Comcast Corporation (NDAQ:CMCSA) agreed to acquire cable-television provider Patriot Media for $482 million in a deal that would give Comcast cover in the central New Jersey area. The privately held company has 81,000 video subscribers in several NJ counties and the acquisition brings Comcasts total number of subscribers to around 24.2 million. Interestingly, the deal also comes only a day after Comcast and Insight Communications Co. announced plans to divide up Insight - a midsize cable operator that jointly serves about 1.3 million subscribers in the Midwest. That deal is valued at around $6.2 billion, including the assumption of debt. Earlier this year, there was also an attempt by the Dolan family to take Cablevision private at $30/share in a deal valued at around $8.9 billion; however, the company's board rejected the offer as being too low.

These recent moves indicate a further push towards cable industry consolidation as larger operators try to expand their customer base. Acquisitions make sense for these large operators since they are able to utilize economies of scale to lower costs and improve the profitability of smaller acquisitions. Moreover, there is constant competition for these networks to keep growing in order to remain competitive with their peers. And the M&A trend will only grow stronger as cable industry multiples remain near all-time lows.

So, what are some other cable names to look out for? Here's our shortlist of possible future deals in this industry:

• Cablevision Systems (CVC) - There was already an attempted takeover of this company, so we know it is an attractive target. Many analysts believe that this it the next big cable buyout, whether by private equity or a public merger.
  
• RCN Corporation (RCNI) - Shares have dropped almost 15% so far this year, if they head lower it could become a target.
• Knology (KNOL) - This is a strong company with a good presence in several southern US markets.

For other potential buyout targets, check out the Google Finance Broadcasting & Cable TV Sector Listing. While mega-deals like Cablevision may be a distant target, it is likely that we will continue to see at least some consolidation among smaller providers while multiples remain at low levels. These stocks are definitely worth keeping an eye on!