OXYGEN RANKS #1 AMONG CABLE OPERATORS IN NEWEST BETA STUDY
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Study Finds Oxygen is Number One among Cable Operators,
As the Network They Plan to Add by End of 2006
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NEW YORK, January 24, 2006 -- Oxygen, the only network owned and operated by women, is a favorite among cable operators, according to the 2005 Beta Research Cable Operator Carriage Study, released today. Asked three different ways, Oxygen consistently ranked number one as the network that cable operators are most interested in carrying and most likely to add to their analog or expanded basic lineup. These results come on the heels of Oxygen�s milestone carriage agreements with Comcast in December 2005, and Echostar Communications, in January 2006, which netted the network eight million new subscribers, making Oxygen available in 65 million cable homes.
The study released the following findings about Oxygen:
� Oxygen ranked number one, unaided, among all cable operators polled, as the network they plan to add to analog or expanded basic by end of 2006.
� Cable operators ranked Oxygen as the number one mid-sized network they�re very interested in carrying by end of 2006.
� Cable operators who plan to add one or more channels to basic or expanded basic also ranked Oxygen as the number one mid-sized network they�re very interested in carrying by end of 2006.
�As an independently owned and operated cable network, it is wonderful to have this kind of support from the operator side,� said Lisa Gersh, President and Chief Operating Officer, Oxygen Media. �We have grown our subscriber base by 20 percent in the past year by creating fresh, original programming for young women that makes Oxygen the most requested network in markets where we have yet to gain carriage.�
About Oxygen Media
Oxygen, the only cable network owned and operated by women, is currently available in 65 million homes. The network was launched in 2000 to fill a void in the television landscape -- creating a network targeted to younger women. Oxygen is rewriting the rulebook for women's television, with the most original programming of all the women's networks including Campus Ladies, Mo�Nique�s Fat Chance and Talk Sex with Sue Johanson. Geraldine Laybourne, the network's founder, Chairman and CEO, has led the company to be a strong advocate for women. Through programs like The Mentor's Walk, Oxygen's national program for bringing along the next generation, and "Who Cares About Girls," Oxygen's new documentary series -- Oxygen is creating The New Girls Network.
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