ainsoph
- 27 Jan 2003 10:45
I am a trader as well as an investor and hopefully this thread will reflect both aspects ....
We should start by saying this is a highly speculative share and the market takes no prisoners.
Over the last 18 months I made lots twice in the early days - then lost it back - bought a million at 2.6p average - founded the TAG - bought another half a million or so at sub 1p - sold most at average 4.25 - bought back at 2.2p and less - sold most at 3.5p and now buying back - overall a good net profit at this time.
I think the d4e will happen (say 90% chance) and the 3% currently talked about will give or should give a price equating to say 3/5p. Longer term on succcess of d4e and progress in the sales market the shares should move to around 10p - assumming markets are not in freefall.
I am looking to buy at any time and hoping for a war generated dip - when I do I will let you know.
The TAG site is a great place for catching up on the TWT news and I will post here as well.
Currently trading on TWT is light (1.7 million traded) and the price is down a littlw with a wide spread (2.01/2.35p). This is a sets share and you must expect a crtain amount of manipulation in these troubled times - FTSE down over 4% intraday
I have a core holding of at least half a million shares and intend to be a long term investor at this time.
ainsoph
http://www.investoraction.co.uk - currently we have 804 registered members holding around 100 million shares in total
shagnasty
- 02 May 2003 08:01
- 269 of 396
Paulismyname
This is the John bloke I mentioned, is he still involved in TAG?is TAG still extant?
johnmp - 01 Aug'02 - 20:48
We the shareholders need to form an Action Group to counter Bondholders, otherwise the games over for us the present shareholders.---------
------------------
ent. TWT shareholders what do you have to loose, we will loose 80 to 95% if we do nothing.
ainsoph
- 02 May 2003 10:21
- 270 of 396
Telewest refinancing on course as losses grow
By Lachlan Johnston (Filed: 02/05/2003) Telegraph
The refinancing of debt-stricken cable TV group Telewest has "no major obstacles left", managing director Charles Burdick said yesterday, despite it posting an expanded 186m net loss for the first quarter.
The loss again stemmed from the heavy interest burden on Telewest's 5.3 billion debt, which dwarfed an impressive cost-cutting effort during the quarter. However, Mr Burdick insisted that the refinancing, which will see the debt turned into a 97pc equity stake in the business, was close to being finalised.
"I think it is fair to say that I'm highly confident about the refinancing, but I am not going to give a timetable, because I have done that before and missed it," Mr Burdick said.
Excluding the protracted debt negotiations, Telewest enjoyed a rosier quarter, posting earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation of 105m, a 15pc rise on the first quarter last year. A 90pc slashing of capital expenditure, to just 65m, drove the improved earnings, as revenues remained flat at 335m over the quarter.
The results slightly exceeded the forecasts of analysts still covering the stock, though Telewest's share price nudged forward just 0.2p to 2.35p. The cost-cutting helped Telewest post its first quarter of positive cashflow, collecting 7m more in receipts than it paid out.
Mr Burdick, however, warned that the positive cashflow would not last, with the group slipping back into the red in the second and third quarters as IT and marketing spending was lifted. Revenues and customer numbers at its flagship cable TV and telephone business fell 7pc during the quarter, as Telewest raised its price for the service.
The brightest spot remained its broadband internet business, Blueyonder, which increased revenues 69pc, though still suffered a worrying increase in churn - the rate at which customers leave the service - to 12.8pc. The broadband business has now experienced rises in churn for five consecutive quarters.
Mr Burdick also played down speculation that Telewest would soon merge with its UK cable TV counterpart NTL, saying he had not spoken to executives there "in recent times".
ainsoph
- 02 May 2003 10:29
- 271 of 396
We have ticked up a little again .... volumes back to normal. Generally the press was positive and clearly the D4E will go ahead ..... one day
ains
Telewest and BSkyB in fee deal
John Cassy
Friday May 2, 2003
The Guardian
Cable operator Telewest yesterday claimed to have reached a new agreement with BSkyB over the rate at which it can sell the satellite operator's premium
sports and movie channels.
The office of fair trading is examining the proposal and could give approval within the next month, Telewest managing director Charles Burdick said.
"It's a win-win deal for both sides. It contains the necessary incentives for us to market Sky's channels and will be valuable to them."
Only 300,000 of Telewest's 1.3m cable television customers take Sky Sports or Sky movie channels but the deal will allow them to be sold at a discount and the cable firm to make a healthy profit.
Mr Burdick said the extra demand generated would lift the average amount spent each month by a Telewest customer from 42 to 47.
Regulators had warned BSkyB that it "abused its dominant position" in setting prices paid by other pay-television operators for its premium channels but backtracked following a lengthy investigation.
According to results released yesterday, Telewest lost 20,000 television and 13,000 telephony customers in the three months to March 31 as the effect of the group's ongoing financial restructuring weighed on its ability to hold on to subscribers. Broadband internet customer numbers rose to 310,000.
The group is attempting to eradicate 3.5bn of its 5.3bn debt by handing control of 97% of the company to lenders, but it will not comment on the likely completion date of a deal that could drag on until late summer.
Lower spending on cable investment and interest payments, aligned with job cuts, enabled Telewest to generate positive cash flow for the first time.
Pre-exceptional core earnings climbed 15% to 105m, while turnover was flat at 335m. Net losses increased by 13% to 187m.
ainsoph
- 02 May 2003 10:32
- 272 of 396
Must admit I cut out the movie channels as we still had to go to blockbusters to get the latest films and at 20 a month or so extra - it wasn't worth the money ..... might change my mind at a somewhat lower rate.
ains
snappy
- 02 May 2003 10:38
- 273 of 396
I cut out the digital tv service at an extra couple of quid a month when they pushed the price up because I felt it wasn't worth paying for a couple of channels that I didn't watch anyway.
