August 4, 2008

Earnings Highlights—Voice and Business

By Jonathan Tombes

A quick review of the "C" companies whose earnings were reported over the past week indicates that telephony and business services continue to be key growth drivers.

Numbers from CableOne point to telephony. Reporting, as usual, through its parent, the Washington Post - which overall saw steep declines in publishing - Cable One saw a 350 percent, year over year increase in its number of phone subscribers, from 23,900 to 86,000.

CableOne launched telephony two years ago.

Cablevision added 81,000 voice subscribers, up 26 percent over the previous quarter. The Long Island-based operator now has 2 million voice subscribers. Net revenues for Cablevision's Optimum Lightpath division increased 20 percent over the quarter.

Comcast reported nearly 500,000 net phone additions and a 38 percent revenue growth in business services.

Cox Business said that its business telephony service has grown 23 percent, year-over-year, up to nearly 570,000 phone lines. Total revenues for Cox Business grew 18 percent over that period.

Other services

Overall digital - if not basic - video subscriber growth continues for all cable telecommunications providers as well. Cox, in particular, was keen to trumpet its 50 percent year-over-year, high-definition television (HDTV) customer growth.

While high-speed data growth is slowing, Sanford Bernstein analyst Craig Moffett expects the final story on 2Q earnings to be one of cable gaining between 80 and 90 percent of broadband net additions against its competitors.
 
Time Warner Cable will report its 2Q earnings on Wednesday.

- Jonathan Tombes

Read more news and analysis on Communications Technology's Web site at http://www.cable360.net/ct/news/.