Evolution Broadband offers a sneak peak at its new CableCARD, a security module that'll match up with a new line of tru2way set-tops

Optical vendor says it has the top five US MSOs as customers and is targeting expansion in Europe and Asia as its client base grows

Last week, Cablevision (NYSE: CVC) finally admitted defeat for the once highly ambitious Voom HD service, announcing that it would close the domestic service early next year rather than continue with its own cable systems as the only distributor. Today, the company estimated in an SEC filing that shutting Voom down in the U.S. would result in a Q4 charge of between $45 million and $65 million as it writes down programming, equipment and other assets. Of that, some $25-to $27 million in cash will go to cover programming fees. Cablevision and its Rainbow Media Holdings subsidiary, which includes Voom, blame Dish Network’s decision to drop the service for its demise; Cablevision sued the company for $1 billion for breaching a distribution agreement earlier this year that dated back to when it was EchoStar (NSDQ: SATS).

New specs unify the interactive architectures of Time Warner Cable and Comcast, and could speed the adoption of switched digital video

Last week, Cablevision (NYSE: CVC) finally admitted defeat for the once highly ambitious Voom HD service, announcing that it would close the domestic service early next year rather than continue with its own cable systems as the only distributor. Today, the company estimated in an SEC filing that shutting Voom down in the U.S. would result in a Q4 charge of between $45 million and $65 million as it writes down programming, equipment and other assets. Of that, some $25-to $27 million in cash will go to cover programming fees. Cablevision and its Rainbow Media Holdings subsidiary, which includes Voom, blame Dish Network’s decision to drop the service for its demise; Cablevision sued the company for $1 billion for breaching a distribution agreement earlier this year that dated back to when it was EchoStar (NSDQ: SATS).

Cablevision Systems (CVC) will book $45 mil-$65 mil in charges in Q4 as a result of discontinuing its Voom HD Networks, which offered high-def TV...

Some of the market movers continue to face weak outlook despite higher earnings in some cases.[More...]

Filed under: Consumer experience, Marketing and advertising

This post is part of our Ads Gone Bad series. Share your thoughts and memories of this ad in the comments, and be sure to check out our other posts on marketing gone wrong.

Blending cultures is a particular challenge for advertisers. How do they appeal to one culture without offending others, who may misunderstand references and not recognize noted figures featured in ads? These are questions that Cablevision (NYSE: CVC) is probably asking.

To market its "Triple Play" offering (bundled cable, broadband, and telephone), the company hired globalWorks to create ads featuring the music and stars of reggaeton. Reggaeton, urban music that became popular with Latin American young people in the 1990s, is a fusion of Caribbean reggae and Latin forms such as salsa with rap and hip-hop.

Featured in the ads is a singer resembling the famous reggaeton star and Latin Grammy winner Daddy Yankee (Ramon Ayala), rapping and cavorting with three nubile young women/mermaids. The ads are rather camped up, but no more so than most music videos.

Nonetheless, some viewers found the rapper-style ostentation demeaning to Spanish-speaking Americans. Others took offense at the "Triple Play" tag, in some circles a very coarse term describing the menu of sexual possibilities.

I suspect, though, that many of those who criticized the ad were simply upset that the U.S. continues to evolve to integrate other cultures. For many, change is bad. And reggaeton is not their father's rock and roll.

See other examples of Ads Gone Bad.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Credit Crunch vs. Media Industry, Apple Gets Squeezed, Doing the P. Allen Shuffle (CKX) (CCU) (GOOG) (AAPL) (DWA) (CVC)

The Hollywood Reporter Reports - Merger Mania Hits Big Media, Will AOL Get Second Wind? and CBS Earnings (TWX) (CVC) (NWS) (CBS) (DJ)

Elizabeth Harrow takes a look back at news that drove the major market indices today.

Elizabeth Harrow takes a look back at news that drove the major market indices today.

Tribune Bids, Dolan's Nixed, Apple Surprise, and What Analysts Say (AAPL) (CVC) (TRB) (MSFT) (NWS) (TWX)