Cablevision Deal Juices Mediacom

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Cablevision's(CVC) winning bid for Bresnan sends shares of small cable shops like Mediacom(MCCC) soaring.

Cablevision's $1.36 billion deal for Western cable specialist Bresnan translates to a whopping $4,266 per subscriber.

In an effort to appease peeved shareholders, the Bethpage, N.Y. cable shop said Monday that it plans to launch a $500 million share buyback.

Investors eyeing the Cablevision/Bresnan deal have taken a new look at Mediacom. Mediacom's board is currently evaluating a $6 per share offer from its CEO Rocco Commisso, who already holds 40% of the outstanding shares -- and 81% of the voting power for the company.

Given the value Cablevision bestowed on Bresnan, Commisso's $6 per share bid appears cheap. Wall Street seems to think so also. Mediacom shares have risen 11% since Commisso's June 1 take-private buyout offer. Mediacom shares rose to $7.01 in early trading Monday.

Per subscriber valuations are nothing more than rough calculations, but this one is a little rough on Commisso's offer. The $6 a share take private bid values Mediacom at $3,325 per sub.

With a new level of cable valuation, courtesy of Cablevision, investors see some upside in Mediacom.

--Written by Scott Moritz in New York.

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