cablevision
Latest
Cable giant Altice will become a wireless carrier with Sprint's help
Just because Sprint was jilted at the altar doesn't mean its weekend was all bad. The carrier has struck a deal that will turn Altice (the French company that bought CableVision) into an American wireless provider. Under the agreement, Altice USA will have "full" use of Sprint's network for nationwide voice and data service. In return, Altice will use its broadband network to help Sprint "densify" its coverage as it adds legions of small cell sites.
America's fourth-largest cable co. will offer 10Gbps fiber
Altice USA may not be the most recognized ISP name out there, but the country's fourth-largest provider is about to get a big upgrade over the next five years or so. According to the company's roadmap, Altice plans to bring high-speed, 10 Gbps fiber lines directly to its 8.3 million customers starting in 2017.
Cablevision customers can access Hulu like any other channel
Almost a year ago, Cablevision announced plans to become the first cable provider to offer Hulu through its regular service. Today, the on-demand streaming option is finally being added to Optimum TV on the company's current-gen set-top boxes. What's more, customers can access Hulu's library of content just like any other channel. From there, users can browse the full collection of content in further detail. To get Hulu to its customer's set-top boxes, Cablevision is leveraging ActiveVideo's CloudTV StreamCast technology. If you'll recall, Netflix already made the leap to some cable boxes with its lineup of streaming content.
New York's Attorney General probing state broadband speeds
For an industry obsessed with accuracy, it seems hilarious that the broadband speeds that you pay for are so vague and ill-defined in reality. It's a situation that has angered New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman (pictured), so he's launching a statewide probe into users internet speeds. Reuters is reporting that the official is targeting the state's big three providers, Verizon, Cablevision and Time Warner to see if, as he says, "many of us may be paying for one thing and getting another." The three firms have all been sent letters asking them to provide all disclosures made to customers about speed, as well as the details of any internal testing that they carry out.
Cablevision and Viacom settle their lawsuits over channel bundling
And just like that, Cablevision's feud with Viacom over channel bundling is over. The two TV giants have settled their antitrust lawsuits with promises that they're making "mutually beneficial business arrangements." Neither side is saying what those arrangements are, however, and it's not clear whether or not Cablevision is getting a better deal than what it had in 2012. This ruckus started because Cablevision didn't like being forced to carry niche Viacom channels to get the big channels it wanted -- this whole exercise would be pointless if the company didn't get either a discount or more control. With that said, it wouldn't be shocking if Cablevision's soon-to-be owner, Altice, pushed for a hasty compromise to prevent the lawsuits (and the resulting government scrutiny) from interfering with its big purchase. [Image credit: Jin Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Cablevision buyout makes Altice the fourth-largest US cable operator
Cablevision, an iconic US cable TV company founded in 1973, has been purchased by France's Altice for $17.7 billion. The sale has been approved by shareholders and is expected to go through in the first half of 2016. "Nearly half a century later, the time is right for new ownership of Cablevision and its considerable assets," said CEO James L. Dolan. Not included in those assets, however, is Cablevision's Madison Square Garden company -- the Dolan family will keep the downtown New York arena, along with Radio City Music Hall and the Rangers and Knicks pro sports franchises. It's also holding onto AMC Networks, the home of Mad Men, Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead.
Cablevision will sell streaming CBS, Showtime to cord-cutters
Need more evidence that cable TV is giving way to internet TV? Cablevision just announced its new TV deal with CBS includes a provision for it to sell CBS All Access and Showtime streaming to its internet-only Optimum customers. Cablevision is already offering internet customers a way to bundle HBO Now or Hulu streaming with their bill, and now this adds another option. There's no pricing info for CBS or Showtime yet, but if it follows the setup for 'cord-cutting' with HBO and Hulu, we wouldn't expect any deep discounting. While Dish Network and Verizon chose one path to wrap up deals for internet TV during their usual negotiations with channels and content providers, Cablevision is going another, and even Comcast has its own plans. Welcome to the new look of cable.
Cablevision boosts internet speeds enough to make the FCC happy
If you subscribe to Cablevision's standard Optimum Online service, we have good news: you're getting a free upgrade. The company has boosted the download speed on its core internet tier from 15Mbps to 25Mbps, making this basic option much more viable for 4K video and other downstream-heavy tasks. It's not necessarily an altruistic gesture, mind you. That 25Mbps figure conveniently meets the FCC's new minimum definition of broadband -- this may be as much about keeping regulators happy as anything else. Whatever the reason, it'll make a big difference if it saves you from signing up for costlier Ultra access just to get that HBO show just a little bit sooner. [Image credit: Shutterstock]
Cablevision is the first cable company to sell Hulu, but how?
