Durham, NH — August 15, 2014 — Leichtman Research Group, Inc. (LRG) found that the seventeen largest cable and telephone providers in the US — representing about 93% of the market — acquired nearly 385,000 net additional high-speed Internet subscribers in the second quarter of 2014. These top broadband providers now account for over 85.9 million subscribers — with top cable companies having nearly 50.7 million broadband subscribers, and top telephone companies having over 35.2 million subscribers.
Other broadband findings include:
- Overall, broadband additions in 2Q 2014 amounted to 130% of those in 2Q 2013
- The top cable companies accounted for 99% of the net broadband additions for the quarter versus the top telephone companies
- The top cable companies added about 380,000 subscribers, representing 128% of the net additions for the top cable companies in 2Q 2013
- For the top cable providers (not including overbuilder WOW), the number of broadband subscribers exceeded the number of cable TV subscribers for the first time ever — with about 49,915,000 broadband subscribers at the end of 2Q 2014, compared to about 49,910,000 cable TV subscribers
- The top telephone companies added about 2,000 broadband subscribers in 2Q 2014 — compared to a loss of about 2,000 in 2Q 2013
- AT&T and Verizon added 627,000 subscribers via U-verse and FiOS in 2Q 2014, while having a net loss of 636,000 DSL subscribers
- The top cable broadband providers have a 59% share of the market versus the top Telcos
“With the addition of more than 30 million broadband subscribers over the past decade, cable providers have clearly expanded well beyond their roots in cable TV service,” said Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst for Leichtman Research Group, Inc. “As of the end of 2Q 2014, the top cable providers now have more broadband subscribers than cable TV subscribers.”
| Broadband Internet | Subscribers at End of 2Q 2014 |
Net Adds in 2Q 2014 |
| Cable Companies | ||
| Comcast | 21,271,000 | 203,000 |
| Time Warner* | 11,965,000 | 86,000 |
| Charter | 4,850,000 | 62,000 |
| Cablevision | 2,779,000 | (9,000) |
| Suddenlink | 1,103,300 | 200 |
| Mediacom | 987,000 | 3,000 |
| WOW (WideOpenWest)** | 769,600 | 12,900 |
| Cable ONE | 482,725 | (1,443) |
| Other Major Private Cable Companies*** | 6,475,000 | 25,000 |
| Total Top Cable | 50,682,625 | 381,657 |
| Telephone Companies | ||
| AT&T | 16,448,000 | (55,000) |
| Verizon | 9,077,000 | 46,000 |
| CenturyLink | 6,055,000 | (2,000) |
| Frontier^ | 1,900,500 | 27,500 |
| Windstream | 1,153,800 | (16,600) |
| FairPoint | 333,421 | 1,883 |
| Cincinnati Bell | 270,300 | 300 |
| Total Top Telephone Companies | 35,238,021 | 2,083 |
| Total Broadband | 85,920,646 | 383,740 |
* Subscriber totals slightly adjusted from prior quarters
** Includes a minor system acquisition, net adds are not reported on a pro forma basis
*** Includes LRG estimates for Cox, and Bright House Networks
^ LRG estimate, does not include wireless subscribers
Company subscriber counts may not represent solely residential households
Totals reflect pro forma results from system sales and acquisitions
Top cable and telephone companies represent approximately 93% of all subscribers
About Leichtman Research Group, Inc.
Leichtman Research Group, Inc. (LRG) specializes in research and analysis on broadband, media and entertainment industries. LRG combines on-going surveys and analysis with years of hands-on industry experience to provide companies with a richer understanding of the potential impact and adoption of new products and services. For more information about LRG, please call (603) 397-5400 or visit www.LeichtmanResearch.com.
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