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Article: TMC starts new effort to reverse slide. (The Movie Channel)
- Article from:
- Multichannel News
- Article date:
- May 12, 1997
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. (US). This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Showtime Networks Inc. faces a formidable challenge in its efforts to rejuvenate The Movie Channel with a new rebranding campaign in a brutally competitive premium-channel marketplace where channel space still remains scarce, according to cable operators.
The emergence of Starz! and Encore as aggressive competitors in the premium arena, combined with the muscular marketing prowess (and budget) of Home Box Office and Cinemax, as well as pressure from new basic channels offering operators cash for scarce channel slots, has put TMC in a vulnerable position, operators said.
Indeed, cable subscribers to TMC fell from 3.2 million in 1995 to 3.15 million last year, ...