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Cablevision (US)
Encyclopedia
Cablevision Systems Corporation is an American cable television
company with systems serving areas surrounding New York City. It is the 8th largest cable provider in the USA, with most customers residing in New York
, New Jersey
, Connecticut
, and parts of Pennsylvania
. Cablevision also serves approximately 300,000 customers in Colorado
, Montana
, Utah
, and Wyoming
under the Optimum West brand. Cablevision also offers high-speed Internet
connections (Optimum Online
), as well as digital cable (iO
), and VoIP phone service (Optimum Voice
) through its Optimum brand name.
in 1973. In the mid-1960s, Dolan had already built a cable system called Sterling Manhattan Cable in the borough of Manhattan and launched Home Box Office
(HBO). He ended up selling both the cable system and HBO to Time Life Inc.
With the money he gained from the sale, he started a new cable system in suburban Long Island
forming Cablevision. Cablevision quickly expanded and built system throughout the New York metro area expanding into New Jersey, Westchester County, Connecticut, and the other boroughs of New York City.
In the 1980s, Cablevision also expanded into the Chicago, Boston
, and Cleveland areas. By the mid-1990s Cablevision would offer service to 2.9 million subscribers in 19 states. Through a series of transactions in the late 1990s, Cablevision decided to consolidate their cable systems into three core areas: New York, Cleveland, and Boston. Despite reducing the number of areas served they were able to bring the number of subscribers to 3.5 million through these transactions. One major transaction made at this time was with Tele-Communications Inc.
(TCI). Cablevision gained 10 New York area cable systems from TCI and in exchange TCI gained 33% ownership in the company. In 1999, AT&T
took over TCI thus giving them the one-third ownership in Cablevision. In 2000, Cablevision sold-off its remaining systems outside of the New York area in Boston, Cleveland, and Kalamazoo, Michigan
to Media One, Adelphia, and Charter Communications
respectively. AT&T sold its share of Cablevision in 2001.
On June 13, 2010, Cablevision announced that it would acquire Bresnan Communications
for $1.37 billion. Bresnan provides service to about 308,000 cable subscribers in Colorado
, Montana
, Utah
, and Wyoming
. This is the first time in a decade that Cablevision has owned systems outside of the New York area (although Bresnan, like Cablevision, had its headquarters in the New York City suburbs). In May 2011, Cablevision rebranded the Bresnan systems as Optimum West.
on the West Side of Manhattan
supported by the Mayor
of New York City, Michael Bloomberg
. The stadium would have principally served the New York Jets
, and was an essential part of New York City's failed bid for the 2012 Olympics. Cablevision had offered a competitive bid that far exceeded the bid of the Jets for property owned by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority
, where the new stadium would have been located. The plans to build the stadium were abandoned in June 2005 when the New York State Assembly
under the leadership of Speaker Sheldon Silver
refused to provide state subsidies for the project.
MSG Network
From September 1988 through July 1989, Cablevision did not carry MSG Network (at the time owned by Gulf+Western
, which later became Paramount Communications) over the question of whether MSG should be offered as a basic service or a premium service. This move also occurred as New York Yankees games on cable moved to MSG from Cablevision-owned SportsChannel. The Cablevision position was that those who wished to pay for sports programming should shoulder the burden, not every consumer. This dispute ended with Cablevision offering MSG as a premium subscription service, just like "SportsChannel".
YES Network
Cablevision did not carry most of the games of the New York Yankees in 2002, because they would not accept the price asked during the inaugural season of YES Network
. Again, at the root of the argument was who was to pay for sports programming. Cablevision wanted to offer YES as a premium service, like MSG and Fox Sports NY, where YES ownership wanted the channel on the 'Family Cable' tier. After a long standoff, a deal was made the following year. As a result, YES, along with MSG and Fox Sports NY, moved to the 'Family Cable' Tier.
NFL Network
Cablevision has also never carried the NFL Network, as the company has stated that it would like to be able to carry NFL Sunday Ticket
(which is, by contract, exclusive to DirecTV
until the completion of the 2014 season) before it carries NFL Network. This has been criticized by New Jersey legislators. Recently however, Cablevision purchased Bresnan Communications, a company headquartered in Purchase, New York
, but which did all of its business in the Rocky Mountain region. Because of this, the NFL Network is carried on the former Bresnan (now Optimum West) systems, but not on Optimum systems in Greater New York.
Verizon FiOS
Cablevision, as a content provider, also engaged in a dispute with Verizon over the carriage of MSG Network
and Fox Sports Net New York
on its FiOS
television systems. Verizon sued Cablevision, claiming that the Cablevision did not want to make their valuable local sports coverage available to an emerging competitor to their cable systems. An agreement was reached in November 2006 allowing FiOS to carry these channels. However, MSG's programming continues to be restricted to standard-definition
on FiOS systems, even following MSG's spinoff from Cablevision.
Additionally, Cablevision owned exclusive rights to the MSNBC
news network in its service territory, preventing its carriage by FiOS in overlapping areas. However, this exclusivity ended in February, 2010.
