Cablevision Board To Debate Voom Fate
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Sorry Mr. Dolan that your son isn't too bright.
So, after only 2 months of Voom bliss...the most fantastic picture quality I have ever seen...I guess I should get ready for the inevitable. The party's over. Turn out the lights? Well it was fun while it lasted. Can anyone suggest which would be the next best thing....Dish or Direct? Cable is not an option for me...been there, done that. I will miss my RAVE, MONSTER, EQUATOR, et al. I go to bed sad...please let this not be true. :river
I am truly bummed. If they pull the plug at the end of this month (January), so much for the DVR, elliptical dish, 70 HD channels, etc. etc. etc. Tell me it isn't so.
I am just glad I signed on in May and enjoyed Voom while it lasted. Major bum city.
I am just glad I signed on in May and enjoyed Voom while it lasted. Major bum city.
In case you guys didn't know;
CES was supposed to be the showcase for investors
Chuck was seeing people there in order to get funding, to make this meeting easier and more successful.
Smaller Set-Tops & DVRs --- These things are are already in the development pipeline for Star Choice Canada [subsidiaries of Shaw Communications]
CES was supposed to be the showcase for investors
Chuck was seeing people there in order to get funding, to make this meeting easier and more successful.
Smaller Set-Tops & DVRs --- These things are are already in the development pipeline for Star Choice Canada [subsidiaries of Shaw Communications]
Dolan
Dolan should come back with a Positve view about Voom and the Future it seems like Voom is Doomed, if we do not hear nothing from Dolan about what really happen in the meeting then that Sucks.
That means no DVR no New Channels etc etc etc man that really sucks.
Dolan should come back with a Positve view about Voom and the Future it seems like Voom is Doomed, if we do not hear nothing from Dolan about what really happen in the meeting then that Sucks.
That means no DVR no New Channels etc etc etc man that really sucks.
This still does not necessarily mean that VOOM is going to turn off any time soon. It is still possible that Dolan Sr. lined up some investors to spin VOOM off somehow. It does not seem likely given the analysts spin, but then again some may have been pursuaded by Dolan. Then again it could just be turned off at the end of the month and the VOOM satellite sold to the highest bidder.
Cablevision's Founder Loses Voom Unit Fight to Son - NYT
According to the NYT a major showdown in the family that controls the Cablevision Systems Corporation ended yesterday with the son outmaneuvering the father and persuading directors to vote to put the company's troubled satellite business up for sale. Yesterday, during a hastily scheduled meeting, directors of Cablevision, debated the fate of Voom, the satellite unit, in a showdown that pitted the father, who wanted to keep the business, against the son, who wanted to sell. In the end, people close to the board say directors sided with the son, James L. Dolan, the 49-year-old chief executive and the heir apparent, against his father, Charles F. Dolan, the 78-year-old founder and controlling shareholder of Cablevision, based in Bethpage, N.Y. The main candidates to buy Voom - DirecTV and EchoStar - have shown little interest in buying the company's satellites.
source - http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/19/business/media/19cable.html
According to the NYT a major showdown in the family that controls the Cablevision Systems Corporation ended yesterday with the son outmaneuvering the father and persuading directors to vote to put the company's troubled satellite business up for sale. Yesterday, during a hastily scheduled meeting, directors of Cablevision, debated the fate of Voom, the satellite unit, in a showdown that pitted the father, who wanted to keep the business, against the son, who wanted to sell. In the end, people close to the board say directors sided with the son, James L. Dolan, the 49-year-old chief executive and the heir apparent, against his father, Charles F. Dolan, the 78-year-old founder and controlling shareholder of Cablevision, based in Bethpage, N.Y. The main candidates to buy Voom - DirecTV and EchoStar - have shown little interest in buying the company's satellites.
source - http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/19/business/media/19cable.html
If VOOM were to shut down this would be sad news for all DBS subscribers. VOOM remains the only real HD alternative. It is the one service that E* and D* customers are switching to instead of cable. WIthout VOOM providing this competition, E* and D* will continue dragging their feet in terms of rolling out HD.
My hope would be that if Cablevision bails that another group of investors would buy it at garage sale prices. Perhaps having lower fixed costs they could then continue to grow it.
The irking thing is that in recent months VOOM seems to have started doing many of the things that they should have done all along. It will take time, but I think they could become viable.
My hope would be that if Cablevision bails that another group of investors would buy it at garage sale prices. Perhaps having lower fixed costs they could then continue to grow it.
The irking thing is that in recent months VOOM seems to have started doing many of the things that they should have done all along. It will take time, but I think they could become viable.
Despite whatever inside information Scott and Sean might have, I think we're screwed. This was obviously an unexpected move from the son, and I think it's killed any hopes we had.
Bruce
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Amphicar770 said:
You might want to do some reading about how many people are either upgrading or switching to HD on cable, Comcast alone has upgraded/switched about 800,000 subs to HD and more every month.
The fact that they also spelled out they had only funded it through the end of the month is troubling as well. I guess it's cross our fingers and pray time, but I think we might have reached the end of our yellow brick road... and it's a swamp.
Now would be a perfect time to schedule a new installation. If VOOM discontinues operations, you will at least receive a free dish, OTA antenna and perhaps get to keep the receivers as well.
Anyway, I don't feel things are as hopeless as some people are predicting. VOOM is a great idea---ahead of its time---and they appear to have righted the ship and are headed in the right direction...too bad they are almost a full year behind schedule. While they MAY not be an attractive option for D* or E*, V* still has investment potential for the right partner(s).
Lot's of things going on behind the scenes, I'm sure. Perhaps Scott will share some of his information before it becomes public knowledge?
Anyway, I don't feel things are as hopeless as some people are predicting. VOOM is a great idea---ahead of its time---and they appear to have righted the ship and are headed in the right direction...too bad they are almost a full year behind schedule. While they MAY not be an attractive option for D* or E*, V* still has investment potential for the right partner(s).
Lot's of things going on behind the scenes, I'm sure. Perhaps Scott will share some of his information before it becomes public knowledge?
bruce said:
I agree, D* and E*'s worry is the cable companies, not Voom. Many cable companies have their local HD channels already, D* starts later this year and no word from E*. Cable also carries many of the national HD channels, some that D* and E* don't have. They also have HD PVR's that are only $5 more per month then a standard digital STB (at least on my Comcast system, $5 for a SD digital box, $10 for a dual tuner HD DVR). Besides price the next majoe complaint about cable is analog channel quality, with cable starting to move all channels to the same overcompressed quality that D* and E* provide that complaint goes away.
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