Cox hawks $49 monthly triple-play with Showtime

Cox Communications is targeting holiday shoppers with a steep discount for its triple-play, offering new subscribers in California a $49 monthly package of digital video, high-speed Internet access and landline phone service for three months.

Showtime Networks is teaming up with Cox on the promotion, giving subscribers three free months of access to movies and original series on its premium network.

Cox touted the offer on Twitter Wednesday. The promotion is available to subscribers on its systems in Orange County and Palos Verdes, Calif. The steep discount could help Cox compete against DirecTV (Nasdaq: DTV), Dish Network (Nasdaq: DISH), AT&T's (NYSE: T) U-verse TV and other cable overbuilders that it competes with in California.

While $49 for a triple-play package may seem inexpensive, Cox notes in the fine print of the offer that the offer doesn't include equipment rental fees such as the $5.50 monthly charge to lease a digital set-top or the $7.50 fee for a high-definition set-top or a digital video recorder. After three months, Cox says the triple-play fees will increase to regular pricing, which is currently $56.98 monthly.

Cox spokesman Todd Smith said that Cox has similar offers in other markets, and that all of its systems are pitching holiday promotions to subscribers. 

For more:

- see the Cox promotion

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