Cable One to Launch HDTV Pay Package

Washington, D.C. (February 15, 2007) -- CableOne, which has roughly 700,000 subscribers, will offer a $5 a month HDTV package of channels by the end of March.

That's according to an article by Multichannel News.

The publication says CableOne is negotiating to group Discovery HD Theater, National Geographic Channel HD, A&E HD, HGTV HD and Food Network HD in a special package that would cost $5 a month if you get the cable op's dual-tuner HD DVR.

Discovery's Sunrise Earth may cost CableOne subs $5 a month.

The special package would be separate from CableOne's basic HD lineup which comes with the HD DVR service and includes TNT HD, ESPN HD, Universal HD and the local high-def channels at no extra charge. CableOne's digital cable customers can upgrade to the HD DVR for $10 more per month.

“Our philosophy is that if we can get the programming for free, then we provide it to our customers for free,” CableOne's Jerry McKenna told Multichannel News. “With these networks (ones in the pay package), we are being charged license fees, and so we put it together as a tier. Someday, we’d love to be able to fold that down and give it to our customers for free.”

___________________________________________

____________________________________________

McKenna said CableOne has been installing about 5,000 HD DVRs every month and now has about 70,000 high-def recorders

“It’s a pretty good number,” McKenna said. “We’re moving along pretty quickly.”

CableOne, which is owned by The Washington Post Company, has cable TV systems in roughly 20 states, mostly rural areas.

Swanni Sez:
CableOne's decision to create a special HD tier was one of my predictions for the year 2007. Here's what I wrote on December 25, 2006:

"Most cable and satellite operators now offer their entire HD lineup for one monthly fee. But that's easy to do when you only offer 10 or 15 channels. When the TV providers expand the high-def lineups to 25-50 channels, they will begin separating them in different pricing tiers. For example, one HD package might include 10 channels and cost $10 a month; a second might include 25 channels and cost $20 a month; and so on."

Click TVPredictions.com to see today's Swanni Sez.

© TVPredictions.com
____________________________________________

Phillip Swann is president and publisher of TVPredictions.com. He has been quoted in dozens of publications and broadcast outlets, including CNN, Fox News, Inside Edition, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The Financial Times, The Associated Press and The Hollywood Reporter. He can be reached at swann@tvpredictions.com or at 703-505-3064.

Click TVPredictions.com to read more news and features on TV technology.