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Suddenlink Communications
Suddenlink was an American telecommunications subsidiary of Altice USA trading in cable television, broadband, IP telephony, home security, and advertising. Prior to its acquisition by Altice, the company was the seventh largest cable operator with 1.5 million residential and 90,000 business subscribers. After Altice acquired Cablevision Systems Corporation on June 21, 2016, Suddenlink was combined with Cablevision. Together with Optimum, the name used by Cablevision for its products, Altice USA became the United States' fourth largest cable operator with 4.6 million subscribers, and the sixth largest Pay TV service provider with 3.5 million subscribers. On August 1, 2022, Suddenlink rebranded into Optimum.
The predecessor to Suddenlink Communications was Cebridge Communications that was formed in September 2003 by its parent company Cequel III. Cequel III was formed in January 2002 by Jerry Kent, a former CEO for Charter Communications, Charter's co-founder Howard Wood and Dan Bergstein, a telecommunications lawyer. The company invested in Classic Communications on February 10, 2003, shortly after it emerged from bankruptcy. Classic Communications was founded in 1992 by Merritt Belisle and Steven Seach and the company was taken public on October 31, 1999, and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on November 14, 2001. Classic had a total of 325,000 subscribers when Cequel III assumed management of the cable provider on February 10, 2003. Shortly after Cequel III acquired cable systems located in Texas with 27,000 subscribers from Canadian telecommunications provider Shaw Communications. In August 2003 Cequel acquired 81,000 subscribers from Alliance Communications Partners. After this acquisition Cequel formed Cebridge Connections which consisted of all the cable systems Cequel acquired up to this point. The combined company had 450,000 subscribers by the time the news was announced on September 15, 2003.
The company continued to acquire smaller cable systems after it became Cebridge including 78,000 from Thompson Cablevision on January 26, 2004, expanding the company into sixteen states. The company's coverage increased to twenty-three states when it closed its acquisitions of 19,000 customers from Tele-Media on June 3, 2004, and 40,000 customers from USA Media Systems on August 19, 2004. Cebridge Connections announced it would change its name to Suddenlink Communications in a soft launch on May 1, 2006, after the company completed its acquisition of 869,000 customers from Cox Communications. The hard launch of the re-branding occurred in July after the company completed its acquisition of 250,000 customers from Charter Communications after these acquisitions the company increased its total size to 1.4 million.
After Suddenlink completed its acquisition of the cable system from Charter, it focused on upgrading its existing infrastructure that was deemed "under-served" by previous owners. Suddenlink completed a $600 million debt offering on November 5, 2009, which allowed the company to make significant upgrades. The result of the upgrades allowed the company to expand its HD services and increase the number of HDTV channels while its broadband infrastructure was upgraded to DOCSIS 3.0 technology allowing for faster broadband speeds across its footprint. In July 2013 Suddenlink was the first major cable provider that all technicians and installers with the company for 90 days or more had obtained at least one professional certifications from Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers. During the same month Suddenlink and TiVo announced that Suddenlink would distribute co-branded TiVo set top boxes to its subscriber base which allows the company to provide whole home DVR services and out of home streaming of recorded content. Four years after its last acquisition Suddenlink gained 8,000 subscribers it acquired from Windjammer Communications on August 1, 2010. On April 1, 2011, Suddenlink closed its acquisition of NPG Cable from the News-Press & Gazette Company. Suddenlink would go on to complete two more acquisitions in 2014 the first was Northand Communications that closed on January 2 and New Wave Communications that closed on October 1.
Suddenlink announced on July 18, 2012, that the company reached an agreement to be acquired for $6.6 billion by BC Partners, CPP Investment Board, and Suddenlink's management team led by Chairman and CEO Jerry Kent. Previously owned by Goldman Sachs Alternatives, Quadrangle Group, and Oaktree Capital Management, Suddenlink was 70% acquired by Altice on May 20, 2015, in a $9.1 billion deal. At the time of the announcement Suddenlink was the seventh largest cable operator with 1.5 million residential and 90,000 business subscribers. The deal closed on December 21, 2015. Altice also announced on September 17 that year it would acquire Cablevision for $17.7 billion and completed the deal on June 21, 2016. After both deals were completed Altice USA became the fourth largest cable operator in the country with 4.6 million subscribers and the sixth largest pay television operator with 3.50 million subscribers. Altice USA announced on April 11, 2017, the company has filed for an initial public offering. The company plans to raise up to $100 million with the IPO. Altice NV the parent company of Altice USA announced on May 24 that "all consumer-facing brands across the globe will change." Altice stated the re-branding would be complete by the second quarter in 2018.
In April 2022, Altice USA announced that Suddenlink would be rebranded under the Optimum name. On August 1, Suddenlink was fully amalgamated into Optimum.
At time of merger with Optimum, Suddenlink operated services in thirteen states: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, and West Virginia.
Suddenlink has been involved with two high-profile carriage disputes over the years. The first was with Sinclair Broadcasting Group over two local stations it operates in the Huntington-Charleston, West Virginia designated market area. The dispute became public on June 30, 2006, and was resolved on August 8, 2006. The second involved Viacom and its cable channels Nickelodeon, MTV, Spike (Now Paramount Network), TV Land, VH1, and various spin-off channels.