Cablevision was already the first provider to start pushing HBO Now for its internet subscribers, and today it's announcing a deal with Hulu. The two have reached an agreement to bring Hulu's VOD catalog to Optimum customers, but exactly what that means is unclear. Unlike the HBO announcement, this news isn't specifically targeted at internet customers, and according to reps, details on pricing and availability will come later. We don't know if Hulu's content will be coming to cable boxes, or if the subscription Hulu Plus service will just be available as an add-on bundle for TV and/or internet subscribers. Tim Connoly, SVP of distribution at Hulu said in the press release "Even with the rapid growth in streaming, there is a huge audience that consumes television through their cable provider, and we want to be there for them too."
Cablevision offers 'Cord Cutter' packages with optional HBO Now
It looks like Cablevision is covering all of its bases. Today the company announced "Cord Cutter" packages that include a free digital antenna and access to its Optimum WiFi network. Additionally, Cablevision is offering the option of adding HBO Now to the service, making it the first ever cable provider to do so. With pay-TV losing customers to streaming services, it makes sense for these companies to offer broadband-only packages. In a statement, CEO Kristin Dolan, said: "Our new 'cord cutter' packages take a modern approach to traditional triple-product bundles and provide real alternatives that fit new consumer lifestyles."
If you said 'take my money HBO', it's ready to collect
It's here -- HBO without cable or satellite. Since HBO Now is live, the network is taking the logical next step -- tracking down folks that said they'd love to pay for its content and asking them to put their money where their tweets are. Last week it was replying to tweets received years ago, and today the marketing campaign took another step by including Jake Caputo, the founder of takemymoneyHBO.com, and a couple of special guests from The Sopranos. HBO Now has its own limitations (you'll need Apple devices and/or Cablevision internet to sign up), but since it's here and the content is mirrored from HBO Go, are you ready to sign up -- or at least jump on the month-long free trial?
Cablevision will offer HBO's standalone streaming service to its internet users
You'd think that cable companies would be the mortal enemies of internet-only TV services, but that's apparently not always the case. Cablevision has forged a deal to offer HBO Now to both its internet subscribers and those who use its Optimum WiFi access points. There's no details as to pricing or whether or not the offering will be available the moment HBO Now launches in April, but it won't be surprising if the service costs you around the $15 per month announced at Apple's March 9th event. Will other internet providers follow suit? It's hard to say. While HBO Now is potentially useful for preventing would-be cord cutters from ditching cable altogether (by letting them switch to cheaper TV packages), telecoms like Comcast and Verizon haven't been fond of online video services in the past.
Cablevision's WiFi-only unlimited mobile phone service is live
The all-WiFi phone service Cablevision announced in January is now available. Unlike the usual mobile carrier, the Freewheel phone (currently a $100 second generation Moto G) only operates on WiFi -- to keep costs down it doesn't look for 3G, LTE or any other kind of signal. Of course, if you're consistently in the range of wireless hotspots then that's not a problem, and it's pre-programmed to log in to any of 1.1 million Optimum hotspots in the New York area or "Cable WiFi" hotspots elsewhere. As promised, it's $10 per month for customers with Cablevision's internet service or $30 without, all to get unlimited calling, data and text messaging with no annual contract.
Freewheel is Cablevision's WiFi calling service for thrifty New Yorkers
In large metropolitan areas that are covered with WiFi, you might start to wonder why you pay for a cellular service at all. It's this germ of an idea that has inspired Cablevision to announce Freewheel: a WiFi-based phone service that offers unlimited talk, text and data with no annual contract. The catch, if you hadn't already guessed, is that you'll only be able to use those minutes and MBs while you're in range of the nearest WiFi hotspot.
Cablevision gets better at letting you watch TV away from home
Whether it is on a smartphone, tablet or laptop, being able to watch live television outside your home network is pretty great. Cablevision, through the Optimum App, has been letting its cable customers do this for some time now, but it's about to get much better. The service provider today announced that it is baking the "TV to Go" feature right into its Optimum App, allowing you to have access to over 100 channels even when you're away from home. This includes both live and on-demand content, from networks such as beIN Sports, CNN, Disney, ESPN, NBC, NFL and a lot more -- naturally, access to these will be determined by which Optimum TV package you pay for. The revamped Optimum App service is available now on the web, iOS, Android and Kindle Fire tablets.
