Cablevision Expands Its Local TV Content Play with MSG Varsity

While most of the TV industry has been obsessing over the implications of Comcast and NBC Universal pairing up, there's another, much quieter content play going on at Cablevision: the launch of MSG Varsity, which the cable operator launched recently to focus solely on local high school sports. On the surface, it probably doesn't look like a ploy to combat the barrage of come-ons consumers get from Verizon, but don't be fooled. That's exactly what it is.

While most of us are accustomed to the wars between cable operators and phone companies being played out over technology, Cablevision has been battling on the content front for some time, too. It floods its subscribers with TV commercials on its systems touting News 12, its localized news channels serving markets such as New York's Westchester County, and Long Island. The slogan? "Only on cable. Not on phone-company TV ... or anywhere else." As you can see from the MSG Varsity logo, it makes a similar claim that it is available "Only on Optimum", Cablevision's consumer brand.

Even as Verizon promotes the virtues of its FiOS service -- which includes TV, Internet and phone -- that's a technology play. It's all about speed; Verizon can't tout content as a differentiator. By adding MSG Varsity to its offerings, Cablevision gives consumers another reason not to make the switch -- because who, really, would want to miss their son's TV interview when he's just come off the soccer field? (MSG Varsity will also cover other high school activities.) Interestingly, the station -- and accompanying Web site -- won't carry any advertising, so think of MSG Varsity as a marketing expense, just not one that expresses itself in TV commercials and direct-mail efforts.