Exhibit 5.1

                 [Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP Letterhead]


                                 April 29, 2005

Insight Communications Company, Inc.
810 Seventh Avenue
New York, New York 10019

     Re:  REGISTRATION STATEMENT ON FORM S-8

Ladies and Gentlemen:

     In our  capacity  as counsel to Insight  Communications  Company,  Inc.,  a
Delaware corporation (the "Company"),  we have been asked to render this opinion
in  connection  with a  registration  statement  on Form S-8 (the  "Registration
Statement")  being filed  contemporaneously  herewith  by the  Company  with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") under the Securities Act of 1933,
as amended (the "Securities  Act"),  covering  1,000,000 shares of common stock,
par value $.01 per share, of the Company (the "Shares"). The Shares are issuable
in accordance  with the terms of the Company's  1999 Equity  Incentive Plan (the
"Plan").

     In  connection  with  rendering  this  opinion,  we have  examined  and are
familiar with the Company's Restated Certificate of Incorporation, the Company's
By-Laws,  the Plan, the  Registration  Statement,  corporate  proceedings of the
Company relating to the Plan and such other instruments and documents as we have
deemed relevant under the circumstances.

     In making the aforesaid  examinations,  we have assumed the  genuineness of
all signatures and the conformity to original  documents of all copies furnished
to us as original or photostatic copies. We have also assumed that the corporate
records  furnished to us by the Company include all corporate  proceedings taken
by the Company to date.

     Based upon the foregoing and subject to the assumptions and  qualifications
set forth  herein,  we are of the  opinion  that the  Shares  have been duly and
validly authorized and, when issued and paid for in accordance with the terms of
the Plan, will be duly and validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.

     The  foregoing  opinion  is  limited  to the laws of the  United  States of
America  and  Delaware  corporate  law  (which  includes  the  Delaware  General
Corporation Law and applicable provisions of the Delaware constitution,  as well
as  reported  judicial  decisions  interpreting  same) and does not  purport  to
express any opinion on the laws of any other jurisdiction.

     We  hereby  consent  to  the  use  of  our  opinion  as an  exhibit  to the
Registration  Statement.  In giving such consent, we do not hereby admit that we
come within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of
the Securities Act or the rules and regulations of the SEC thereunder.

                                       Very truly yours,

                                       SONNENSCHEIN NATH & ROSENTHAL LLP


                                       By:  /s/ Ira Roxland
                                           -------------------------------------
                                                 A Member of the Firm