Cablefax
Cable industry business: distribution, carriage, regulation, strategy
Can Optimum Climb Out of a Pit of Debt-Spair?
Optimum is reshaping its balance sheet by spinning off an unrestricted subsidiary, CSC Investments II, which will own the Optimum East cable system and a controlling stake in Lightpath. The company raised $300 million by selling preferred interests in the new entity and used $200 million of that cash to repurchase shares from founder Patrick Drahi’s holding company. It also launched a tender offer for up to 120 million Class A and B shares at $2.50 each, expiring June 30. With $21.8 billion of debt—$6.2 billion maturing by 2027 and $4.1 billion due in April—Optimum hopes these steps will force creditors back to the negotiating table.
NAD Sides With Charter, But Has Suggestions
Charter’s Spectrum ads promise free high‑speed internet forever when customers purchase and maintain four mobile lines. The National Advertising Division (NAD) backed the claim, noting that the price of mobile service is unchanged, but urged Charter to disclose material terms...
Carriage
Fox News’ weather channel, Fox Weather, will launch on SiriusXM on June 3, aligning with the start of the Atlantic hurricane season. The service will be accessible through the SiriusXM app, compatible vehicle radios, and will be offered free‑to‑air during major...
Roku, YouTube Ready for World Cup
Roku is debuting a Soccer Zone hub for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, centralizing live matches from Fox One and Peacock, highlights, scores and FAST channel programming. The Roku Channel will offer a three‑day free trial to Fox One, which...
NAB Joins Nexstar Appeal–Sort Of
Nexstar Media Group and Tegna’s $6.2 billion merger remains on hold after a Ninth Circuit preliminary injunction forced the companies to keep assets separate. DirecTV and a coalition of state attorneys general oppose an expedited appeal, arguing the broadcasters have not...
Ratings
ESPN reclaimed the primetime cable crown for the week of May 18‑24, drawing 3.55 million viewers as NBA and NHL playoff action surged. Fox News slipped to second place with 2.26 million, while total‑day ratings saw ESPN at 895 000 versus Fox News’s 1.5 million....
Scripps Getting Scrappy on Retrans
Scripps wrapped a five‑week carriage dispute with Comcast on May 5, ending a rare standoff for the broadcaster. The company is now warning that DirecTV could lose its 52 affiliated stations in 38 Nielsen DMAs if a new retransmission agreement isn’t...
Tegna Names New CEO Amid Nexstar Saga
Broadcast group Tegna announced Patrick Paolini, a longtime Fox Television Stations executive, as its new chief executive officer, effective Monday. Paolini succeeds Mike Steib, who stepped down after the announced $6.2 billion Nexstar merger closed in March. The appointment comes as...
Fiber Frenzy
ImOn Communications has launched free public Wi‑Fi throughout the Iowa City Kickers Soccer Park, covering all 23 fields on the 108‑acre complex just as youth spring leagues and summer camps begin. At the same time, Charter announced a Spectrum fiber...
13 AGs Want Ratings Board Scrapped Entirely
Thirteen Republican attorneys general from states including Florida, Georgia and Ohio urged the FCC to scrap the industry‑run TV ratings system. They argue that media executives are misaligned with public morals and that viewers should directly rate programs through an...
‘Yellowstone’ Sequel Delivers for Paramount+
Paramount+ scored a historic win with "Dutton Ranch," the Yellowstone spinoff that amassed nearly 13 million global views in its first week. The two‑episode debut on the Paramount Network attracted 2.9 million viewers, while the first episode alone pulled 1.9 million cable viewers,...
Charter-Cox’s September to Remember
Charter and Cox are racing to close their $34.5 billion merger before the Sep 15 Hart‑Scott‑Rodino deadline, timing the announcement with SCTE TechExpo 26 in Atlanta. California regulators are expected to sign off in August, the last hurdle before the deal can be...
CFX Download Dives Into CNN’s FAST Strategy
CNN senior vice president of programming Nima Ahmed appeared on the CFX Download podcast to detail the network’s new FAST (Free‑Ad‑Supported Streaming TV) strategy. She explained how the FAST channel’s programming differs from CNN’s traditional linear feed and its direct‑to‑consumer...
Groups Warn Against Singling Out LGBTQ Content in Ratings
The FCC is reevaluating the voluntary TV ratings system after concerns that programs featuring transgender and non‑binary characters are being labeled as child‑appropriate without explicit warnings. A coalition of 44 advocacy groups, including GLAAD, the National Hispanic Media Coalition and...
FTC Fines Cox Media Group
The Federal Trade Commission fined Cox Media Group $880,000 to settle allegations that its marketing arm misrepresented an AI‑powered “Active Listening” service. The FTC said the service never listened to consumers’ conversations or used voice data, instead reselling email lists...