January 2010: Food Network
Because it was unable to reach a deal with Scripps Networks Interactive
concerning retransmission fees, Scripps Networks Interactive
revoked Cablevision's rights to carry the disputed channels, HGTV and the Food Network, on January 1, 2010. Cablevision issued a statement saying, "We wish Scripps well and have no expectation of carrying their programming again, given the dramatic changes in their approach to working with distributors to reach television viewers."
While the channels were affected, Cablevision ran commercials advertising their point of view and set up an area on their website to send out messages to Scripps Networks to tell them to re-carry Food Network and Home & Garden Television. Cablevision also looped a public service announcement on each affected channel and forced all of its customers' set-top boxes to channel 1999, which looped the same annnouncement. Cablevision and Scripps reached an agreement, and as of January 21, 2010, the two networks were back on Cablevision systems. The details of the agreement have not been disclosed.
March 2010: ABC
On March 2, 2010, WABC-TV in New York along with Philadelphia sister station WPVI (carried in Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean counties) stated that they would pull their programming from Cablevision on March 7, 2010 (at midnight), unless a new payment structure is implemented for its network programming. Cablevision responded by citing WABC-TV and WPVI's free, over-the-air accessibility. Cablevision spokesman Charles Scheuler stated "It is not fair for ABC-Disney
to hold Cablevision customers hostage by forcing them to pay what amounts to a new TV tax."
The removal of both stations occurred on the weekend of the 82nd Academy Awards
, which was scheduled to be one of ABC's largest yearly specials, and was projected to cause a devastating blow to advertisers for the Oscars and to Cablevision itself.
On Sunday March 7, 2010 at 12:01 a.m. ET, both WABC and WPVI were removed from Cablevision leaving a black screen in their place, confirming the rumors that if a deal with Cablevision and ABC was not reached by midnight, the network and other Disney-owned channels would go off the air.
Cablevision began looping a public service announcement on each affected channel and forcing all of its customers' set-top boxes to channel 1999, which was looping the same annnouncement, much like was done when Scripps Networks pulled their cable channels' programming. Besides providing certain details of the disagreement they stated that ABC shows could be watched online through TV websites such as Hulu.
Also that day, Cablevision announced through e-mail that their entire film catalog of on-demand movies would be available without charge until midnight that evening as an apology to their customers.
At 8:50 p.m. that day, WABC and WPVI returned to Cablevision's programming, after a notification during the 82nd Academy Awards
announced progression in "Work to complete our negotiations", and the return of ABC's programming during the negotiations.
October 2010: FOX
Cablevision's contract with News Corp to carry FOX
(including MyNetwork TV) expired on October 15, 2010. The contract includes WNYW
and WWOR-TV
in New York and WTXF
in Philadelphia. The contract also includes the cable networks National Geographic Wild
, Fox Business, and Fox Deportes (formerly Fox Sports en Español). Programming affected by the dispute includes the coverage of the NFL on Fox
, 2010 National League Championship Series
, part of the 2010 World Series
, and popular shows like American Idol
and Glee
.
On October 16, 2010 at 12:01am, Fox pulled all of their networks involved in the dispute from Cablevision subscribers. Because of Cablevision's dispute with FOX, Cablevision customers missed multiple new episodes of FOX network programming, multiple weeks of the NFL season, and the entire NLCS. Cablevision looped a public service announcement on each affected channel and forcing all of its customers' set-top boxes to channel 1999, which looped the same annnouncement, much like was done when Scripps Networks and ABC/Disney pulled their cable channels' programming. On October 27, 2010, the same day as Game 1 of the World Series, Cablevision offered a new one-year deal to FOX, which was rejected, continuing the blackout. Cablevision also repeatedly called on FOX to submit to binding arbitration, an offer which FOX repeatedly did not take Cablevision up on.
The channels were restored during the evening of October 30, 2010, the same day as Game 3 of the World Series. News Corp and Cablevision reached a deal "in principle" to restore the channels. News Corp did not disclose the terms of the deal, but Cablevision said it paid the higher fees Fox and News Corp wanted, "because it does not think its customers should any longer be denied the Fox programs they wish to see."
of Cablevision are: Charles Dolan
, James Dolan, Patrick Dolan, Rand Araskog
, Frank Biondi
, Charles Ferris, Richard Hochman, Victor Oristano, Thomas Reifenheiser, John R. Ryan
, Brian Sweeney
, Vincent Tese, Leonard Tow.
In 2006, the Dolan family announced a plan to purchase the company and privatize it, after a failed attempt in 2005, which would have spun off Rainbow Media
as a publicly traded company.
On May 2, 2007, after repeated attempts, the Dolan family announced that a deal worth $10.6 billion had been reached for Cablevision to be taken private, but agreement was not reached with other shareholders. Cablevision stock trades under the ticker symbol CVC on the New York Stock Exchange
.
Madison Square Garden, Inc.
In 1994, Paramount Communications, the owner of Madison Square Garden
, was acquired by Viacom, who in turn sold the MSG properties to Cablevision and ITT Corporation
, which had 50% ownership each. ITT would sell its share to Cablevision three years later.
