Cablevision Waves Goodbye To Some Analog Network Feeds
A&E, TLC, Sci-Fi, E! Among Services That Will Only Be Available In Digital
By Tom Steinert-Threlkeld -- Multichannel News, 4/28/2008 7:30:00 AM
Cablevision Systems said Monday that it will discontinue the analog feeds of basic cable networks that include A&E, TLC, Animal Planet, E!, the Sci-Fi Channel, and Travel Channel.
Those channels will only be available in digital format, after the analog feeds are eliminated in all Cablevision service areas in May or June, according to media relations vice president Jim Maiella. In Connecticut, HSN is also being moved to digital format only.
The move will require customers that already have digital service to acquire additional boxes in rooms where they currently take signals directly from the wall, as analog feeds. Analog-only customers will get one free digital set-top box and a digital navigation fee for one year, “to ease in the transition to digital,’’ Maiella said.
Additional digital boxes are $6.50 a month. The "digital navigation fee" will be $4.95 a month and allows use of videos on demand, interactive TV, digital music and other digital services, according to Maiella.
"Cablevision carries virtually all of the programming we offer in a digital format, and over the last few years we have been eliminating the duplicate analog feeds of some channels, as our customer base has become predominantly digital and the entire nation transitions to digital television,’’ Maiella said, in a statement. “Unlike our competitors, we still offer a robust analog lineup that includes more than 60 of the most popular cable networks and local broadcast stations, and we have offered benefits to our analog customers to ease in the move to digital."
More than 84% of Cablevision’s customers already pay for at least one digital box, Maiella said. Cablevision had approximately 3.1 million subscribers in the first quarter of 2008, according to BernsteinResearch.
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Why is it "Luddite" to object to getting less for my money? To customers, it's this simple: you're charging us $80+/year per set to get the same service we received before. To customers, it feels like a giant rate increase, only sneakier and less necessary than usual.
bcamarda - 5/19/2009 1:42:17 PM EDT -
I had to search the internet to figure out what happened to the SciFi channel. As a Cablevision customer I'm amazed that they did not inform me this change was happening. (Though seeing as they also don't inform customers when they alter the price of their services, maybe it's not that unusual.) Maybe they're just trying to hide the offer of the free digital box.
C.B. - 6/2/2008 9:16:00 AM EDT -
We have 4 old tv's. So now I'm supposed to pay for digital boxes for all of them, on top of the "digital service" fee and the cost of the cable package itself? Needless to say, I'm shopping for a better deal.
being ripped off - 5/17/2008 9:58:00 PM EDT -
There's no doubt that switching from analog to digital benefits Cablevision, particularly by maximizing their bandwidth usage, and being able to offer more on the same infrastructure. So why should I have to pay more for it. I'm already paying an arm and a leg for family basic. Now they want to charge me a rental fee for each box and a digital navigation fee. We don't have Verizon Fios in CT infortunately, but, fortunately, AT&T is starting to deploy UVerse. and they offer 3 boxes 9one of which is a DVR) without any aditional fee. When they reach my neighborhood, you can be sure I will be switching to them.
jam7340 - 4/29/2008 4:07:00 PM EDT -
These are very Luddite responses to this story. This is being done to save bandwidth. That is the promise of digital... to be able to provide more content(in this case HD is the driving factor). Satellite and FIOS are eating their lunch. So, what do you propose they do to combat this? I would hazard a guess that they would lose far more customers by NOT moving analog channels. 85% of their customers are digital already. If you were them, who would you try to focus on keeping?
JP - 4/29/2008 10:34:00 AM EDT
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