subscriber trend, executives said. Nearly 110,000 additional customers signed
up for iO, topping 1,165,700, or 40 percent of its 2.95 million cable TV
subscribers. Revenue per video customer -- an important measure reflecting rate
increases, added services and ad revenue gains -- hit $82.60, up 18 percent
from $70.23 a year earlier.

Also, Cablevision added more than 50,000 Optimum Online modem customers, for a
total of 1,179,000, or 27 percent of the homes in its service area. That's the
highest penetration rate in the industry, although the pace of additions was
slower than in the first quarter, when it added 71,000.

In the second quarter, Cablevision added 44,200 customers for Optimum Voice --
its Internet-based phone service -- topping 115,000 as of June 30, slightly
more than the 42,200 it gained in the first quarter.

To attract new customers, late in the quarter Cablevision launched a discount
offer packaging cable TV, Internet and phone service for under $90 a month
combined in the first year. It extended the deadline from July 31 to Aug. 15.

One in five new customers has opted for the special offer and the rate of
signups of new customers for packages of at least two services has increased by
more than 50 percent, Cablevision chief operating officer Tom Rutledge said.
"The primary objective is to penetrate the 1.3 million homes that don't have a
relatonship with us," he said.

Contributing to the overall loss, Cablevision had a $30.8 million loss on
investments in the quarter, compared with a $150.7 million gain a year ago.
End higher ticket prices! Go to local college games!

Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)

Voom is absolutely incredible, I have no local HD service so I MUST go
satellite, voom is the best solution by far. Nobody else has as much HD
content. They are ahead of everybody else and it will just take a while to
catch on. I sure hope they can hold on long enough to establish themselves
permanently.

--Dan

"Dan the fan" <westislip@aol.comspambloc> wrote in message
news:20040810065541.22535.00001124@mb-m11.aol.com...
> Taken from Newsday...Cablevision posts $187M loss, despite subscriber
gains
>
> Email this story
>
> Printer friendly format
>
> Top Stories
>
>
> U.S. releases new ratings for rollovers
>
>
> Cablevision posts $187M loss, despite subscriber gains
>
>
> Stocks to Open Higher Before Fed Meeting
>
>
> Bailiffs Renew Seizure of Yukos Assets
>
>
> Coal Miners to Lose Benefits Under Ruling
>
>
>
> BY HARRY BERKOWITZ
> STAFF WRITER
>
> August 9, 2004, 4:37 PM EDT
>
>
> Bucking an industry trend that has soured Wall Street on cable companies,
> Cablevision Systems Corp. said Monday that it gained nearly 7,500 cable TV
> subscribers in the second quarter.
>
> But its Voom nationwide satellite TV venture posted a $81.5 million loss
in the
> quarter, contributing to a $187 million overall loss for the company,
compared
> with a $158 million Cablevision profit in the second quarter of 2003.
Revenue
> jumped 25 percent to $1.2 billion.
>
> The quarterly results present a contrasting picture for the company's
cable
> business, the biggest in the New York City metro area, and Voom, which
> Cablevision plans to spin off next month as part of a new company with its
own
> stock.
>