On February 9, 2010 Cablevision spun off its subsidiary Madison Square Garden, L.P. into a new company named Madison Square Garden, Inc.
. Although a separate company, James Dolan is the chairman and remains an important figure in both companies. The company has three division consisting of professional sports teams, two regional sports networks, and several entertainment venues.
MSG Inc. controls the Madison Square Garden
arena in New York City, and the professional sports teams that play there—the New York Knicks
, New York Rangers
, and New York Liberty
. The same company also owns the Connecticut Whale, formerly the Hartford Wolf Pack
, a minor-league professional hockey
team affiliated with the Rangers.
MSG Inc. also holds the TV rights for the Knicks, Rangers, Liberty, New York Islanders
, New Jersey Devils
, Buffalo Sabres
and New York Red Bulls. These games are aired on their MSG Network
and MSG Plus
(formerly FSN New York) cable channels. Cablevision previously had the rights to the New York Yankees
, New Jersey Nets
and New York Mets
, who left to start their own channels. Cablevision also previously attempted to purchase the Yankees, Mets and Boston Red Sox
, in part, to control their broadcast rights.
Other properties that are owned by MSG Inc., include the Beacon Theater, WaMu Theater, and a long-term lease to operate Radio City Music Hall
.
, IFC
, Sundance Channel, and WE tv
. Wedding Central
, a cable channel that was launched as a spin-off of WE tv in 2009, was also run by Rainbow Media. However, upon AMC Networks achieving its independence of Cablevision, the channel was shut down due to low ratings. Rainbow Media also controlled Fuse TV
until 2010, when ownership was transferred to Cablevision's Madison Square Garden division, now operating independently as Madison Square Garden, Inc.
(see above). The Rainbow Media subsidiary of Cablevision also operated a satellite television company called Voom, which was shut down on April 30, 2005, but lived on as a series of high-definition television
channels named Voom HD Networks. They were available on Cablevision and iO digital cable until January 21, 2009. However, the 15 U.S. channels were eventually also shut down due to lack of distribution prior to the spinning off of Rainbow Media from Cablevision as the independent AMC Networks.
from its beginning in 1976 until it was dissolved into Fox Sports Net
in the late 1990s. In 2007 Cablevision sold its control of FSN Bay Area and FSN New England to Comcast
for $570 million. These were the last of their regional sports networks outside of the New York area.
Cablevision also once owned New York-area electronics chain The Wiz
, before closing it. The brand has since been sold to P. C. Richard & Son
.
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
company with systems serving areas surrounding New York City. It is the 8th largest cable provider in the USA, with most customers residing in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, and parts of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. Cablevision also serves approximately 300,000 customers in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, and Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
under the Optimum West brand. Cablevision also offers high-speed Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
connections (Optimum Online
Optimum Online
Optimum Online is a broadband Internet service provider subsidiary of Cablevision.Optimum Online serves some parts of the New York City metropolitan area, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Westchester, and parts of the states of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania.-Standard offering:The basic...
), as well as digital cable (iO
IO Digital Cable
Interactive Optimum, better known as iO Digital Cable or simply iO, is a digital cable service offered by Cablevision, available in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and parts of Pennsylvania. It includes 130 HDTV channels, interactive channels, such as games, and channels that allow viewers to...
), and VoIP phone service (Optimum Voice
Optimum Voice
Optimum Voice is a VoIP telephone services provided by Cablevision for its Optimum Online customers. Customers must have Optimum Online first before using Optimum Voice as it uses the Internet for phone session.- World Call :...
) through its Optimum brand name.
Products and services
- Optimum OnlineOptimum OnlineOptimum Online is a broadband Internet service provider subsidiary of Cablevision.Optimum Online serves some parts of the New York City metropolitan area, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Westchester, and parts of the states of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania.-Standard offering:The basic...
- Optimum VoiceOptimum VoiceOptimum Voice is a VoIP telephone services provided by Cablevision for its Optimum Online customers. Customers must have Optimum Online first before using Optimum Voice as it uses the Internet for phone session.- World Call :...
- iO Digital Cable
- Optimum Lightpath
- Optimum Business
- Optimum Business Benefits (offers exclusively to Optimum Business customers)
- Remote storage digital video recorderRemote storage digital video recorderNetwork DVR , or network personal video recorder , or remote storage digital video recorder is a network-based digital video recorder stored at the provider's central location rather than at the consumer's private home...
(network DVR service pioneered by Cablevision)
Other properties
- Cablevision has owned the movie theater chain Clearview CinemasClearview CinemasClearview Cinemas is a chain of movie theatres within the New York metropolitan area that is owned by Cablevision.A subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corporation since 1998, Clearview Cinemas was formed in 1994 and currently operates 47 movie theatres with 253 screens in the New York metropolitan...
since 1998. - On July 29, 2008, Cablevision acquired NewsdayNewsdayNewsday is a daily American newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties and the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island, although it is sold throughout the New York metropolitan area...
and amNewYork in a deal worth $650m.
Defunct properties
- The Wiz was acquired by Cablevision in 1998. The chain closed in 2003, but has since returned as an online retailer owned by P.C. Richard & Son.
