Optimum Online(R) and Optimum Voice(R) Named Nation's Top High-Speed Internet and VoIP Services in 18th Annual PC Magazine Reader Satisfaction Survey

Optimum Online(R) and Optimum Voice(R) Named Nation's Top High-Speed Internet and VoIP Services in 18th Annual PC Magazine Reader Satisfaction Survey

PC Magazine Readers Rank Optimum Online Best for Speed, Reliability and Overall Internet Service for Second Consecutive Year; Optimum Voice Also Takes Top Overall Honors Among VoIP Providers

Optimum Online And Optimum Voice Receive Coveted PC Magazine Readers' Choice Awards; Second Consecutive Year For Optimum Online

BETHPAGE, N.Y., Nov. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Cablevision's Optimum Online and Optimum Voice have been named the top high-speed Internet and VoIP services in the nation by the readers of PC Magazine in the publication's 18th Annual Reader Satisfaction Survey for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and VoIP Digital Voice Service Providers, available on newsstands this month.

For the second year in a row, Optimum Online received the highest overall rating among all high-speed Internet providers in the nation, with top ratings in the categories of speed and reliability as well. Optimum Voice received the highest overall rating in the nation, as well as top scores in the categories of sound quality and connection reliability. As part of the survey, Optimum Online and Optimum Voice were also awarded PC Magazine 2005 Readers' Choice Awards -- the second year in a row Optimum Online received this coveted distinction.

"It is extremely gratifying to have the strong consumer acceptance of Optimum Online and Optimum Voice supported by these top marks from the readers of PC Magazine," said Patricia Gottesman, Cablevision's executive vice president of product management and marketing. "All of our digital services are delivered over our superior high-capacity fiber network, which allows us to encourage our customers to embrace bandwidth-intensive applications and offer more than enough capacity to ensure the highest levels of service, as reflected in these tremendous results."

This year's Reader Satisfaction Study collected feedback from thousands of PC Magazine readers on satisfaction with their current Internet and/or VoIP providers. Each ISP was rated on overall satisfaction as well as a number of key individual categories, including connection speed, connection reliability and the likelihood a user would recommend the service to others. Survey respondents gave Optimum Online the highest overall rating, (8.3 vs. a cable average of 7.7 and a DSL average of 7.6), and also top scores in the categories of "connection speed" (8.6 vs. a cable average of 8.1 and DSL average of 7.4) and "connection reliability," (8.2 vs. a cable average of 7.6 and DSL average of 7.8). Optimum Online customers also indicated they would be likely to recommend the service. The study also found that broadband users are more satisfied overall with their cable-powered Internet experience than by connecting via DSL.

The VoIP service study, PC Magazine's first survey of VoIP providers, compared customer responses to five companies' services, including broadband providers and independent offerings. All VoIP providers surveyed were rated on overall satisfaction as well as five key attributes: ease of setup, sound quality, connection reliability, customer service and technical support. Survey respondents gave Optimum Voice the highest overall rating, (7.9 vs. an overall average of 7.8) as well as top scores in the categories "sound quality" (8.3 vs. an overall average of 7.9) and "connection reliability" (8.3 vs. an overall average of 7.8). Overall, broadband provider VoIP services scored better than the services of Internet telephony providers.

More than 1.6 million broadband customers in Cablevision's service area choose Optimum Online, and more than half of all Internet-connected homes in the company's service area access the Internet through Optimum Online. Last week, Cablevision announced that it was increasing the maximum downstream speeds of Optimum Online to 15 Mbps, 2 Mbps upstream, and introduced two new speed tiers -- Optimum Online Boost, offering speeds of up to 30 Mbps downstream and 2 Mbps upstream, and Optimum Online Ultra, offering symmetrical data connections of up to 50 Mbps. Cablevision has begun to deploy the new speeds and service levels, with the accelerated Optimum Online service speed and Optimum Online Boost to become available across the company's entire service area by the middle of 2006.

With more than 600,000 customers as of September 30, Optimum Voice is the most highly penetrated VoIP service in the nation. Optimum Voice provides fully-functional E911 service to every customer, unlimited calling to the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico, as well as a comprehensive suite of advanced features such as enhanced voicemail, call waiting, caller ID, caller ID blocking (*67), call return (*69), three-way calling and call forwarding, directory assistance (411) and more all at no additional cost. Optimum Voice service is carried over Cablevision's world-class broadband network, not the public Internet, and offers customers a highly reliable voice service with superior value.

About PC Magazine

PC Magazine, the independent guide to technology, delivers comprehensive labs-based reviews and the most trusted recommendations for buyers of technology products and services. Reaching more than 5.1 million highly engaged technology influencers, PC Magazine provides product reviews, first looks at emerging technologies and products, and opinionated columns from renowned technology pundits. To meet its readers' needs for buying information that is as current as it is comprehensive, PC Magazine publishes 22 times a year in print and continually on the Web at www.pcmag.com.

About Optimum

Optimum, Cablevision Systems Corporation's (NYSE:CVC) suite of advanced digital cable services includes iO: Interactive Optimum digital cable, Optimum Online high-speed Internet and Optimum Voice digital voice-over-cable. Built upon the company's state-of-the-art fiber network, Optimum delivers the most highly reliable and comprehensive voice, high-speed Internet and video packages available throughout the New York metropolitan area. All Optimum services have achieved industry-leading penetrations with more than 1.8 million iO customers, or 61 percent penetration of cable customers, more than 1.6 million Optimum Online customers at nearly 36 percent penetration of homes-passed and 601,000 Optimum Voice customers, with more than 1,000 new voice customers each day. Optimum customers receive unprecedented value from Optimum's award-winning digital cable service, the nation's top rated high-speed Internet service and a dependable and feature-rich voice service.

About Cablevision

Cablevision Systems Corporation is one of the nation's leading entertainment and telecommunications companies. Its cable television operations serve 3 million households in the New York metropolitan area. The company's advanced telecommunications offerings include its iO: Interactive Optimum digital television, Optimum Online high-speed Internet, Optimum Voice digital voice-over-cable, and its Lightpath integrated business communications services. Cablevision's Rainbow Media Holdings LLC operates several successful programming businesses, including AMC, IFC, WE 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.

Source: Cablevision Systems Corporation

CONTACT: Jim Maiella, +1-516-803-3947, or Marie Stenberg,
+1-516-803-2352, both for Cablevision Systems Corporation

Web site: http://www.cablevision.com/
http://www.pcmag.com/

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