The End of VOOM?

[jame_g]

A list with qualified leads (i.e. your target market) may be worth a few bucks a name. However, with a qualified list you usually have the right to remove any duplicate names that are already on your existing files of customers, previous customers, and names already on your marketing database from people who responded in any way to previous campaigns. Qualified leads are usually only valid for a limited time if they don't respond. Therefore a list from Voom would not be worth much at all since most of us are already on the D* and/or E* files.

The list would only be worth more if contracts carried over. But since it is doubtful that either D* or E* would carry Voom in any recognizable form, and many customers would drop asap as a result (assuming they could transfer the contract without Voom being the provider), it still wouldn't be worth much because of the retention risk.

Also, the $30M being bandied about includes the expected profit for these customers (given that they've chosen the programming provider to begin with, not given any special circumstances). So no one would pay near that much even if they had a way to keep all the customers.

 

[calypsocowboy]

On thing that popped in my head is the memo said RDBS, Rainbow21 and something else and that Dolan may be looking at purchasing them. It doesn't say anything in the memo from what I recall about Rainbow 1 or the uplink facility that was being built. Only time will tell but maybe Chuck had the sat sold for a bit and wanted the money for the rest of Voom. Another theory. lots of those lately.

 

[James Long]

She read me a pre-scripted memo regarding the sale to Dish stating they will continue providing service for now.

It would be nice to know the exact wording of that script/memo.

BTW: The OTA antenna works without Voom.

I wonder if E* will be playing with any Voom boxes in their test centers to see if they can be easily converted to receive E* programming. It would be a nice path - come to E* and bring your box! It would also give a value to all of the old Voom receivers that they will either abandon or recall. Without a future, they might as well cut their losses and abandon them in place instead of paying people to pick them up or for shipping them back (including the cost of buying packing boxes if they don't do home pickups).

JL

 

[SactoCal]

It would be nice to know the exact wording of that script/memo.
JL

It believe it has been posted more than once in this thread already.
http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?p=286130#post286130

 

[gutter]

.

Also, the $30M being bandied about includes the expected profit for these customers (given that they've chosen the programming provider to begin with, not given any special circumstances). So no one would pay near that much even if they had a way to keep all the customers.[/QUOT

I agree that this is what they would not pay for it but that would be the value long term as a potential customer base. Belive me . I owned a telemarketing company and managed list and it is worth its weight in gold and protected. VOOM or HD customers are the cream of the cream. Big money people. that is the way it is viewed.

 

[James Long]

It believe it has been posted more than once in this thread already.
http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?p=286130#post286130

Thanks for the link back and for the highlight in the original post. Facts can get lost in monster threads like this one.

Announcements as soon as next month? OK.

JL

 

[randym431]

Just seen another tv commercial for voom. Doesnt sound like a dieing company to me. Sometimes, companies buy companies and then just let them alone to operate. The truth is probably in the figures $$$ that we cant begin to understand. Maybe that dvr will be released on time now.

 

[BobMurdoch]

They might have bought the adtime last week or earlier and were committed to the ad buy. The real test will be February and beyond.

 

[kevcar0603]

Hello, I'm new here. Found this site in a search for Voom DVR. After reading these posts here and then looking at Voom's website :http://www.voom.com/util/press/press_112204.shtml
I started thinking that maybe Voom will still be around. Maybe they are combining channels to be able to provide 70 HD. These deals take months to make, which makes sense with the date on this press release and what about today's update? Just a thought.

 

[graphiteRT]

It would be nice to know the exact wording of that script/memo.

BTW: The OTA antenna works without Voom.

I wonder if E* will be playing with any Voom boxes in their test centers to see if they can be easily converted to receive E* programming. It would be a nice path - come to E* and bring your box! It would also give a value to all of the old Voom receivers that they will either abandon or recall. Without a future, they might as well cut their losses and abandon them in place instead of paying people to pick them up or for shipping them back (including the cost of buying packing boxes if they don't do home pickups).

JL

The boxes are made by Motorola. They simply have a Voom label on them. It's quite possible that the box could be converted to receive and decode an E* signal with a simple firmware download. That's assuming this revision of the box does not need any significant hardware changes.

If the deal completes, E* then has a satellite at 61.5 to suppliment one they already have at that same location. Problem is their older satellite has had a number of failures in the last few years and it probably mid-way through its usable lifespan. The Rainbow 1 satellite is much newer, has MPEG4 capbility and should last another 8-10 years at least. That was probably their primary reason for buying it. An already working MPEG4 capable bird, versus commissioning a new one and going through all the risks associated with a launch. That's a no-brainer move, IMO.

At this stage it's not likely that E* even knows what they will do with the satellite. Sure if gives them added bandwidth, but most of their stuff broadcasts from 110 or 119 slots and you can't just move Rainbow 1 over there as a replacement or enhancement.