History
Cablevision was founded by Charles DolanCharles Dolan
Charles F. Dolan is an American billionaire and founder of Cablevision and HBO.-Biography:A John Carroll University drop out, Dolan is married and has six children, including Cablevision Systems Corporation and Madison Square Garden, Inc. chairman James L. Dolan.The Charles F...
in 1973. In the mid-1960s, Dolan had already built a cable system called Sterling Manhattan Cable in the borough of Manhattan and launched Home Box Office
Home Box Office
HBO, short for Home Box Office, is an American premium cable television network, owned by Time Warner. , HBO's programming reaches 28.2 million subscribers in the United States, making it the second largest premium network in America . In addition to its U.S...
(HBO). He ended up selling both the cable system and HBO to Time Life Inc.
Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable is an American cable television company that operates in 28 states and has 31 operating divisions...
With the money he gained from the sale, he started a new cable system in suburban Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
forming Cablevision. Cablevision quickly expanded and built system throughout the New York metro area expanding into New Jersey, Westchester County, Connecticut, and the other boroughs of New York City.
In the 1980s, Cablevision also expanded into the Chicago, Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, and Cleveland areas. By the mid-1990s Cablevision would offer service to 2.9 million subscribers in 19 states. Through a series of transactions in the late 1990s, Cablevision decided to consolidate their cable systems into three core areas: New York, Cleveland, and Boston. Despite reducing the number of areas served they were able to bring the number of subscribers to 3.5 million through these transactions. One major transaction made at this time was with Tele-Communications Inc.
Tele-Communications Inc.
Tele-Communications, Inc. or TCI was a cable television provider in the United States, for much of its history controlled by Bob Magness and John Malone....
(TCI). Cablevision gained 10 New York area cable systems from TCI and in exchange TCI gained 33% ownership in the company. In 1999, AT&T
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
took over TCI thus giving them the one-third ownership in Cablevision. In 2000, Cablevision sold-off its remaining systems outside of the New York area in Boston, Cleveland, and Kalamazoo, Michigan
Kalamazoo, Michigan
The area on which the modern city stands was once home to Native Americans of the Hopewell culture, who migrated into the area sometime before the first millennium. Evidence of their early residency remains in the form of a small mound in downtown's Bronson Park. The Hopewell civilization began to...
to Media One, Adelphia, and Charter Communications
Charter Communications
Charter Communications is an American company providing cable television, high-speed Internet, and telephone services to more than 4.7 million customers in 25 states. By revenues, it is the fourth-largest cable operator in the United States, behind Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Cox Communications...
respectively. AT&T sold its share of Cablevision in 2001.
On June 13, 2010, Cablevision announced that it would acquire Bresnan Communications
Bresnan Communications
Optimum West is a division of Cablevision that operates in the Rocky Mountain area, servicing Montana, Wyoming, Utah and Colorado. It offers digital cable, high speed internet, and digital voice services to over 300,000 subscribers....
for $1.37 billion. Bresnan provides service to about 308,000 cable subscribers in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, and Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
. This is the first time in a decade that Cablevision has owned systems outside of the New York area (although Bresnan, like Cablevision, had its headquarters in the New York City suburbs). In May 2011, Cablevision rebranded the Bresnan systems as Optimum West.
Cablevision's role in the West Side Stadium debate
In 2004 and 2005, Cablevision provided funding for an advertising campaign against the proposed construction of a stadiumWest Side Stadium
The West Side Stadium was a proposed football stadium to be built on a platform over the rail yards on the West Side of Manhattan in New York City....
on the West Side of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
supported by the Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of New York City, Michael Bloomberg
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg is the current Mayor of New York City. With a net worth of $19.5 billion in 2011, he is also the 12th-richest person in the United States...
. The stadium would have principally served the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, and was an essential part of New York City's failed bid for the 2012 Olympics. Cablevision had offered a competitive bid that far exceeded the bid of the Jets for property owned by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York)
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York is a public benefit corporation responsible for public transportation in the U.S...
, where the new stadium would have been located. The plans to build the stadium were abandoned in June 2005 when the New York State Assembly
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652...
under the leadership of Speaker Sheldon Silver
Sheldon Silver
Sheldon "Shelly" Silver is an American lawyer and Democratic politician from New York. He has held the office of Speaker of the New York State Assembly since 1994.- Personal life :...
refused to provide state subsidies for the project.
MSG NetworkMSG NetworkThe MSG Network, now shortened to simply MSG, is a regional cable television and radio network serving the Mid-Atlantic United States. It is focused on New York City sports teams...
From September 1988 through July 1989, Cablevision did not carry MSG Network (at the time owned by Gulf+WesternGulf+Western
Gulf and Western Industries, Inc., for a number of years known as Gulf+Western, was an American conglomerate.- History :Gulf and Western's prosaic origins date to a manufacturer named Michigan Bumper Co. founded in 1934, though Charles Bluhdorn treated his 1958 takeover of what was then Michigan...
, which later became Paramount Communications) over the question of whether MSG should be offered as a basic service or a premium service. This move also occurred as New York Yankees games on cable moved to MSG from Cablevision-owned SportsChannel. The Cablevision position was that those who wished to pay for sports programming should shoulder the burden, not every consumer. This dispute ended with Cablevision offering MSG as a premium subscription service, just like "SportsChannel".
