Cablevision Systems Corporation (NYSE: CVC) is one of the nation's leading telecommunications and entertainment companies. Its portfolio of operations ranges from robust cable television packages, high-speed Internet access and local telephone service to championship professional sports teams and award-winning national and regional television networks. Driving Cablevision's success is the company's commitment to customer connectivity and its sophisticated new digital platform. The fastest, most efficient way to integrate entertainment, information and telecommunications services, this platform supports 110+ analog channels, lightening-fast Internet connections via cable modem and telephone service, while paving the way for new digital set-top boxes, and advances in e-commerce and future technologies. Founded in 1973 as a cable television operator serving 1,500 households in New York's Long Island suburbs, Cablevision currently operates the nation's single biggest cable cluster, serving more than 3 million tri-state-area households. Cablevision's state-of-the-art fiber-optic coaxial network provides the framework for this extensive service area and enables the company to expand beyond traditional video services, connecting customers to advanced, customized communications products, including Cablevision's Optimum Online high-speed Internet access, its Lightpath integrated business communications services and its residential telephone service. Cablevision has also announced a landmark agreement with Sony to develop and deploy digital set-top boxes, and the company's state-of-the-art network will soon support this next-generation technology, delivering advanced digital services, including dramatically expanded channel capacity, increased pay-per-view options and an unprecedented array of interactive television applications. Compelling content has always been the cornerstone of Cablevision's broadband offerings, and the company's Rainbow Media Holdings, Inc. subsidiary is the locus of such activity. Rainbow is a pioneer of "niche" programming and offers engaging, innovative content for television, the Internet and other digital applications via well-known national networks such as American Movie Classics, Bravo and The Independent Film Channel, and groundbreaking regional players, including the News 12 Networks, FOX Sports Net and the highly acclaimed MetroChannels. Multiplatforming is paramount to Rainbow's current strategy and future development. To this end, Rainbow has joined with PRIMEDIA's NEW YORK magazine to create the first fully integrated print, television and Internet source for entertainment, information and editorial perspective in the New York area. Scheduled to debut in Spring 2001, the service will combine the brands and content of NEW YORK and Rainbow's MetroChannels to create the leading New York-focused Internet destination. The agreement includes content exchange and development across multiple media and will be a platform for e-commerce opportunities from ticket buying and reservations to personal shopping services. In addition to its extensive broadband assets and offerings, Cablevision owns and operates the famed Madison Square Garden properties, demonstrating its leadership position in the New York cable television, entertainment and new-media industries. MSG includes the complex, the NBA's New York Knicks, the NHL's New York Rangers, the WNBA's New York Liberty, the Theatre at Madison Square Garden and the MSG Network. Extending its entertainment presence further, Cablevision owns Radio City Entertainment and holds a long-term lease on Radio City Music Hall, home of the world-famous Rockettes. In October 1999, the company completed an eight-month $70 million restoration of the prized music hall, renewing it to its original splendor and equipping it with new technology to enhance its value as an entertainment showplace and home of new and future digital applications. The company also owns the Clearview Cinema Group, one of the tri-state area's leading motion picture exhibition circuits. Helping consumers keep pace with the rapid advancements in technology and making it available to them, Cablevision has established a strong retail presence in the New York metropolitan area through its purchase and operation of THE WIZ, the tri-state area's largest consumer electronics retail enterprise. Through its 42 locations, THE WIZ provides customers with a valuable connection between the in-store purchase of equipment and the home use of Cablevision's telecommunications services, including cable television, cable modem and telephone. In late 1999, the company began selling self-install cable modems exclusively at participating THE WIZ retail locations. Under the direction of its executive team, Cablevision is building superior value for shareholders by continuing to concentrate on developing world-class connectivity, cutting-edge content and state-of-the-art distribution. Leading the charge are: Cablevision Founder and Chairman Charles Dolan, an industry veteran who built both the world's first urban cable television system and the industry's first premium program network (HBO); and Cablevision President and CEO James Dolan, who oversees the corporation and all of its business units. Backed by strong leadership and an experienced corporate team, Cablevision is dedicated to providing top-notch entertainment and telecommunications products and services to enhance customer connectivity today – and into the future.
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