Washington, D.C.
(April 17, 2007) -- Cablevision may sell its
programming arm Rainbow Media, which includes the 15 Voom
High-Definition channels.
That's according to Wall Street analysts quoted in today's Financial Times.
The newspaper reports that Cablevision may be preparing to sell Rainbow to make itself more desirable as a takeover target. The cable operator has undergone various struggles over the past few years, in part due to an internal fight over the former Voom satellite TV service.
That's according to Wall Street analysts quoted in today's Financial Times.
The newspaper reports that Cablevision may be preparing to sell Rainbow to make itself more desirable as a takeover target. The cable operator has undergone various struggles over the past few years, in part due to an internal fight over the former Voom satellite TV service.
__________________________________________
____________________________________________
After Voom folded as a satellite business, Cablevision kept its 15 original high-def channels and added them to its unit Rainbow Media, which also includes the Independent Film Channel and AMC.
Several publications today reported that Time Warner may be interested in buying Cablevision, which is based in New York and serves the tri-state NY area.
According to the Financial Times, Cablevision refused to comment on the speculation. But the newspaper writes that a "major shareholder" says Rainbow could be offered for sale any day now.
FT reports that Time Warner, Comcast and Liberty Media could be interested in Rainbow.
Liberty Media is expected to take control of DIRECTV in the second half of the year. The company secured the satcaster in a stock swap with News Corp. late last year.
Voom could aid DIRECTV's plan to expand its national HD lineup to 100 channels by year's end. The Voom lineup includes niche channels on subjects such as fashion, world sports and horror films.
Analysis:
Press reports said last January that Liberty Media may be interested in Rainbow. However, in recent weeks, two DIRECTV executives have been critical of Voom's programming, suggesting it's not top quality. The dismissive remarks could suggest a reduction in interest in the deal.
Comcast and Time Warner could use slices of Voom's programming for their HD On Demand offering until they have sufficient capacity to add more high-def channels.
As of now, EchoStar is the only TV provider in the United States to carry all 15 Voom channels. EchoStar has an equity stake in Voom.
Comment on this article!
Click TVPredictions.com to see today's Swanni Sez.
© TVPredictions.com
____________________________________________
Advertisement
_______________________________________________________
____________________________________________
After Voom folded as a satellite business, Cablevision kept its 15 original high-def channels and added them to its unit Rainbow Media, which also includes the Independent Film Channel and AMC.
Several publications today reported that Time Warner may be interested in buying Cablevision, which is based in New York and serves the tri-state NY area.
According to the Financial Times, Cablevision refused to comment on the speculation. But the newspaper writes that a "major shareholder" says Rainbow could be offered for sale any day now.
FT reports that Time Warner, Comcast and Liberty Media could be interested in Rainbow.
Liberty Media is expected to take control of DIRECTV in the second half of the year. The company secured the satcaster in a stock swap with News Corp. late last year.
Voom could aid DIRECTV's plan to expand its national HD lineup to 100 channels by year's end. The Voom lineup includes niche channels on subjects such as fashion, world sports and horror films.
Analysis:
Press reports said last January that Liberty Media may be interested in Rainbow. However, in recent weeks, two DIRECTV executives have been critical of Voom's programming, suggesting it's not top quality. The dismissive remarks could suggest a reduction in interest in the deal.
Comcast and Time Warner could use slices of Voom's programming for their HD On Demand offering until they have sufficient capacity to add more high-def channels.
As of now, EchoStar is the only TV provider in the United States to carry all 15 Voom channels. EchoStar has an equity stake in Voom.
Comment on this article!
Click TVPredictions.com to see today's Swanni Sez.
© TVPredictions.com
____________________________________________
Advertisement
_______________________________________________________
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.