YES NetworkYES NetworkThe Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network is a New York City-based, regional cable television channel; it broadcasts a variety of sports events, with an emphasis on New York Yankees baseball games, and New Jersey Nets basketball games. YES made its debut on March 19, 2002...
Cablevision did not carry most of the games of the New York Yankees in 2002, because they would not accept the price asked during the inaugural season of YES NetworkYES Network
The Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network is a New York City-based, regional cable television channel; it broadcasts a variety of sports events, with an emphasis on New York Yankees baseball games, and New Jersey Nets basketball games. YES made its debut on March 19, 2002...
. Again, at the root of the argument was who was to pay for sports programming. Cablevision wanted to offer YES as a premium service, like MSG and Fox Sports NY, where YES ownership wanted the channel on the 'Family Cable' tier. After a long standoff, a deal was made the following year. As a result, YES, along with MSG and Fox Sports NY, moved to the 'Family Cable' Tier.
NFL NetworkNFL NetworkNFL Network is an American television specialty channel owned and operated by the National Football League . It was launched November 4, 2003, only eight months after the league's 32 team owners voted unanimously to approve its formation...
Cablevision has also never carried the NFL Network, as the company has stated that it would like to be able to carry NFL Sunday TicketNFL Sunday Ticket
NFL Sunday Ticket is an Out-of-Market Sports Package that broadcasts National Football League regular season games unavailable on local affiliates. It carries all regional Sunday afternoon games produced by Fox and CBS...
(which is, by contract, exclusive to DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
until the completion of the 2014 season) before it carries NFL Network. This has been criticized by New Jersey legislators. Recently however, Cablevision purchased Bresnan Communications, a company headquartered in Purchase, New York
Purchase, New York
Purchase, New York is a hamlet of the town of Harrison, in Westchester County. Its ZIP code is 10577. Its name is derived from Harrison's purchase, for Harrison could have as much land as he could ride in one day...
, but which did all of its business in the Rocky Mountain region. Because of this, the NFL Network is carried on the former Bresnan (now Optimum West) systems, but not on Optimum systems in Greater New York.
Verizon FiOSVerizon FiOSVerizon FiOS is a bundled Internet access, telephone, and television service which operates over a fiber-optic communications network. It is offered in some areas of the United States by Verizon Communications. Verizon was one of the first major U.S...
Cablevision, as a content provider, also engaged in a dispute with Verizon over the carriage of MSG NetworkMSG Network
The MSG Network, now shortened to simply MSG, is a regional cable television and radio network serving the Mid-Atlantic United States. It is focused on New York City sports teams...
and Fox Sports Net New York
MSG Plus
MSG Plus is a regional sports network in the New York City metropolitan area, whose reach expands to cover the entire state of New York, Northern New Jersey, Southwestern Connecticut, and Northeastern Pennsylvania. The network was rebranded on March 10, 2008.Like its sister network, MSG, it is...
on its FiOS
Fíos
Fíos is one of 17 parishes in Parres, a municipality within the province and autonomous community of Asturias, in northern Spain....
television systems. Verizon sued Cablevision, claiming that the Cablevision did not want to make their valuable local sports coverage available to an emerging competitor to their cable systems. An agreement was reached in November 2006 allowing FiOS to carry these channels. However, MSG's programming continues to be restricted to standard-definition
Standard-definition television
Sorete-definition television is a television system that uses a resolution that is not considered to be either enhanced-definition television or high-definition television . The term is usually used in reference to digital television, in particular when broadcasting at the same resolution as...
on FiOS systems, even following MSG's spinoff from Cablevision.
Additionally, Cablevision owned exclusive rights to the MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
news network in its service territory, preventing its carriage by FiOS in overlapping areas. However, this exclusivity ended in February, 2010.
January 2010: Food NetworkFood NetworkFood Network is a television specialty channel that airs both one-time and recurring programs about food and cooking. Scripps Networks Interactive owns 70 percent of the network, with Tribune Company controlling the remaining 30 percent....
and HGTVHGTVHGTV , is a cable-television network operating in the United States and Canada, broadcasting a variety of home and garden improvement, maintenance, renovation, craft and remodeling shows...
dispute
Because it was unable to reach a deal with Scripps Networks InteractiveScripps Networks Interactive
Scripps Networks Interactive is an American media company formed on July 1, 2008 as a spin out of the E.W. Scripps Company. Since launching HGTV in 1994, Scripps has become a leader in lifestyle media, developing relevant content for television, the Internet satellite radio, books, magazines, and...
concerning retransmission fees, Scripps Networks Interactive
Scripps Networks Interactive
Scripps Networks Interactive is an American media company formed on July 1, 2008 as a spin out of the E.W. Scripps Company. Since launching HGTV in 1994, Scripps has become a leader in lifestyle media, developing relevant content for television, the Internet satellite radio, books, magazines, and...
revoked Cablevision's rights to carry the disputed channels, HGTV and the Food Network, on January 1, 2010. Cablevision issued a statement saying, "We wish Scripps well and have no expectation of carrying their programming again, given the dramatic changes in their approach to working with distributors to reach television viewers."
