As programming costs rise with little hope of near term relief, several operators said they are expecting to increase their sports and broadcast surcharges in 2015 to help lessen the blow.
Cablevision Systems was one of the latest to join the growing list of pay TV distributors looking to increase the surcharges, warning customers that it will hike its surcharge by about $1 per month.
In an insert in customers’ December bills, Cablevision said that due to increased programming costs, the monthly Sports and Broadcast TV Surcharge would rise from $4.98 per month to $5.98 per month beginning in January. The monthly set-top box rental fee will rise about 12% to $7.56 per month from $6.71 per month. In the insert, Cablevision said pricing for its Optimum Online high-speed Internet service and its telephony product Optimum Voice are not affected.
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