New Service Lets Cablevision Customers Access Top Movie Titles 'On Demand' Weeks Before They Are Widely Available

New Service Lets Cablevision Customers Access Top Movie Titles 'On Demand' Weeks Before They Are Widely Available

'Popcorn DVDs On Demand' Allows iO TV(SM) Customers To Watch Select Box Office Hits At Home On The Same Day They Are Available For Sale As DVDs

BETHPAGE, N.Y., Feb. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Cablevision Systems Corp. (NYSE:CVC) today announced a new service that allows iO TV digital cable customers to watch top new release movies through the convenience of on demand, weeks before they are widely available. "Popcorn DVDs On Demand" makes select titles available to customers for on demand viewing on the same day the films arrive in stores for DVD purchase. Through a simple and secure purchase using the digital set-top box, customers can immediately view a film and later receive its corresponding DVD, which is shipped directly to the home.

"This is an exciting new service that allows our digital cable customers to watch top new release films weeks before they are widely available for on demand viewing, and then own the DVD of their selection," said Patricia Gottesman, Cablevision's executive vice president of digital marketing & commerce. "It is also a major step forward in giving our customers new ways to quickly and easily purchase goods and services from a wide variety of companies, using our fiber optic network and the advanced set-top box that is already in the home."

"Popcorn is the first service that combines the first-day-of-release freshness of owning DVDs with the simplicity, convenience and instant viewing provided by on demand. Cablevision has established a leadership position in delivering the latest technologies to its customers and embracing new opportunities, like Popcorn," said Popcorn Home Entertainment CEO Steve Brenner. "Movie lovers enjoy the benefits and extra features associated with owning a DVD, but they also crave the instant gratification of on demand. Popcorn DVDs On Demand delivers the best of both worlds."

Popcorn titles are available in advance of the standard VOD "window." By combining a DVD purchase with an on demand view, popular titles are available for VOD viewing on the same day they are available for DVD purchase. Through this new service, customers are able to enjoy the physical DVD -- which is shipped directly to them -- along with immediate access to the title on demand.

New releases available from Popcorn at launch include: The Bourne Ultimatum, The Kingdom, Eastern Promises and Sydney White. The two-time Academy(R) Award-nominated blockbuster American Gangster will be available on February 19th.

Before purchasing their first DVD/VOD selection through Popcorn, customers briefly visit an Optimum Web site and establish a secure profile that includes credit card, shipping and billing information. Once the secure profile has been established, at www.optimum.net/click, customers can access and purchase Popcorn movie titles directly through their digital set-top box. Popcorn titles are accessible through the Movies On Demand menu available through the iO TV user interface, or directly on Channel 500. New release films are priced at $19.95, plus shipping, while older library titles cost between $9.95 and $15.95, plus shipping. DVD orders are processed, billed and fulfilled by Popcorn DVDs On Demand.

With nearly 2.6 million iO TV customers, approximately 83 percent of Cablevision's cable customers are iO TV digital cable customers, the highest digital penetration in the nation. iO TV offers customers access to 360 channels, including 53 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, 45 high-definition programming services and groundbreaking interactive television applications including News 12 Interactive.

About Cablevision

Cablevision Systems Corporation (NYSE:CVC) 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.

About Popcorn Home Entertainment

Popcorn Home Entertainment is an independent, privately-held company that is the first ever to deliver the hottest new movies on their very first day of DVD release, directly to consumers' television screens ... followed up with the DVD direct to their doors within days. The inspiration of home entertainment entrepreneur-enthusiasts Steve Brenner and Tom Schreiber, Popcorn is managed by a team of entertainment executives committed to guaranteeing customers the ability to view the best movies instantly on the first day of release as well as own the DVD and all the extras forever - purchased from the comfort of the consumers' home. Popcorn delivers top-tier first run theatrical releases through partnerships with major studios and is available to Cablevision iO TV digital cable customers. For more information on Popcorn, log onto www.popcorntv.com.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Cablevision Systems Corp.

CONTACT: Patrick MacElroy, Director of Media Relations, of Cablevision,
+1-516-803-1249, pmacelro@cablevision.com

Web site:

http://www.cablevision.com/
http://www.popcorntv.com/
http://www.optimum.net/click

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