Still have the broadband and telephone service but the crafty buggers at telewest are now charging for local cable to cable offpeak calls which used to be one of the usp's of the service.
ainsoph
- 02 May 2003 10:45
- 274 of 396
I got an extra 20/30 channels for the upgrade to digital and not over concerned at the 2 cost albeit we do not not use interactive very often.
Personally I think their telephone service is relatively expensive unless you do their all-in monthly deal but clearly it helps the bottom line at TWT
ains
shagnasty
- 02 May 2003 11:04
- 275 of 396
Very negative expressed views in todays Torygraph on TWT, no mention of TAG either strangely enough, wonder where they went to?
LOL!!!!!!
ainsoph
- 02 May 2003 11:17
- 276 of 396
The Telegraph article was posted above - early this morning ollie and doesn't seem especially negative. I wonder why you are wondering where TAG went to?
ains
shagnasty
- 02 May 2003 11:42
- 277 of 396
Not especially negative?, must be reading a different edition
"losses grow---posting an expanded net 186m loss for the first quarter----
positive cash flow will not last------slipping back into the red in the second/ third quarter---- worrying increase in churn for 5 consecutive quarters----"
and finally playing down speculation on a merger, that helped the share price.
Sounds like a catalogue of negativety to me.
Why should I not enquire of TAG?, I am a holder of TWT and a subsciber to TAG.
shagnasty
- 02 May 2003 11:44
- 278 of 396
ps Kay
TWT share price moribund,in the Doldrums even!!
shagnasty
- 02 May 2003 11:47
- 279 of 396
pps er thats down -2%, negative enough?
LOL!!!!
shagnasty
- 02 May 2003 13:21
- 280 of 396
Negative comment appears to have worked through to the shares, a little boxing for position by the mm`s shows a tiny rise on the mid- price.
Sells approx.6m buys 1m, very negative.
Mr Ashley James
- 05 May 2003 21:10
- 281 of 396
Ainsoph,
Went long Telewest TWT on Friday @ 2.38p on Wave 3 break of 2.35p res liked MACD Zero break

Cheers
Ash
ainsoph
- 06 May 2003 07:56
- 282 of 396
Morning Ashley
good to see you aboard. The D4E situations always take longer than people anticipate but everything points to them going ahead with the minimum 3% previosly talked about.
The BB off is perceived as the best currently available in the UK and they continue to take market share in an expanding market. Telephones are expensive unless you take the monthly all-in tariff but the new deal with Sky on the film channels gives TWT the opportunity for more flexibility.
Not been looking at the longer term charts recently - but you have jogged my memory and note they are above all my indicators including the triangular MA I use. Volumes have been higher than usual since the results and statement.
ains
ainsoph
- 09 May 2003 07:45
- 283 of 396
I can confirm how irritating this is getting :-( ...... fortunately I have other back up ISP's.
ains
Telewest email hit by spam attack - again
By Tim Richardson
Posted: 08/05/2003 at 11:00 GMT
Telewest has been hit by yet another spam attack leading to delays in its email service.
The attack happened at around 8.00am (BST) this morning and means punters could have to wait up to two hours to receive their email.
According to Telewest, the attack isn't as bad as one a week or so ago which led to the cableco's customers being without email for a couple of days.
It seems action taken then to install new kit helped take some of the sting out of the latest spam onslaught.
In a statement, Chad Raube, director of internet services at Telewest Broadband, said: "Our blueyonder customers may be experiencing a delay, of up to two hours, in receiving their emails at the moment. We experienced a spam attack this morning that generated a backlog of emails on our servers.
"It follows hot on the heels of a relatively major spam attack, last week, and hardware we implemented to help tackle that incident has helped us proactively manage the situation this morning."
The service is expected to be back on its feet again later today.
UPDATE: Since posting the story a number of readers have told us that some of their email is taking up to five hours to get through. A spokesman for Telewest confirmed this saying that delays up to five hours were only affecting a small proportion of punters. The average delay in getting email is between one and two hours, we been told.
ainsoph
- 09 May 2003 10:31
- 284 of 396
By Tim Richardson
Posted: 08/05/2003 at 16:06 GMT
Some 10,000 households in the South East are without their Telewest TV, phone and Internet services today after workmen severed two major cables
The incident happened at around 1pm BST this afternoon.
A spokesperson for Telewest Broadband said: "Contractors carrying out road works in the Tilbury area have caused significant damage to two of our major fibre optic cables. An engineer crew was sent to the site immediately and they are in the process of carrying out emergency repairs.
The outage has hit up to 10,000 households in Tilbury, Gillingham, Maidstone and Basildon.
The cableco is working to reinstate services in the area as quickly as possible.
It's been a bad day for Telewest. Earlier today it got hammered by a spam attack that led to long delays in punters receiving email.
ainsoph
- 09 May 2003 16:57
- 285 of 396
10 million buy @ 227 as we closed
Balldrick
- 09 May 2003 17:19
- 286 of 396
Ais,
there was an 8M buy before that as well.
ainsoph
- 09 May 2003 17:26
- 287 of 396
yes - just noted that but ME is showing three trades around that time. Thinkingnow - it might be a rollover or short close
Balldrick
- 09 May 2003 17:28
- 288 of 396
Why would a short close after hours ?. Can they not just close their position during normal hours.
Also,
If this is a short closing does this mean there might be some good news on the way ?.