Charter, Optimum Agree to Carry Regional News Networks

Charter Communications and Altice USA have agreed to carry their respective regional news networks, with Charter’s New York-centric Spectrum News NY1 channel available to Altice’s Optimum TV customers and Optimum’s i24NEWS Network debuting across Charter’s footprint today.

Spectrum News NY1 is available to Optimum TV customers in HD in Long Island, Westchester County and the Hudson Valley region in New York; Northern Bergen County and Morris County in New Jersey; and in Stamford and Bridgeport, Conn., as part of a multi-year agreement between the two providers. 

“We are excited about the partnership with Altice USA, and believe it is the perfect complement to NY1’s commitment to deliver news that is essential to the daily lives of all New Yorkers,” Spectrum Networks SVP of operations and integration Dan Ronayne said in a release. “By expanding our distribution, we are now able to deliver NY1’s hyper-local coverage of New York City news, politics and transit beyond the five boroughs.” 

With the deal NY1’s availability expands to more than 3 million Spectrum and Optimum TV households, on channel 98 in most areas. NY1 is also available in HD to Optimum TV customers in the Bronx and Brooklyn on channel 8.

As part of the agreement, Charter will launch Optimum’s i24NEWS across its footprint and News 12 Networks in its Western Connecticut systems. News 12 Networks is currently available to Spectrum TV customers in the New York area. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. 

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According to Altice USA, i24NEWS will initially be available to Charter’s Spectrum Silver customers and will expand across the footprint by Dec. 1.

“We are excited to bring our programming and in-depth news analysis from i24NEWS to Charter’s Spectrum customers,” said i24NEWS CEO Frank Melloul in a statement. “i24NEWS provides unique content that features localized news infused with global conversation and we look forward to becoming a go-to source for domestic and international news for Spectrum customers.”  

i24NEWS launched in the United States in January and is available on Altice USA’s Optimum and Suddenlink systems, Mediacom systems and now Charter’s Spectrum systems.