No box? No MTV, MSNBC, WE, etc.
Cablevision nixes 16 channels from analog service
11 comments below
This is the message found on 16 popular channels by Cablevision customers who don't have a digital converter box. Cablevision charges $6.75 a month for a cable box and remote.
It's the choice thousands of Cablevision customers on the North Fork face this week now that Long Island's video service giant no longer uses an analog signal to transmit 16 of its most popular channels.
The move effectively cuts stations such as MTV, the History Channel and MSNBC from the homes of customers who do not rent an Optimum digital converter box from Cablevision and instead plug their cable wire directly into the back of their television.
Televisions connected to the cable boxes continue to receive the channels through a digital signal.
But as of May 1, customers without digital cable boxes were greeted with the message "This channel is now available with a digital cable box or CableCARD" when they tuned into the 16 channels. The channels were even encrypted to prevent customers with digital televisions from receiving the digital signal, a Cablevision spokesman said.
Cablevision charges $6.75 a month to rent its cable box and remote and $2 a month for a cable card that can be slid into newer, digital-compatible televisions. The charges can get pricey for customers with three or more televisions in their homes.
"We're moving to digital in order to offer all of the benefits that it provides," Cablevision spokesman, Patrick McElroy said. "HD-TV is only available digitally, video on demand can only be done with a digital reception.
"Our customers will continue to get 45 channels, but to get the same level of service, they will need a set-top [cable] box on every TV outlet -- which is the same as what our competitors require," McElroy added.
Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell said that charging rent for a cable box in order to give the same level of service is "tantamount to a rate increase."
"They're using this technological upgrade as a Trojan Horse to get a rate increase," Mr. Russell said. "They need to go to the public service commission for a rate increase."
Mr. McElroy insisted that the latest swath of channels removed from analog service -- eight other channels were similarly nixed last year -- does not constitute a rate increase.
"We are the only video service provider that will allow a customer to plug the cable into the back of their television and get a signal," he said. "Ninety-one percent of our customers are digital and this migration impacts a level of service that impacts approximately 5 percent of our customers."
That 5 percent -- which represents analog-only customers who do not rent a digital cable box -- received a letter last month from Cablevision alerting them of the switch to digital transmission.
The company is offering such customers a free digital cable box for a year, after which they would need to pay the rental fee in order to use the box. The offer expires June 29, according to the letter.
Customers with one cable box but more than one television in their home cannot participate in the offer, Mr. McElroy said.
"Cablevision's move away from analog expanded basic for new customers is the next logical step in an evolution that will deliver clear benefits," John Trierweiler, Cablevision's senior vice president of product management, said in a March announcement.
Cablevision was already in conflict with Southold and other East End towns over the company's move to no longer offer its public access channels on an analog signal. Mr. Russell and Riverhead Town Supervisor Phil Cardinale said the switch is a breach of Cablevision's franchise agreement with the towns.
Riverhead is suing the company, demanding that it provide each analog customer with a digital cable box so that they can access Channel 22 from any television in their home. Mr. Russell said Southold is "weighing its legal options" and may file a lawsuit.
"The recommendation from the FCC to a federal judge hearing an identical case out West appears to be going in our direction," Mr. Cardinale said. "But we are getting impatient because people are not getting the access to Channel 22 that they are supposed to under our franchise agreement.
"By the time this thing gets resolved, everybody will have already [paid for the digital box]."
bharmon@newsreview.com
Cablevision customers now need a digital cable box in order to continue to receive the following 16 channels:
ABC Family
AMC
History
Lifetime
MTV
MTV2
Spike TV
TV Land
VH1
CNN Headline News
MSNBC
WE tv
BET
CSPAN
fuse
Galavision
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11 comments found
: 8/1/2009
Cablevision continues to disappoint their customers. I noticed that I cant watch sh*t unless I rent an additional box from them which will cost me like $7.50 more a month. Cablevision charges for everything that Comcast offers free. If you don't have an additional box then all you get is 21 bogus channels no watches.