Aereo chief: We're fighting for consumers' rights to watch TV with an antenna and DVR
Big media may have thought its deep pockets and love of ceaseless litigation would break Aereo's bank and spirit, but the cloud-based DVR company is sticking to its guns. In a statement released just today, Aereo head Chet Kanojia said that his company wouldn't oppose a petition brought against the company by ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC, setting the table for a case in the Supreme Court. Kanojia echoed much of what Cablevision itself expressed in a white paper earlier today, saying that he believes the end goal of this court battle could ultimately strike down a 2008 ruling in favor of Cablevision's cloud DVR tech, which laid the groundwork for many of the cloud-based services we enjoy today. Though Aereo and Cablevision are in different positions when it comes to retransmission fees, both parties argue that the broadcasters' suit, if successful, could slow or even reverse the trend of technological progress, innovation and consumer choice. For Aereo's part, a potential Supreme Court case could also provide a much-needed light at the end of the tunnel -- a final ruling in a recent string of lower court victories that would free up its resources and allow the company to pursue nationwide expansion unburdened. That's if the Supreme Court even decides to hear the case -- it declined to hear an appeal on Cablevision's remote storage DVR in 2009 -- as that decision won't come until sometime in 2014.
Cablevision: Case against Aereo could destroy cloud computing (and our cloud DVR)
Cable operator Cablevision agrees with its competitors that streaming startup Aereo is illegal, but warns that the legal approach taken by the other cable and broadcasting giants could render services like Apple's iCloud, Amazon's Cloud Player -- and, of course, Cablevision's own remote DVR service -- illegal. In a white paper released today, Cablevision expanded on earlier arguments it made against both Aereo and the rest of the indusry, saying that the approach taken against Aereo "would imperil consumers' rights to use innovative technologies, such as popular digital locker services like the Apple iCloud, Amazon Cloud Player and Google Play Music."
Twitter and Comcast expand their tweet-based TV viewing to nine more providers
Comcast and Twitter made it easy to watch TV online when they launched their SeeIt social platform, but the service has only been truly useful for Comcast customers watching NBCUniversal shows. It's about to become much more relevant, though, as Comcast has reached deals with nine new channel and TV service providers. ABC, A&E Networks, AMC, Cablevision, Charter, Crown Media Family Networks, Discovery, Fox and Time Warner Cable should all support SeeIt's "watch now" links in tweets as soon as the first quarter of 2014. You also won't need to sign up for Comcast service to get the full experience -- the new SeeIt deal will let Cablevision, Charter and TWC TV subscribers both tune their set-top boxes and record programming without ever grabbing the TV remote. There will still be gaps in SeeIt's coverage in the wake of these agreements, but don't be surprised if it's ubiquitous in the near future.
Cablevision expands cloud DVR storage, list of supported Android devices
Are you a Cablevision subscriber with a Galaxy S III (T-Mobile, US Cellular or unlocked), Galaxy S IV or Galaxy Express (AT&T) handset? Awesome, because now you can watch live and on-demand TV from your phone via the company's Optimum app. More than that, Optimum can do double duty as a clicker for your screen as well as manage recording schedules and content. The cable provider also announced that its cloud-based Multi-Room DVR would triple the storage capacity for recorded video -- jumping to 300 hours of standard-def, 75 hours of high-def or some combination of the two. Maybe what's most exciting is that now you can record 10 shows or movies at once. This should give even the most avid time-shifted TV-watcher a ton of freedom and eliminate a potential Sophie's Choice between Law & Order: SVU, 2 Broke Girls and Antiques Roadshow. Yeah, our tastes are what you might call "diverse."
NYC partners with Cablevision, Time Warner Cable to bring WiFi hotspots to city parks
Mayor Bloomberg's government is often finding ways to keep The Big Apple as connected to the internet as can be. Today, in an effort to bring more connectivity options to its residents (and tourists), the City of New York announced that it's teaming up with Cablevision and Time Warner Cable to add WiFi hotspots to 32 parks across the five boroughs. Of course, these will be available in addition to free services already provided by companies such as AT&T in select parts of the city. Unlike with similar offerings, however, these new hotspots will require potential users to be Cablevision Optimum Online or Time Warner Cable broadband subscribers in order to get free access. Those who have the proper credentials will be able to connect gratis via a WiFi-enabled device anytime, while non-subscribers can do so at no cost for up to 30 minutes every 30 days, or for 99 cents per day. The full list of participating NYC parks can be found after the break, and fret not if your favorite didn't make it -- we're told WiFi is "coming soon" to more locations.
