Then came the cable franchise, which gave Wharf the right to become the territory's sole cable provider for three years.

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Standing in the wings is Edward (Ted) Rogers, who has assembled Canada's largest wireless and cable franchise and is looking to acquire content.

FORBES: Split screen

Standing in the wings is Edward (Ted) Rogers, who has assembled Canada's largest wireless and cable franchise and is now looking to acquire content.

FORBES: Split Screen

Wharf Cable's franchise as Hong Kong's exclusive cable provider ends in June.

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Though the Galaxy have a ways to climb on the pitch in 2012 to reach their championship level of play from a season ago, their recent deals with Herbalife and Time Warner Cable should financially fortify the franchise for the next decade.

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Thanks to the Internet, the cable industry has a new growth franchise, as it upgrades its networks for interactivity.

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And the cable operators aren t required to get local phone franchise agreements themselves.

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After all, they argue, the cable companies had to win the approval of 33, 000 franchise boards in order to peddle their wares.

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If Cablevision officials could speak candidly, they might express some sympathy for their soon-to-be competitors--the cable industry went through the same process 20 and 30 years ago, when it first secured franchise agreements, offering towns incentives like community access channels in return for the right to pipe TV into their homes.

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Moreover, their entertainment offerings which include cable, the production and distribution of news, sports and other content, in addition to the NBC Universal franchise which include theme parks offer numerous avenues for potential growth.

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