Cable Show 2012 Draws 12,000 to Boston, Down From 2011

Beantown attendance dips about 8% from Chicago show

By Kent Gibbons, Multichannel News -- Broadcasting & Cable, 5/23/2012 4:05:42 PM

Complete Coverage: Cable Show 2012

Cable Show 2012, the National Cable & Telecommunications Association's three-day convention that wrapped up Wednesday, drew about 12,000 attendees, the NCTA said.

Last year's gathering in Chicago drew 13,000 attendees and the one in 2010 in Los Angeles drew 13,300, the trade association said after those conventions wrapped.

This year's attendee count at the Boston Convention & Exposition Center works out to be about 8% below the reported figure from last year.

But the 2012 head count would be on par with the then-reported 12,100 in New Orleans for the 2008 convention and 12,100 or more in Washington, D.C., in 2009, according to Multichannel News reports.

In a note to clients Wednesday afternoon, Canaccord Genuity analyst Thomas Eagan said that while "some would describe the mood at the 2012 Cable Show as subdued, we see no reason for the industry to feel anything but upbeat. Risks that have plagued recent shows, such as OTT (over-the-top) and regulation, have largely dissipated."

Eagan observed that Federal Communications Commission chairman Julius Genachowski at the show "essentially endorsed usage-based pricing," considered a positive for cable operators.

Next year's convention is scheduled for June 10-12 in Washington, D.C., a NCTA representative said.