Cablevision to Launch High-Definition TV
9/30/2003
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Cable television provider Cablevision
Systems Corp. <CVC.N> said on Tuesday it will offer a U.S.
satellite service broadcasting high-definition television,
pitching it against well-entrenched rivals.
Cablevision said its satellite division, Rainbow DBS, will
offer 39 HDTV channels and some popular cable channels as part
of service it will launch on Oct. 15. It did not say how much
it would charge for the service.
The move pits Cablevision, which launched its satellite in
July this year, directly against Hughes Electronics Corp.'s
<GMH.N> DirecTV and EchoStar Communications Corp. <DISH.O>,
which have long dominated U.S. satellite television services.
HDTV is a television display technology seen as the "next
big thing" in broadcasting. It provides a sharper picture than
standard television and sound quality that is similar to that
of compact discs.
Sales of big-screen digital TVs have jumped this year as
prices come down and in anticipation of growth in HDTV
programming, which has been slow to develop.
Cablevision said its offering would include 21 HD channels
from Rainbow Media and it plans to offer satellite customers 88
of the most popular cable television channels in standard
format.
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