Cablevision`s (NYSE: CVC) updated triple play bundle--"Ultimate Triple Play"--is a move to attract and prevent more churn of its video customer base.
With its "Ultimate Triple Play," an update of the Optimum Triple Play it introduced in 2004, Cablevision customers will get 275 channels of digital cable TV, high-speed Internet service with download speeds of up to 50 Mbps, and voice service, including 18 calling features.
In addition, Cablevision`s new bundle includes an 802.11n router and Optimum Link, a feature that allows customers to display their PC content on their TV screens without the need for additional equipment.
Cable MSOs like Cablevision cable continue to see their video subscriber numbers dwindle as more subscribers either cut the TV cord completely by exclusively not only using online video options like Netflix, but also defecting to satellite and available telco TV providers.
Although it once enjoyed a near-monopoly in New York`s video market, Cablevision admitted in its 2010 annual report that is now facing "intense competition in the New York metropolitan service area" from both AT&T and Verizon which both reported TV gains in the quarter.
In Q1 2011, AT&T (NYSE: T) and Verizon (NYSE: VZ) reported that they added 218,000 new U-verse and 192,000 FiOS TV subscribers, respectively--a threat that cable needs to take more seriously.