While the channels were affected, Cablevision ran commercials advertising their point of view and set up an area on their website to send out messages to Scripps Networks to tell them to re-carry Food Network and Home & Garden Television. Cablevision also looped a public service announcement on each affected channel and forced all of its customers' set-top boxes to channel 1999, which looped the same annnouncement. Cablevision and Scripps reached an agreement, and as of January 21, 2010, the two networks were back on Cablevision systems. The details of the agreement have not been disclosed.
March 2010: ABCAmerican Broadcasting CompanyThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
contract dispute affecting WABC-TVWABC-TVWABC-TV, channel 7, is the flagship station of the Disney-owned American Broadcasting Company located in New York City. The station's studios and offices are located on the Upper West Side section of Manhattan, adjacent to ABC's corporate headquarters, and its transmitter is atop the Empire State...
and WPVI
On March 2, 2010, WABC-TV in New York along with Philadelphia sister station WPVI (carried in Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean counties) stated that they would pull their programming from Cablevision on March 7, 2010 (at midnight), unless a new payment structure is implemented for its network programming. Cablevision responded by citing WABC-TV and WPVI's free, over-the-air accessibility. Cablevision spokesman Charles Scheuler stated "It is not fair for ABC-DisneyThe Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
to hold Cablevision customers hostage by forcing them to pay what amounts to a new TV tax."
The removal of both stations occurred on the weekend of the 82nd Academy Awards
82nd Academy Awards
The 82nd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences , honored the best films of 2009 and took place March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST / 8:30 p.m. EST. The ceremony was scheduled well after...
, which was scheduled to be one of ABC's largest yearly specials, and was projected to cause a devastating blow to advertisers for the Oscars and to Cablevision itself.
On Sunday March 7, 2010 at 12:01 a.m. ET, both WABC and WPVI were removed from Cablevision leaving a black screen in their place, confirming the rumors that if a deal with Cablevision and ABC was not reached by midnight, the network and other Disney-owned channels would go off the air.
Cablevision began looping a public service announcement on each affected channel and forcing all of its customers' set-top boxes to channel 1999, which was looping the same annnouncement, much like was done when Scripps Networks pulled their cable channels' programming. Besides providing certain details of the disagreement they stated that ABC shows could be watched online through TV websites such as Hulu.
Also that day, Cablevision announced through e-mail that their entire film catalog of on-demand movies would be available without charge until midnight that evening as an apology to their customers.
At 8:50 p.m. that day, WABC and WPVI returned to Cablevision's programming, after a notification during the 82nd Academy Awards
82nd Academy Awards
The 82nd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences , honored the best films of 2009 and took place March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST / 8:30 p.m. EST. The ceremony was scheduled well after...
announced progression in "Work to complete our negotiations", and the return of ABC's programming during the negotiations.
October 2010: FOXFox Broadcasting CompanyFox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
and MyNetworkTVMyNetworkTVMyNetworkTV is a television broadcast syndication service in the United States, owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a division of News Corporation...
dispute
Cablevision's contract with News Corp to carry FOXFox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
(including MyNetwork TV) expired on October 15, 2010. The contract includes WNYW
WNYW
WNYW, virtual channel 5 , is the flagship television station of the News Corporation-owned Fox Broadcasting Company, located in New York City. The station's transmitter is atop the Empire State Building and its studio facilities are located in the Yorkville section of Manhattan...
and WWOR-TV
WWOR-TV
WWOR-TV, virtual channel 9 , is the flagship station of the MyNetworkTV programming service, licensed to Secaucus, New Jersey and serving the Tri-State metropolitan area. WWOR is owned by Fox Television Stations, a division of the News Corporation, and is a sister station to Fox network flagship...
in New York and WTXF
WTXF-TV
WTXF-TV, virtual channel 29 , is an owned-and-operated station of the News Corporation-owned Fox Broadcasting Company, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
in Philadelphia. The contract also includes the cable networks National Geographic Wild
National Geographic Wild
Nat Geo WILD is a cable TV channel focused on animal-related programs. It is a sister network to National Geographic Channel and it is the latest channel to be jointly launched by the National Geographic Society and Fox Cable Networks. It first launched in Hong Kong on January 1, 2006, focusing...
, Fox Business, and Fox Deportes (formerly Fox Sports en Español). Programming affected by the dispute includes the coverage of the NFL on Fox
NFL on FOX
NFL on Fox is the brand name of the Fox Broadcasting Company's coverage of the National Football League's National Football Conference games, produced by Fox Sports...
, 2010 National League Championship Series
2010 National League Championship Series
-Game 1:Saturday, October 16, 2010 — 7:30 p.m. at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaIn one of the most touted postseason pitching matchups in recent history, two former Cy Young Award winners faced off: Roy Halladay for the Phillies and Tim Lincecum for the Giants...
