Posted on: Sunday, August 10, 2003

Oceanic to shuffle cable TV channels

By Sean Hao
Advertiser Staff Writer

A major overhaul of channel lineups is in store for cable customers starting Sept. 3 as Oceanic Time Warner Cable rolls out new services.

The cable company has run regular ads explaining the changes, which mainly affect analog subscribers. The price for standard analog service will remain at $35.95 a month and the number of channels at 77.

Analog customers also will need a new cable box to buy pay-per-view movies, although the box will be provided to analog customers at no charge.

Among other changes taking place for analog customers:

• Channel OC16 will become a 24-hour network featuring all locally originated content.

• Hallmark Channel will become a full-time channel.

Digital cable subscribers will still be charged $45.95 a month. Their major changes include introduction of the Free on Demand service, which lets viewers watch programs from among 15 networks, including CNN, Cartoon Network Oxygen and Tech TV.

Digital customers also will get an easier-to-use programming guide that will allow shows to be shown by type. Future upgrades of the "home page" will allow viewers to select the kinds of programs that are listed.

"By the beginning of next year, your television is going to be very different than it is now for digital customers," said Alan Pollock, vice president for marketing at Oceanic.