Business
COGECO Inc.: strong growth in cable sector, media sector headed in the right direction
COGECO Inc.: strong growth in cable sector, media sector headed in the right direction.
About this update from Cogeco Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"\n\n\n\n\nMONTREAL, April 10 /CNW Telbec/ - Today, COGECO Inc. (TSX: CGO.SV)\nannounced its financial results for the second quarter of fiscal 2006 ended\nFebruary 28.\n\nImproved results\n----------------\n\nCOGECO Inc. continues to improve its performance. The cable sector sales\nare up as a result of increased number of customers in all major service\ncategories. \"Our number of customers is increasing, thanks to our telephony\noffering that drives the demand for more products. Our customers like our\noffering, which is in line with their needs. In the media sector, results are\nencouraging. With our new reality show, Loft Story II, we are in a good\nposition to recapture market share and our radio operations continue to grow\nnicely\", said Mr. Audet, President and Chief Executive Officer of COGECO.\n\nSolid continued growth in the cable sector\n------------------------------------------\n\nCogeco Cable reported solid customer growth in all major services. \"The\nnumber of basic service customers improved from a net loss of 751 to a net\ngain of 3,505 if we compare the second quarters of 2005 and 2006. During the\nquarter, digital video and high-speed Internet (HSI) service customers grew by\nabout 24,500 and 17,500 customers respectively. Our digital telephony offering\nis creating a snowball effect with more customers choosing the bundled offer\nof two or three services. We are pleased to see more and more customers\nenjoying our services and we are committed to bring the products and levels of\nservice they deserve\", said Mr. Audet.\n\nImprovement in the media sector\n-------------------------------\n\nIn the media sector, radio continues to grow both audiences and\nadvertising revenue. As for television, Loft Story II delivered a very good\nperformance, driving up audience ratings for TQS. \"We are starting to see some\nresults from the increase in programming commitments of the past quarters\",\nconcluded Mr. Audet.\n\nAdjustment to our guidelines\n----------------------------\n\nGiven the strong demand for basic, digital video and HSI services during\nthe first six months and various service enhancements offered recently, COGECO\nhas revised its guidelines and that of the cable sector to reflect the\nimproved expectations of management\n\n>\n\n11. Comparative figures\n\nCertain comparative figures have been reclassifi...