, part of the 2010 World Series
2010 World Series
The 2010 World Series was the 106th occurrence of Major League Baseball's championship series. The best-of-seven playoff, played between the American League champion Texas Rangers and the National League champion San Francisco Giants, began on Wednesday, , and ended on Monday, , with the Giants...
, and popular shows like American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
and Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
.
On October 16, 2010 at 12:01am, Fox pulled all of their networks involved in the dispute from Cablevision subscribers. Because of Cablevision's dispute with FOX, Cablevision customers missed multiple new episodes of FOX network programming, multiple weeks of the NFL season, and the entire NLCS. Cablevision looped a public service announcement on each affected channel and forcing all of its customers' set-top boxes to channel 1999, which looped the same annnouncement, much like was done when Scripps Networks and ABC/Disney pulled their cable channels' programming. On October 27, 2010, the same day as Game 1 of the World Series, Cablevision offered a new one-year deal to FOX, which was rejected, continuing the blackout. Cablevision also repeatedly called on FOX to submit to binding arbitration, an offer which FOX repeatedly did not take Cablevision up on.
The channels were restored during the evening of October 30, 2010, the same day as Game 3 of the World Series. News Corp and Cablevision reached a deal "in principle" to restore the channels. News Corp did not disclose the terms of the deal, but Cablevision said it paid the higher fees Fox and News Corp wanted, "because it does not think its customers should any longer be denied the Fox programs they wish to see."
Corporate governance
Current members of the board of directorsBoard of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
of Cablevision are: Charles Dolan
Charles Dolan
Charles F. Dolan is an American billionaire and founder of Cablevision and HBO.-Biography:A John Carroll University drop out, Dolan is married and has six children, including Cablevision Systems Corporation and Madison Square Garden, Inc. chairman James L. Dolan.The Charles F...
, James Dolan, Patrick Dolan, Rand Araskog
Rand Araskog
Rand Vincent Araskog is a prominent U.S. businessman and an ex-CEO of ITT Corporation. Araskog is of Scandinavian origin; his grandfather emigrated from Sweden to Minnesota....
, Frank Biondi
Frank Biondi
Frank J. Biondi, Jr. is an American businessman.He was born in New York City to Frank Biondi, Sr. and Virginia Willis, and was raised in Livingston, New Jersey. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Princeton University and an Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School...
, Charles Ferris, Richard Hochman, Victor Oristano, Thomas Reifenheiser, John R. Ryan
John R. Ryan
John R. Ryan is a retired United States Navy vice admiral who served as the Superintendent of the United States Naval Academy and as the Chancellor of the State University of New York...
, Brian Sweeney
Brian Sweeney
Brian Edward Sweeney is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the New York Mets organization.Sweeney graduated from Archbishop Stepinac High School in White Plains in 1992...
, Vincent Tese, Leonard Tow.
In 2006, the Dolan family announced a plan to purchase the company and privatize it, after a failed attempt in 2005, which would have spun off Rainbow Media
Rainbow Media
AMC Networks is an entertainment company in the United States that owns the national cable channels AMC, IFC, WE tv, and Sundance Channel; the regional News 12 Networks, the art house movie theater IFC Center in New York, New York, and the film company IFC Films.The company was originally launched...
as a publicly traded company.
On May 2, 2007, after repeated attempts, the Dolan family announced that a deal worth $10.6 billion had been reached for Cablevision to be taken private, but agreement was not reached with other shareholders. Cablevision stock trades under the ticker symbol CVC on the New York Stock Exchange
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located at 11 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies at 13.39 trillion as of Dec 2010...
.
Madison Square Garden, Inc.Madison Square Garden, Inc.Madison Square Garden, Inc. , is an American entertainment promotion company, headquartered in New York, New York. The company spun off from Cablevision on February 9, 2010.-Divisions:...
In 1994, Paramount Communications, the owner of Madison Square GardenMadison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
, was acquired by Viacom, who in turn sold the MSG properties to Cablevision and ITT Corporation
ITT Corporation
ITT Corporation is a global diversified manufacturing company based in the United States. ITT participates in global markets including water and fluids management, defense and security, and motion and flow control...
, which had 50% ownership each. ITT would sell its share to Cablevision three years later.
On February 9, 2010 Cablevision spun off its subsidiary Madison Square Garden, L.P. into a new company named Madison Square Garden, Inc.
Madison Square Garden, Inc.
Madison Square Garden, Inc. , is an American entertainment promotion company, headquartered in New York, New York. The company spun off from Cablevision on February 9, 2010.-Divisions:...
. Although a separate company, James Dolan is the chairman and remains an important figure in both companies. The company has three division consisting of professional sports teams, two regional sports networks, and several entertainment venues.
MSG Inc. controls the Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
arena in New York City, and the professional sports teams that play there—the New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
, New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
, and New York Liberty
New York Liberty
The New York Liberty is a professional basketball team based in New York City, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was one of the eight original franchises of the league...
. The same company also owns the Connecticut Whale, formerly the Hartford Wolf Pack
Hartford Wolf Pack
The Connecticut Whale is a professional ice hockey team based in Hartford, Connecticut. They play in the American Hockey League . They play their home games at the XL Center....
, a minor-league professional hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
team affiliated with the Rangers.
