TWC Plans NY1 Rebrand

MSO has not decided on final name, which will apply to local news channels in all markets

By MCN Staff -- Broadcasting & Cable, 3/18/2013 10:50:54 AM

Time Warner Cable wants to change the name of its 20-year-old NY1 news channel in the Big Apple to clearly signal that it's available only to cable subscribers.

The operator has not settled on a new name and said the rebranding process will take nearly a year, the New York Daily News reported. The move partly is driven Verizon FiOS's incursion into New York City; the telco has launched FiOS1 news channels Long Island and New Jersey but has not yet launched one for NYC.

"Our news outlets have grown tremendously in recent years. As any entity grows and becomes more sophisticated, its brand evolves," a TWC spokeswoman said in a statement. "Our research shows that people who watch our stations, such as NY1, are loyal viewers, yet most people don't understand their connection to Time Warner Cable."

According to the Daily News, the operator is considering "TWC News" among the news names. The domain name TWCNews.com currently is registered to a company in South Korea, although TimeWarnerCableNews.com belongs to the MSO.

The operator plans to extend the new brand to its 17 other local news channels, which it renamed YNN (Your News Now) in 2010.

NY1, which debuted Sept. 8, 1992, is available on Time Warner Cable throughout the five boroughs of New York City and in parts of Westchester and Hudson Valley, N.Y., as well as Bergen and Hudson counties in New Jersey. NY1 News also available to Cablevision subs in Brooklyn and the Bronx, as well as TWC subs in Rochester, Syracuse, Binghamton and Albany, N.Y. In all, NY1 is available to 2.1 million cable customers.