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Suddenlink Communications
Suddenlink was an American telecommunications subsidiary of Altice USA trading in cable television, broadband, IP telephony, home security, and advertising. Prior to its acquisition by Altice, the company was the seventh largest cable operator with 1.5 million residential and 90,000 business subscribers. After Altice acquired Cablevision Systems Corporation on June 21, 2016, Suddenlink was combined with Cablevision. Together with Optimum, the name used by Cablevision for its products, Altice USA became the United States' fourth largest cable operator with 4.6 million subscribers, and the sixth largest Pay TV service provider with 3.5 million subscribers. On August 1, 2022, Suddenlink rebranded into Optimum.
The predecessor to Suddenlink Communications was Cebridge Communications that was formed in September 2003 by its parent company Cequel III. Cequel III was formed in January 2002 by Jerry Kent, a former CEO for Charter Communications, Charter's co-founder Howard Wood and Dan Bergstein, a telecommunications lawyer. The company invested in Classic Communications on February 10, 2003, shortly after it emerged from bankruptcy. Classic Communications was founded in 1992 by Merritt Belisle and Steven Seach and the company was taken public on October 31, 1999, and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on November 14, 2001. Classic had a total of 325,000 subscribers when Cequel III assumed management of the cable provider on February 10, 2003. Shortly after Cequel III acquired cable systems located in Texas with 27,000 subscribers from Canadian telecommunications provider Shaw Communications. In August 2003 Cequel acquired 81,000 subscribers from Alliance Communications Partners. After this acquisition Cequel formed Cebridge Connections which consisted of all the cable systems Cequel acquired up to this point. The combined company had 450,000 subscribers by the time the news was announced on September 15, 2003.
The company continued to acquire smaller cable systems after it became Cebridge including 78,000 from Thompson Cablevision on January 26, 2004, expanding the company into sixteen states. The company's coverage increased to twenty-three states when it closed its acquisitions of 19,000 customers from Tele-Media on June 3, 2004, and 40,000 customers from USA Media Systems on August 19, 2004. Cebridge Connections announced it would change its name to Suddenlink Communications in a soft launch on May 1, 2006, after the company completed its acquisition of 869,000 customers from Cox Communications. The hard launch of the re-branding occurred in July after the company completed its acquisition of 250,000 customers from Charter Communications after these acquisitions the company increased its total size to 1.4 million.
After Suddenlink completed its acquisition of the cable system from Charter, it focused on upgrading its existing infrastructure that was deemed "under-served" by previous owners. Suddenlink completed a $600 million debt offering on November 5, 2009, which allowed the company to make significant upgrades. The result of the upgrades allowed the company to expand its HD services and increase the number of HDTV channels while its broadband infrastructure was upgraded to DOCSIS 3.0 technology allowing for faster broadband speeds across its footprint. In July 2013 Suddenlink was the first major cable provider that all technicians and installers with the company for 90 days or more had obtained at least one professional certifications from Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers. During the same month Suddenlink and TiVo announced that Suddenlink would distribute co-branded TiVo set top boxes to its subscriber base which allows the company to provide whole home DVR services and out of home streaming of recorded content. Four years after its last acquisition Suddenlink gained 8,000 subscribers it acquired from Windjammer Communications on August 1, 2010. On April 1, 2011, Suddenlink closed its acquisition of NPG Cable from the News-Press & Gazette Company. Suddenlink would go on to complete two more acquisitions in 2014 the first was Northand Communications that closed on January 2 and New Wave Communications that closed on October 1.
Suddenlink announced on July 18, 2012, that the company reached an agreement to be acquired for $6.6 billion by BC Partners, CPP Investment Board, and Suddenlink's management team led by Chairman and CEO Jerry Kent. Previously owned by Goldman Sachs Alternatives, Quadrangle Group, and Oaktree Capital Management, Suddenlink was 70% acquired by Altice on May 20, 2015, in a $9.1 billion deal. At the time of the announcement Suddenlink was the seventh largest cable operator with 1.5 million residential and 90,000 business subscribers. The deal closed on December 21, 2015. Altice also announced on September 17 that year it would acquire Cablevision for $17.7 billion and completed the deal on June 21, 2016. After both deals were completed Altice USA became the fourth largest cable operator in the country with 4.6 million subscribers and the sixth largest pay television operator with 3.50 million subscribers. Altice USA announced on April 11, 2017, the company has filed for an initial public offering. The company plans to raise up to $100 million with the IPO. Altice NV the parent company of Altice USA announced on May 24 that "all consumer-facing brands across the globe will change." Altice stated the re-branding would be complete by the second quarter in 2018.
In April 2022, Altice USA announced that Suddenlink would be rebranded under the Optimum name. On August 1, Suddenlink was fully amalgamated into Optimum.
At time of merger with Optimum, Suddenlink operated services in thirteen states: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, and West Virginia.
Suddenlink has been involved with two high-profile carriage disputes over the years. The first was with Sinclair Broadcasting Group over two local stations it operates in the Huntington-Charleston, West Virginia designated market area. The dispute became public on June 30, 2006, and was resolved on August 8, 2006. The second involved Viacom and its cable channels Nickelodeon, MTV, Spike (Now Paramount Network), TV Land, VH1, and various spin-off channels.