> And Cablevision's cable subscriber gains contrast with subscriber losses
at
> each of six other major cable companies, including Comcast and Time
Warner,
> totaling 285,000 in the quarter. The gains also broke a string of
subscriber
> losses for the previous three quarters at Cablevision totaling 23,000.
>
> The cable industry faces heightened competition from satellite TV
operators,
> including DirecTV, which gained 455,000 subscribers in the quarter, and
from
> Baby Bells that offer DSL high-speed Internet service and that have formed
> satellite TV partnerships.
>
> Voom, however, although it stresses high-definition satellite TV
programming,
> has a long way to go to rival the size of DirecTV and EchoStar
Communications,
> which total more than 22 million subscribers.
>
> Jericho-based Voom, which launched in October, had only 25,000 subscribers
> nationwide as of June 30 and has been losing one in five new customers as
it
> struggles with various technical and marketing hurdles. Its second-quarter
loss
> was bigger than its $55 million loss in the first quarter. Recently, Voom
> raised prices to cut back on its losses. And as part of an effort to gain
new
> financing, it promised to cap future investments in the service at $150
million
> a year and $600 million total.
>
> Analysts are skeptical.
>
> "We would urge management to shutter Voom and focus its high-definition
efforts
> on its core cable business," said Fulcrum Global Partners analyst Richard
> Greenfield, pointing out that 83,000 of Cablevision's subscribers have
taken
> high-definition set-top boxes.
>
> The strength of Cablevision's iO digital-TV service helped it buck the
industry
> subscriber trend, executives said. Nearly 110,000 additional customers
signed
> up for iO, topping 1,165,700, or 40 percent of its 2.95 million cable TV
> subscribers. Revenue per video customer -- an important measure reflecting
rate
> increases, added services and ad revenue gains -- hit $82.60, up 18
percent
> from $70.23 a year earlier.
>
> Also, Cablevision added more than 50,000 Optimum Online modem customers,
for a
> total of 1,179,000, or 27 percent of the homes in its service area. That's
the
> highest penetration rate in the industry, although the pace of additions
was
> slower than in the first quarter, when it added 71,000.
>
> In the second quarter, Cablevision added 44,200 customers for Optimum
Voice --
> its Internet-based phone service -- topping 115,000 as of June 30,
slightly
> more than the 42,200 it gained in the first quarter.
>
> To attract new customers, late in the quarter Cablevision launched a
discount
> offer packaging cable TV, Internet and phone service for under $90 a month
> combined in the first year. It extended the deadline from July 31 to Aug.
15.
>
> One in five new customers has opted for the special offer and the rate of
> signups of new customers for packages of at least two services has
increased by
> more than 50 percent, Cablevision chief operating officer Tom Rutledge
said.
> "The primary objective is to penetrate the 1.3 million homes that don't
have a
> relatonship with us," he said.
>
> Contributing to the overall loss, Cablevision had a $30.8 million loss on
> investments in the quarter, compared with a $150.7 million gain a year
ago.
> End higher ticket prices! Go to local college games!

Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)

Yea...that's what fans of Unity Motion HDTV used to say as well.
They didn't....hang on, that is.


"dg" <dan_gus@hotmail.com> wrote in message
newsA6Sc.2398$QJ3.753@newssvr21.news.prodigy.com...
> Voom is absolutely incredible, I have no local HD service so I MUST go
> satellite, voom is the best solution by far. Nobody else has as much HD
> content. They are ahead of everybody else and it will just take a while to
> catch on. I sure hope they can hold on long enough to establish
themselves
> permanently.
>
> --Dan
>
> "Dan the fan" <westislip@aol.comspambloc> wrote in message
> news:20040810065541.22535.00001124@mb-m11.aol.com...
> > Taken from Newsday...Cablevision posts $187M loss, despite subscriber
> gains
> >
> > Email this story
> >
> > Printer friendly format
> >
> > Top Stories
> >
> >
> > U.S. releases new ratings for rollovers
> >
> >
> > Cablevision posts $187M loss, despite subscriber gains
> >
> >
> > Stocks to Open Higher Before Fed Meeting
> >
> >
> > Bailiffs Renew Seizure of Yukos Assets
> >
> >
> > Coal Miners to Lose Benefits Under Ruling
> >
> >
> >
> > BY HARRY BERKOWITZ
> > STAFF WRITER
> >
> > August 9, 2004, 4:37 PM EDT
> >
> >
> > Bucking an industry trend that has soured Wall Street on cable
companies,
> > Cablevision Systems Corp. said Monday that it gained nearly 7,500 cable
TV
> > subscribers in the second quarter.
> >
> > But its Voom nationwide satellite TV venture posted a $81.5 million loss
> in the
> > quarter, contributing to a $187 million overall loss for the company,
> compared
> > with a $158 million Cablevision profit in the second quarter of 2003.
> Revenue
> > jumped 25 percent to $1.2 billion.
> >
> > The quarterly results present a contrasting picture for the company's
> cable
> > business, the biggest in the New York City metro area, and Voom, which
> > Cablevision plans to spin off next month as part of a new company with
its
> own
> > stock.
> >
> > And Cablevision's cable subscriber gains contrast with subscriber losses
> at
> > each of six other major cable companies, including Comcast and Time
> Warner,
> > totaling 285,000 in the quarter. The gains also broke a string of
> subscriber
> > losses for the previous three quarters at Cablevision totaling 23,000.
> >
> > The cable industry faces heightened competition from satellite TV
> operators,
> > including DirecTV, which gained 455,000 subscribers in the quarter, and
> from
> > Baby Bells that offer DSL high-speed Internet service and that have
formed
> > satellite TV partnerships.
> >
> > Voom, however, although it stresses high-definition satellite TV
> programming,
> > has a long way to go to rival the size of DirecTV and EchoStar
> Communications,
> > which total more than 22 million subscribers.
> >
> > Jericho-based Voom, which launched in October, had only 25,000
subscribers
> > nationwide as of June 30 and has been losing one in five new customers
as
> it
> > struggles with various technical and marketing hurdles. Its
second-quarter
> loss
> > was bigger than its $55 million loss in the first quarter. Recently,
Voom
> > raised prices to cut back on its losses. And as part of an effort to
gain
> new
> > financing, it promised to cap future investments in the service at $150
> million
> > a year and $600 million total.
> >
> > Analysts are skeptical.
> >
> > "We would urge management to shutter Voom and focus its high-definition
> efforts
> > on its core cable business," said Fulcrum Global Partners analyst
Richard
> > Greenfield, pointing out that 83,000 of Cablevision's subscribers have
> taken
> > high-definition set-top boxes.
> >
> > The strength of Cablevision's iO digital-TV service helped it buck the
> industry
> > subscriber trend, executives said. Nearly 110,000 additional customers
> signed
> > up for iO, topping 1,165,700, or 40 percent of its 2.95 million cable TV
> > subscribers. Revenue per video customer -- an important measure
reflecting
> rate
> > increases, added services and ad revenue gains -- hit $82.60, up 18
> percent
> > from $70.23 a year earlier.
> >
> > Also, Cablevision added more than 50,000 Optimum Online modem customers,
> for a
> > total of 1,179,000, or 27 percent of the homes in its service area.
That's
> the
> > highest penetration rate in the industry, although the pace of additions
> was
> > slower than in the first quarter, when it added 71,000.
> >
> > In the second quarter, Cablevision added 44,200 customers for Optimum
> Voice --
> > its Internet-based phone service -- topping 115,000 as of June 30,
> slightly
> > more than the 42,200 it gained in the first quarter.
> >
> > To attract new customers, late in the quarter Cablevision launched a
> discount
> > offer packaging cable TV, Internet and phone service for under $90 a
month
> > combined in the first year. It extended the deadline from July 31 to
Aug.
> 15.
> >
> > One in five new customers has opted for the special offer and the rate
of
> > signups of new customers for packages of at least two services has
> increased by
> > more than 50 percent, Cablevision chief operating officer Tom Rutledge
> said.
> > "The primary objective is to penetrate the 1.3 million homes that don't
> have a
> > relatonship with us," he said.
> >
> > Contributing to the overall loss, Cablevision had a $30.8 million loss
on
> > investments in the quarter, compared with a $150.7 million gain a year
> ago.
> > End higher ticket prices! Go to local college games!
>
>

Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)

I had never heard of Unity Motion until today. I did a search and saw they
launched in 1998! I think they were WAY TOO EARLY. Only the very wealthy
could enjoy HDTV back then, today even the regular guy like myself can
afford HDTV. By the way, when did Unity finally call it quits? I couldn't
find that info.

