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Cablevision Launches Caller ID on iO TV(R)BETHPAGE, N.Y., Nov. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Cablevision Systems Corp. today announced the addition of a new feature for iO TV digital cable customers who also subscribe to the company's award-winning Optimum Voice phone service -- Caller ID on iO TV, an innovative product enhancement that allows customers to immediately view incoming call information, right on the television. Caller ID on iO TV has already been deployed in Long Island, New Jersey and New York City, and will be available across Cablevision's entire service area by Friday, November 16, at no additional charge to customers. Nearly one-third of the homes in Cablevision's market now subscribe to Optimum Voice, and the company estimates that the majority of its cable television customers will be served by Optimum Voice by the end of the year. "iO TV customers with Optimum Voice will now immediately know who is calling just by looking at the television set," said John Trierweiler, Cablevision's senior vice president of product management. "Caller ID on iO TV is a meaningful enhancement that underscores Cablevision's leadership in delivering the most technologically advanced digital services to our customers, over our fully-deployed fiber optic network. Like the Web portal that Optimum Voice customers use to manage their voice service, this is just another example of the power of bundling and unique advantages available to our multi-product customers." Caller ID on iO TV features the same Caller ID information a customer would expect to find on a telephone, using Cablevision's fiber optic network and advanced digital set-top boxes to transfer it to the television screen. The information is presented whenever a customer is watching live television or viewing recorded programming on their Cablevision DVR. When an incoming call is received, customers will see the Caller ID display scroll into the upper left corner of their screen. The display is present for approximately seven seconds, allowing customers to decide if they want to take the call while continuing to watch television, without interruption or having to hunt around for the phone. Customers who do not want to receive Caller ID messages can easily disable the function by tuning to iO TV channel 630. With nearly 2.6 million iO TV digital cable customers, approximately 83 percent of Cablevision's cable customers have embraced the company's digital service, the highest rate of digital penetration in the nation. iO TV offers customers access to more than 260 channels, including 50 premium movie channels, 48 channels of commercial-free digital music, more than 1,800 titles available on demand at all times, an interactive programming guide, 42 high- definition programming services and groundbreaking interactive television applications including News 12 Interactive. Optimum Voice is available exclusively to Optimum Online(R) high-speed Internet customers. The service includes unlimited calling across the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico, and a number of advanced features like voicemail, call waiting, caller ID, caller ID blocking (*67), call return (*69), three-way calling and call forwarding, directory assistance (411), VIP ringing, find me, caller ID on call waiting, busy redial, anonymous calling and anonymous call blocking -- all at no additional cost. The service's "My Optimum Voice" web portal allows customers to easily activate account features, listen to voicemail messages through any Web browser, review and sort calling history and manage other settings. Optimum Voice received the highest rating in residential telephone customer satisfaction in the Mid-Atlantic region for 2007 in a study by J.D. Power and Associates. Unlike "Internet phone services," Optimum Voice provides the security of enhanced 911 access for every customer and provides a local number portability option, so new customers who switch from other telephone companies can keep their existing phone number. Optimum Voice service is carried over Cablevision's fiber optic network, not the public Internet, and offers customers a highly reliable voice service with superior value. For customers who make international calls, Cablevision offers an innovative flat-rate international calling plan, Optimum Voice World Call, giving customers up to 250 minutes per month of calling anywhere in the world from their Optimum Voice phone for a flat monthly fee of $19.95, delivering more value to customers than any other international calling plan. About Cablevision Cablevision Systems Corporation is one of the nation's leading entertainment and telecommunications companies. Its cable television operations serve more than 3 million households in the New York metropolitan area. The company's advanced telecommunications offerings include its iO: Interactive Optimum(R) digital television, Optimum Online(R) high-speed Internet, Optimum Voice(R) digital voice-over-cable, and its Optimum Lightpath integrated business communications services. Cablevision's Rainbow Media Holdings LLC operates several successful programming businesses, including AMC, IFC, WE tv and other national and regional networks. In addition to its telecommunications and programming businesses, Cablevision owns Madison Square Garden and its sports teams, the New York Knicks, Rangers and Liberty. The company also operates New York's famed Radio City Music Hall, and owns and operates Clearview Cinemas. Disclaimer: Cablevision's Optimum Voice received the highest numerical score among telephone service providers in the Mid-Atlantic Region in the proprietary J.D. Power and Associates 2007 Residential Regional Telephone Customer Satisfaction Study(SM). Study based on 11,911 total responses from consumers measuring 6 providers in the Mid-Atlantic region (DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA, WV) and measures satisfaction of consumers who received their local and long distance service from one provider. Proprietary study results are based on experiences and perceptions of consumers surveyed between April-May 2007. Your experiences may vary. Visit jdpower.com. Mid-Atlantic Region: DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA, WV Cablevision Systems Corp. CONTACT: Jim Maiella of Cablevision Systems Corp., +1-516-803-3947 Web site: http://www.cablevision.com/http://www.jdpower.com/ |