They could easily pick up the Voom subs with a simple box change if they wanted to, or perhaps they just continue broadcasting from 61.5 with different content that's not called Voom. I can't imagine they would want to leave everyone with a Voom labeled box if they opt for that path.

It's still too early for all of this to sort out. First thing is to get the deal approved, which is weeks or months away yet. There will probably be no significant changes in your service until that time.

 

[Lobstah]

Good post...the only thing I disagree with is this:
"At this stage it's not likely that E* even knows what they will do with the satellite"

There aren't many companies that invest $200mil in something without a business plan that gets developed during several meetins. They've got a real good idea of what they're going to do with it.

Lob

 

[SactoCal]

I don’t know if this has been posted with all the talk of Voom adverts running. But I noticed last night while my son was watching Animania that a message appeared on the bottom of the screen announcing a new pre-school show that would start running on Animania on Feb 15th.

Now this is a Voom exclusive channel, so pre-paid advertising doesn't seem to come into play. I remain optimistic.

 

[seandudley]

The Rainbow 1 satellite is much newer, has MPEG4 capbility and should last another 8-10 years at least. That was probably their primary reason for buying it. An already working MPEG4 capable bird, versus commissioning a new one and going through all the risks associated with a launch. That's a no-brainer move, IMO.

I don't think the satellite makes a difference in terms of MPEG4. I think the satellite just repeats what is sent to it, be is MPEG2 or MPEG4. The part that has to be MPEG4 is the encoder at the up-link facility and decoder in the receivers, but the satellite shouldn't need anything special to handle MPEG4.

 

[JimP]

I don’t know if this has been posted with all the talk of Voom adverts running. But I noticed last night while my son was watching Animania that a message appeared on the bottom of the screen announcing a new pre-school show that would start running on Animania on Feb 15th.

Now this is a Voom exclusive channel, so pre-paid advertising doesn't seem to come into play. I remain optimistic.

Good find.
I agree. Why would they be advertising a new program on an exlusive channel. Only possibility is that all this stuff is programmed enough in the future that we're only catching up with the work that's already been done.

I think what most of us want is the same or better HD programming and the DVR. Who furnishes it isn't as much of a concern as what they do with it.

 

[Amphicar770]

Well, hopefully they announce something definitive today, or at least a solid sense of direction. Yes, the dvr would be nice but as of today I would not spend more than $1 for it since it could be a boat anchor next week. Let's hope we hear some meaningful news (good or bad) from the rumored board meeting.

 

[banker]

I also remain optimistic, I saw a 30 minute infommercial on a local station last night for V*.

 

[Indy]

I have ascertained the end will come when..... Charles Dolan has the kill switch for Voom firmly clenched in his hand and when that hand is dead and lifeless and the Cablevision board can pry the switch loose from that hand, then and only then will the switch be thrown. Until that day arrives, Voom remains.

Short of Charles Dolan suffering the same fate Cesar suffered in the Roman Senate but in the Cablevision board room, it isn't going to happen.

Hail Charles!

 

[JimP]

Hail Hail Charles !!!!

Owning 49% of Cablevision stock gives him many alternatives.

If I were him, I'd figure out a way to buy the Voom assets and the two cable vision channels that could cash flow it in exchange of some of the stock. Unfortunately, if he's successful, they'll be screaming that Cablevision got robbed. Considering that profits for Cablevision has for the most part flattened out, I would have thought that they would have stayed with the Voom project.

 

[BobMurdoch]

Good post...the only thing I disagree with is this:
"At this stage it's not likely that E* even knows what they will do with the satellite"

There aren't many companies that invest $200mil in something without a business plan that gets developed during several meetins. They've got a real good idea of what they're going to do with it.

Lob

Yes, but like the Superdish fiasco, they are wary of announcing anything until they have everything lined up. At the time it was discovered that, "oops", Florida, Maine, Washington, and California had problems seeing the new bird with the Superdish, E* scrambled and announced that HD would move to 110/119. Good newws for those that wanted a few HD channels, but bad news for those that wanted a LOT Of them as the bandwidth prohibited adding any more than they have now.

Better to "Let them eat static" (hmmmm, Wrath of Khan quote) until they know what their capabilities are. It also gives them the ability to adjust their strategy based on what the other guys are doing (If D* starts to get traction with HD LIL then they can jump into that..... if the market lets out a big yawn then they can go with more national HD channels or (shudder) more SD LILs or Internationals.

 

[graphiteRT]

Good post...the only thing I disagree with is this:
"At this stage it's not likely that E* even knows what they will do with the satellite"

There aren't many companies that invest $200mil in something without a business plan that gets developed during several meetins. They've got a real good idea of what they're going to do with it.

Lob

That's funny, because the quotes I've read from DISH execs echoed what I have posted. There are also posts about "paying a bit more than we wanted".

FCC hasn't approved it. It's a low horizon satellite which would require a second dish for most of their existing customers to reach. Seems to me there are plenty of hurdles to overcome, so hopefully that business plan you say they have has plenty of Plan B's and C's built in to it.