MSG Inc. also holds the TV rights for the Knicks, Rangers, Liberty, New York Islanders
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
, New Jersey Devils
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
, Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League .-Founding and early success: 1970-71—1980-81:...
and New York Red Bulls. These games are aired on their MSG Network
MSG Network
The MSG Network, now shortened to simply MSG, is a regional cable television and radio network serving the Mid-Atlantic United States. It is focused on New York City sports teams...
and MSG Plus
MSG Plus
MSG Plus is a regional sports network in the New York City metropolitan area, whose reach expands to cover the entire state of New York, Northern New Jersey, Southwestern Connecticut, and Northeastern Pennsylvania. The network was rebranded on March 10, 2008.Like its sister network, MSG, it is...
(formerly FSN New York) cable channels. Cablevision previously had the rights to the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
, New Jersey Nets
New Jersey Nets
The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
and New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
, who left to start their own channels. Cablevision also previously attempted to purchase the Yankees, Mets and Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
, in part, to control their broadcast rights.
Other properties that are owned by MSG Inc., include the Beacon Theater, WaMu Theater, and a long-term lease to operate Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue located in New York City's Rockefeller Center. Its nickname is the Showplace of the Nation, and it was for a time the leading tourist destination in the city...
.
AMC Networks
On July 1, 2011, Cablevision spun off its subsidiary, formerly known as Rainbow Media LLC, into a new company named AMC Networks. AMC Networks owns several national cable networks including AMCAMC (TV network)
AMC is a cable television specialty channel that primarily airs movies, along with a limited amount of original programming. The letters originally stood for American Movie Classics; however since 2002, the full name has been deemphasized as a result of a major shift in programming...
, IFC
Independent Film Channel
The Independent Film Channel is an American cable TV network that airs independent film and related programming. IFC programming includes commercially interrupted feature-length films, original documentaries, shorts, animated series, original series, acquired series, and content exclusively for...
, Sundance Channel, and WE tv
WE TV
We TV is the third TV channel from Malayalam Communications Ltd, in Kerala and based at Trivandrum. The other two channels of this company are Kairali TV and People TV. WE TV is mainly aimed at the youth and was officially launched on April 14, 2007. Mr...
. Wedding Central
Wedding Central
Wedding Central was an American digital cable television channel that focused on programming involving brides and weddings, which was a spin-off of the programming which made up much of WE tv's schedule at the network's launch on August 18, 2009. The network was launched by the Rainbow Media...
, a cable channel that was launched as a spin-off of WE tv in 2009, was also run by Rainbow Media. However, upon AMC Networks achieving its independence of Cablevision, the channel was shut down due to low ratings. Rainbow Media also controlled Fuse TV
Fuse TV
Fuse is an American national television network dedicated exclusively to music. It features original series and specials, exclusive interviews, live concerts and video blocks....
until 2010, when ownership was transferred to Cablevision's Madison Square Garden division, now operating independently as Madison Square Garden, Inc.
Madison Square Garden, Inc.
Madison Square Garden, Inc. , is an American entertainment promotion company, headquartered in New York, New York. The company spun off from Cablevision on February 9, 2010.-Divisions:...
(see above). The Rainbow Media subsidiary of Cablevision also operated a satellite television company called Voom, which was shut down on April 30, 2005, but lived on as a series of high-definition television
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
channels named Voom HD Networks. They were available on Cablevision and iO digital cable until January 21, 2009. However, the 15 U.S. channels were eventually also shut down due to lack of distribution prior to the spinning off of Rainbow Media from Cablevision as the independent AMC Networks.
Other former properties
Cablevision also owned the former SportsChannel AmericaSportsChannel America
SportsChannel America was a cable television network operated by Cablevision. It was the country's first regional sports network, and thus an important ancestor to many of the United States' regional sports outlets, especially Fox Sports Net and Comcast SportsNet. SportsChannel New York was the...
from its beginning in 1976 until it was dissolved into Fox Sports Net
Fox Sports Net
The Fox Sports Regional Networks, or simply Fox Sports Net , are a collection of cable TV regional sports networks in the United States owned and operated by News Corporation.- Beginnings :...
in the late 1990s. In 2007 Cablevision sold its control of FSN Bay Area and FSN New England to Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
for $570 million. These were the last of their regional sports networks outside of the New York area.
Cablevision also once owned New York-area electronics chain The Wiz
Nobody Beats The Wiz
The Wiz was a chain of electronic stores in the northeastern United States, located primarily in New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Some locations were in Canada as well. The chain was founded by four brothers, Douglas, Lawrence, Marvin, and Stephan Jemal, in New York City in 1977...
, before closing it. The brand has since been sold to P. C. Richard & Son
P. C. Richard & Son
P.C. Richard & Son, also known as simply P.C. Richard, is the largest chain of private, family-owned electronics and appliances stores in the United States. Its stores are located in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania, with the majority of the stores located on Long Island and in...
.
External links
- Optimum website
- iO (Interactive Optimum) Digital Cable Television Service
- Optimum Online High-speed broadband Cable Internet Service
- Optimum Voice Digital Phone Service