Earnings Preview: Cablevision To Report 3Q Results

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Cablevision Systems Corp., the diversified cable TV operator serving the New York metro area, is scheduled to report third-quarter earnings before the market opens on Tuesday. The following is a summary of key developments and analyst opinion related to the period.

OVERVIEW: The third quarter is the slowest quarter seasonally for Cablevision, whose Long Island and New Jersey shore customers leave at the end of summer. While the economy is improving, analysts want to see whether competition from Verizon Communications Inc.'s FiOS could be a drag.

Also, Cablevision is set to report whether ad revenue has rebounded at its Newsday daily.

BY THE NUMBERS: Analysts, on average, expect Cablevision's revenue to increase by 4.4 percent to $1.82 billion. They expect earnings per share to nearly triple to 26 cents, according to a survey by Thomson Reuters.

ANALYST TAKE: Thomas Eagan of Collins Stewart expects Cablevision to lose 20,000 basic subscribers, but add 12,000 digital cable customers and 12,000 high-speed Internet clients. As for voice, Eagan sees Cablevision adding 40,000 customers.