The free market at its worst. : 6/22/2009
The framers of the US constitution are turning in their graves on how the TV and News corporations use the guise of a free market economy to warp the 14th amendment. The framers knew that a free press is essential to maintaining a free society. Thanks to lobbyist and corrupted politicians, the privileged few are controlling the content of what the people watch for political or monetary gain. The law that allows a legal monopoly to exist in this country has to revisited on the control of news content and its distribution. The fact that we allow foreign ownership of multiple US news corps. should be unacceptable.
Follow up story! : 5/26/2009
I would love to know the real number of customers affected - 5% is bogus. How many of us have one cable box, but 2-3 other sets with no boxes that will now require one? C'mon Cablevision, be honest...you're not fooling anyone. So now i have to rent 2 more boxes and pay $13.50 more (plus tax) for the same service. How is that NOT a rate increase?
News Corp, Newsday, Cablevision? : 5/21/2009
Just curious if you folks have followed the attempt by News Corp to buy Newsday, Newsday’s purchase by Cablevision, then MSNBC recently being relegated to cable-box-only access (reduced audience and higher rates for subscribers), general local outrage, no report of that in Newsday, but conspicuously leaving FoxNews accessible without cable-box access requirement. Was this a little cookie from one Kane to the other Kane?
Waiting for FIOS : 5/20/2009
Perhaps there is some truth to the company line but I don't really care. I already pay for 2 digital boxes, one in the living room and one downstairs in the family room. The third tv, the one watched the most is in the kitchen...but there is not place to put a digital box!!!!! To repeat one of the comments, it's a rate increase pure and simple. The greed corporate cowards have struck again. When FIOS is finally made available in my town, I'm switching no matter the cost.
Victims View : 5/13/2009
I sadly agree with the responses posted; Cablevision needs investigating; there is something seriously untoward , I feel their loyal customers are being increasingly ravaged by this corporation in a time of economic penury...BUT..in order to access those 'same' basics we MUST NOW pay additional fees....NOW.. we are compelled/forced to pay for services that were part of the original subscription ...... way to go vultures
cablevision : 5/12/2009
I do have a high deff tv however i choose not to have a box. they are clunky they run hot and they distort the sound from my tv! So...if your going to cut all of these channels from my 'family package' then reduce the price...does anyone remember when u could add and delete channels with cable. cablevison has become a giant monoply with horrible customer service I have cut my phone and will prob go to the very basic tv package how disapointing!!!!!
Lobby for CLEAR-QAM : 5/11/2009
What needs to happen with this digital conversion is switching analog channels into clear-qam feeds, and utilizing the same band-pass filters used now on extremely-basic customers to block out any non-extremely-basic clear-qam channels. What does this mean? If your current Digital cable TV can tune QAM channels from the cable, these TVs could continue to receive "Basic" programming even though it is now in a much more efficient Digital form. (8 channels in the place of 1 analog channel for comparison) This would satisfy customers who don't want to rent boxes or who don't have cablecard ready (yet do have clear-digital) TVs. They would still continue to receive the 'middle of the road' basic tier as they have up until now via Analog. This would also satisfy the cable company to block the ultra-basic (10 channels, locals, maybe some superstations) customers from receiving those digital stations. Filtering out a QAM channel is the same as filtering out normal analog ones! Sure, keep the requirement for a box with Video on Demand, PPV or Premium / higher-tier Digital Basic, but for the historically analog channel tier, CLEAR QAM IS NEEDED!
Wrong : 5/8/2009
"Ninety-one percent of our customers are digital and this migration impacts a level of service that impacts approximately 5 percent of our customers." This is very misleading. It may be true that 91% of customers have digital cable, it's also very likely that all of those customers have at least 3 TVs in their homes. And they split the cable from the box to feed into the other rooms. So basically this change affects every Cablevision customer, not just 5%.
Interesting How Newsday Didn't have this story : 5/8/2009
Good thing we have at least one independent paper left. Could we expect them to have a negative report on themselves? This sort of behavior was one of the many reasons that the rights to free press were bolstered by rules of ownership. We have been nurturing quite a few little Citizen Kanes here.
thiefs : 5/7/2009
i cannot stand Cablevision, thier executives are thieves who should be put in front of congress to defend thier actions