--Dan

"Curmudgeon" <biteme@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:tcCSc.656$nv.48@bignews6.bellsouth.net...
> Yea...that's what fans of Unity Motion HDTV used to say as well.
> They didn't....hang on, that is.
>
>
> "dg" <dan_gus@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> newsA6Sc.2398$QJ3.753@newssvr21.news.prodigy.com...
> > Voom is absolutely incredible, I have no local HD service so I MUST go
> > satellite, voom is the best solution by far. Nobody else has as much HD
> > content. They are ahead of everybody else and it will just take a while
to
> > catch on. I sure hope they can hold on long enough to establish
> themselves
> > permanently.
> >
> > --Dan
> >
> > "Dan the fan" <westislip@aol.comspambloc> wrote in message
> > news:20040810065541.22535.00001124@mb-m11.aol.com...
> > > Taken from Newsday...Cablevision posts $187M loss, despite subscriber
> > gains
> > >
> > > Email this story
> > >
> > > Printer friendly format
> > >
> > > Top Stories
> > >
> > >
> > > U.S. releases new ratings for rollovers
> > >
> > >
> > > Cablevision posts $187M loss, despite subscriber gains
> > >
> > >
> > > Stocks to Open Higher Before Fed Meeting
> > >
> > >
> > > Bailiffs Renew Seizure of Yukos Assets
> > >
> > >
> > > Coal Miners to Lose Benefits Under Ruling
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > BY HARRY BERKOWITZ
> > > STAFF WRITER
> > >
> > > August 9, 2004, 4:37 PM EDT
> > >
> > >
> > > Bucking an industry trend that has soured Wall Street on cable
> companies,
> > > Cablevision Systems Corp. said Monday that it gained nearly 7,500
cable
> TV
> > > subscribers in the second quarter.
> > >
> > > But its Voom nationwide satellite TV venture posted a $81.5 million lo
ss
> > in the
> > > quarter, contributing to a $187 million overall loss for the company,
> > compared
> > > with a $158 million Cablevision profit in the second quarter of 2003.
> > Revenue
> > > jumped 25 percent to $1.2 billion.
> > >
> > > The quarterly results present a contrasting picture for the company's
> > cable
> > > business, the biggest in the New York City metro area, and Voom, which
> > > Cablevision plans to spin off next month as part of a new company with
> its
> > own
> > > stock.
> > >
> > > And Cablevision's cable subscriber gains contrast with subscriber
losses
> > at
> > > each of six other major cable companies, including Comcast and Time
> > Warner,
> > > totaling 285,000 in the quarter. The gains also broke a string of
> > subscriber
> > > losses for the previous three quarters at Cablevision totaling 23,000.
> > >
> > > The cable industry faces heightened competition from satellite TV
> > operators,
> > > including DirecTV, which gained 455,000 subscribers in the quarter,
and
> > from
> > > Baby Bells that offer DSL high-speed Internet service and that have
> formed
> > > satellite TV partnerships.
> > >
> > > Voom, however, although it stresses high-definition satellite TV
> > programming,
> > > has a long way to go to rival the size of DirecTV and EchoStar
> > Communications,
> > > which total more than 22 million subscribers.
> > >
> > > Jericho-based Voom, which launched in October, had only 25,000
> subscribers
> > > nationwide as of June 30 and has been losing one in five new customers
> as
> > it
> > > struggles with various technical and marketing hurdles. Its
> second-quarter
> > loss
> > > was bigger than its $55 million loss in the first quarter. Recently,
> Voom
> > > raised prices to cut back on its losses. And as part of an effort to
> gain
> > new
> > > financing, it promised to cap future investments in the service at
$150
> > million
> > > a year and $600 million total.
> > >
> > > Analysts are skeptical.
> > >
> > > "We would urge management to shutter Voom and focus its
high-definition
> > efforts
> > > on its core cable business," said Fulcrum Global Partners analyst
> Richard
> > > Greenfield, pointing out that 83,000 of Cablevision's subscribers have
> > taken
> > > high-definition set-top boxes.
> > >
> > > The strength of Cablevision's iO digital-TV service helped it buck the
> > industry
> > > subscriber trend, executives said. Nearly 110,000 additional customers
> > signed
> > > up for iO, topping 1,165,700, or 40 percent of its 2.95 million cable
TV
> > > subscribers. Revenue per video customer -- an important measure
> reflecting
> > rate
> > > increases, added services and ad revenue gains -- hit $82.60, up 18
> > percent
> > > from $70.23 a year earlier.
> > >
> > > Also, Cablevision added more than 50,000 Optimum Online modem
customers,
> > for a
> > > total of 1,179,000, or 27 percent of the homes in its service area.
> That's
> > the
> > > highest penetration rate in the industry, although the pace of
additions
> > was
> > > slower than in the first quarter, when it added 71,000.
> > >
> > > In the second quarter, Cablevision added 44,200 customers for Optimum
> > Voice --
> > > its Internet-based phone service -- topping 115,000 as of June 30,
> > slightly
> > > more than the 42,200 it gained in the first quarter.
> > >
> > > To attract new customers, late in the quarter Cablevision launched a
> > discount
> > > offer packaging cable TV, Internet and phone service for under $90 a
> month
> > > combined in the first year. It extended the deadline from July 31 to
> Aug.
> > 15.
> > >
> > > One in five new customers has opted for the special offer and the rate
> of
> > > signups of new customers for packages of at least two services has
> > increased by
> > > more than 50 percent, Cablevision chief operating officer Tom Rutledge
> > said.
> > > "The primary objective is to penetrate the 1.3 million homes that
don't
> > have a
> > > relatonship with us," he said.
> > >
> > > Contributing to the overall loss, Cablevision had a $30.8 million loss
> on
> > > investments in the quarter, compared with a $150.7 million gain a year
> > ago.
> > > End higher ticket prices! Go to local college games!
> >
> >
>
>