Rainbow Spin-off is dead

[jerbear]

The site is www.milwaukeehdtv.org

 

[robert luzzi]

that is what the breaking news says, VOOM is suspending service

 

[rollerfink]

Aw geez, I think it all stems from mis-information originally reported here...

http://www.cynopsis.com/view_cynopsis_text.cfm?ID=1500

And as I just posted in another thread I sent the author an e-mail e-mail asking for clarification (and pointing out that she was the only one reporting Voom's suspension of service). Here is what she said...

I should have been clearer -- they are suspending the spinoff of the Voom Satellite Service called Rainbow Media Enterprises, which includes the other cable nets as well, not the service itself. Thanks for pointing it out.

 

[tdillon]

Please, show a link to something. The only thing that I could find on that site was someone's interpretation of the Rainbow spin-off filing. They read it that Voom was closing, but that isn't what the filing says at all.

If you are going to make claims of news, please link to the news.

 

[tdillon]

Mods-

It is my belief that this thread is not titled correctly. Should read: "Nothing to see here, move along"

 

[BFG]

Oh geez this is really getting annoying. Voom is still working. Don't we have some members that are involved in running that site, that's sad

 

[Ilya]

Threads merged. Let's keep all these rumors and speculations in one thread.

 

[Kentstater72]

Thank you Rollerfink for following up.
I was after the truth, you found it.

I was not trying to spread a rumor.
Some of you folk need to get a life.

Also: Should't the thread "Where is Vooms future" be merged into this speculation stew?

 

[Ilya]

Should't the thread "Where is Vooms future" be merged into this speculation stew?

No, let's discuss news and published articles resulting from the 12/20 filing here. The other thread is just a poll for our member's predictions

 

[bdcrow00]

Currently enjoying Playboy Hot HD @ 1080i via VOOM. Where else do you get this kind of action?

 

[bdcrow00]

You've just got to love Ann Marie!

 

[wase4711]

Businesses are bought and sold every day in this great country. If Voom's parent company sells, someone will offer enough to take Voom and run with it. I think we all
agree, the potential for Voom is tremendous and growing with each HD set sold. I guess DISH would likely pick it up and probably continue to grow the system, to attract customers and turn a profit. DISH already has some of the satellite power Voom needs and more satellites are scheduled. This would really give DISH the jump on DirecTV and be a major coup for them. Makes a lot of sense.

No, I believe, Voom will evolve and should have better service and value because of it.
Voom may be around for a long time, with different owners behind the service.

You hit it right on the head man...

Its kind of amusing watching so many people over-react to every single rumor or tidbit of news that gets circulated in the media and on the Web;

Sean is right, Johnalan is right, in the REAL business world, Voom is still viewed as a large asset, and however Rainbow or Voom evolves in the next 12-36 months, there is NO WAY that this "Asset" will just disappear off the face of the earth; Someone wants this 25-30k subscriber base, with expensive HD Televisons, and ALOT of "disposable income" to spend on things like Satalite recievers, DVR's, and Pro Logic sound systems..There just arent enough HD televisions out there yet;

This Christmas should tell the tale; if enough folks buy HD sets now, and get them home and discover how poor they look without an HD source, Voom could reap lots of new subscriptions...Too bad they arent in all the major retail stores with information, the way Comcast and the other Cable companies do.

Relax everyone, Voom, in some shape form or flavor will exist for a very very long time....

 

[Tvlman]

It's amazing how some guys can become market experts by simply owning a HDTV. As I understand it this is the same step that would be taken if they were about to 1- sell or 2- take a totally new direction. If you check the names of the post-ees these are the same people who have been preaching gloom & doom since the beginning but have stuck around somehow. Could it be that they like watching HD with over 40 channels? I wonder how much money they have made in the stock market lately? Me, I'm too busy watching my VOOM HDTV.

 

[jame_g]

Businesses are not only bought and sold every day, but they go bankrupt everyday too, or are sold off piece by piece for their assets. It's a fact that most new businesses go bankrupt within about the first year or two. No knights with shining armor to save them. Lots of vultures to pick through the roadkill. I hope this isn't the case with Voom.

One possibility that I haven't heard mentioned is a foreign partner. Not sure what laws are regarding foreign ownership of a US Satellite TV service is, but are there any European Satellite TV giants out there that would like an opening into the US Market?

Another possibility I haven't hear mentioned is a company like Sprint, Verizon, or Cricket. This really is a similar industry that could be integrated into a whole telecommunications package down the road.

Unfortunately Voom should have had more of their ducks in a row when they launched. They were competing against two strong players and didn't have a strong enough business plan to compete with them. They should have:

- identified a strong secondary niche besides HDTV
- had stong SD channel lineup to begin with
- had their DVR ready day 1
- made sure they could get more of the established HD channels like HDNet/INHD, etc with a recognized "brand" name.
- made sure they had a stronger lineup of retail outlets to pair up with.
- marketed a "HD only" package to satisfied E*, D*, cable customers.
- had competitive "no investment" Installation offers from day one.
- had a true interactive satellite tv option ready to roll out within the first year for those with high speed internet connections.

Now Cablevision either needs to do most of this themselves, or they need to find a partner or a buyer willing to do most of these things (plus carry out the announced expanded channel line-up) if Voom will survive in its present form. My hope was that they were willing to carry this out themselves, or find a partner to do this with them (and NOT Microsoft, Walmart, D*, or E*). We need more competition in this country, not less.

Hindsight is 20/20, but I bet a group of MBA students could have looked at the business model and come up with some valid pointers at the start and avoided some of Voom's pitfalls.

- jame

 

[jame_g]

oh, and okay, while I am no DBS/Satellite TV business expert, my point of view is coming from more than owning two HDTV's and being a (past and present) subscriber to two satellite services and several cable tv services. I also grew up in a family business environment, have my MBA, perform business analysis as part of my job, and I've been involved with a team that researched and recommended acquisition targets albiet in a different industry. I still don't claim to be an expert on this situation and of course, all of this is in good fun and conjecture on my part since none of us appear to have the boardroom scoop on what's happening with Voom! plus, I really do want Voom to succeed in some form.

- jame

 

[Sparkman]

Did they get this right? Voom goes bust?

Is Voom shutting down or did someone on the "staff" that wrote this article mistake cancelling the spinoff for shutting down?

http://digitaltelevision.com/articles/article_859.shtml

 

[jame_g]

well, i'm still getting a signal, but it's not midnight yet. most of what i've seen seems to indicate that voom is suspending the spin-off and that there is pressure from the board and wall street to sell/sell off the assets. so far I've seen nothing else indicating that voom is shutting down, and the voom website is still active. but hey, in today's world, a few hours can make a big difference. although i hope not. Plus, it's easier to sell an operating business as opposed to a business that has shut down. And I hope that voom would give current customers a some sort of warning (like an e-mail) before it happened.

 

[Stingray]

VOOM Goes Bust !

Digital TV e-news letter: " reply-22366@emaillabs.com"

Cablevision has decided to suspend its Voom satellite service, which
included several high-definition channels, but had only a modest
25,000 subscribers by the end of Q3 2004.

 

[Sean Mota]

WRONG WRONG WRONG MIS INFORMATION PUBLISHED. Editor does not know the differece between suspend spin off and suspend service. Merging thread.

 

[Sean Mota]

WRong wrong wrong. publisher does not know what he talks about. If I were VOOM, I will bring a law suit against him for publishing wrong information. merging thread.