Insight Communications

For the African advertising company, see Insight communications limited.

Insight Communications Company, Inc.

Type	Private
Industry	Telecommunications
Fate	Acquisition pending by Time Warner Cable
Founded	1985
Headquarters	New York City, New York, USA
Key people	Michael S. Willner Dinni Jain John Abbot Hamid Heidary Sidney R. Knafel
Products	Cablecasting, Broadband Internet, Phone
Revenue	$1.26 billion USD
Net income	Unknown
Owner(s)	The Carlyle Group
Employees	Unknown
Website	www.myinsight.com

Insight Communications is an American multiple system operator (MSO) that serves the states of Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio. Insight provides analog and digital video, broadband Internet, and voice telephone services.

Louisville Metro monopoly and political contributions

Insight has an exclusive deal with Louisville Metro Government to be the only provider of cable television service in the city. No other company is allowed to compete. Insight broke the terms of this exclusive arrangement by transferring ownership of itself without the approval of the city.^{[citation needed]}

Insight CEO Michael Willner contributed the maximum allowable amount to Republican Ernie Fletcher's campaign for Kentucky governor. Shortly after his election, Fletcher announced a restructuring of Kentucky tax laws that was to Insight's benefit so much so that Willner was quoted in the governor's press release: http://www.e-archives.ky.gov/_govfletcher/records/pressreleases(dec.03-june04)/JOBSTelecommunications.htm. Around the same time, another Insight executive Keith Hall (who also contributed the maximum legal amount to Fletcher's campaign) left the company and was appointed by Fletcher as Kentucky's chief of homeland security. Hall later left Kentucky government amid controversy and returned to work for Insight as a government lobbyist. Fletcher was denied a second term and was repeatedly investigated for questionable ethics and hiring practices. Insight has refused to run advertisements which criticize Republican Senator Mitch McConnell's catering to special interest groups. The Public Campaign Action Fund, a nonpartisan group with 150,000 members, reported that Insight rejected their ad and wouldn't accept their money, even though every other media outlet the ad was submitted to aired it. No surprise, since Insight executives have contributed nearly $20,000 to McConnell's campaigns.

Breakup of Insight Midwest partnership

On Monday, April 2, 2007, Insight and Comcast announced that they were unraveling Insight Midwest partnership, a group of cable systems that were managed by Insight under the Insight name, but with equal ownership shared between Comcast and Insight. In the split Comcast acquired as direct customers the Illinois subscribers and most of the Indiana subscribers. Insight gained complete ownership of cable systems in Kentucky, Evansville, Indiana and Columbus, Ohio. This transaction removed Insight from the Illinois market, as well as much of the Indiana market.

Acquisition by Time Warner Cable

On August 13, 2011, Time Warner Cable announced its purchase of Insight Communications for $3 billion; as a result, Time Warner Cable will acquire Insight's 700,000 subscribers nationwide. The sale will create cost efficiencies of approximately $100 million annually through savings on programming expenses and other cost reductions, with the bulk of the savings realized within two years of the close of sale. With Insight's 2011 conversion of its television services from analog to digital, Time Warner Cable expects Insight to have lower capital requirements of 10%-12% of revenues upon completion of the acquisition, which is subject to approval by the Federal Communications Commission and Insight franchisees. The acquisition, and full transfer of Insight subscribers to Time Warner is expected to be completed by the end of January 2012.

External links

• Insight website
• Insight Broadband website