Durham, NH — November 17, 2021 — Leichtman Research Group, Inc. (LRG) found that the largest cable and wireline phone providers in the U.S. – representing about 96% of the market – acquired about 630,000 net additional broadband Internet subscribers in 3Q 2021, compared to a pro forma gain of about 1,525,000 subscribers in 3Q 2020, about 615,000 in 3Q 2019, and about 600,000 in 3Q 2018.
These top broadband providers now account for about 107.9 million subscribers, with top cable companies having about 75.2 million broadband subscribers, and top wireline phone companies having about 32.7 million subscribers.
Findings for the quarter include:
- Overall, broadband additions in 3Q 2021 were 41% of those in 3Q 2020
- The top cable companies added about 590,000 subscribers in 3Q 2021 – 45% of the net additions for the top cable companies in 3Q 2020
- The top wireline phone companies added about 40,000 total broadband subscribers in 3Q 2021 – compared to about 200,000 net adds in 3Q 2020
- Telcos had about 475,000 net adds via fiber in 3Q 2021, and about 435,000 non-fiber net losses
“Broadband additions returned to pre-pandemic levels in the third quarter of 2021,” said Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst for Leichtman Research Group, Inc. “The top broadband providers added significantly fewer subscribers than in last year’s third quarter, but had a similar number of net adds as in 3Q 2019 and 3Q 2018.”
| Broadband Providers | Subscribers at end of 3Q 2021 | Net Adds in 3Q 2021 |
| Cable Companies | ||
| Comcast | 31,688,000 | 300,000 |
| Charter | 29,899,000 | 265,000 |
| Cox* | 5,510,000 | 25,000 |
| Altice | 4,388,100 | (13,200) |
| Mediacom | 1,466,000 | (2,000) |
| Cable One | 1,030,000 | 13,000 |
| Atlantic Broadband^ | 717,000 | 3,000 |
| WOW (WideOpenWest)^ | 509,500 | 1,600 |
| Total Top Cable | 75,207,600 | 592,400 |
| Wireline Phone Companies | ||
| AT&T | 15,510,000 | 29,000 |
| Verizon^^ | 7,337,000 | 74,000 |
| CenturyLink/Lumen | 4,589,000 | (77,000) |
| Frontier | 2,789,000 | (9,000) |
| Windstream | 1,147,000 | 15,200 |
| TDS | 522,800 | 9,200 |
| Cincinnati Bell* | 439,000 | 1,200 |
| Consolidated | 390,661 | (2,819) |
| Total Top Telco | 32,724,461 | 39,781 |
| Total Top Broadband | 107,932,061 | 632,181 |
* LRG estimate
^ Includes recent sale of properties from WOW to Atlantic Broadband and pro forma estimates
^^ Does not include 55,000 fixed wireless net adds, bringing the total to about 150,000 subscribers
TDS includes about 306,500 wireline broadband subscribers, and about 216,300 cable broadband subscribers
Company subscriber counts may not solely represent residential households – about 6% of the total are non-residential
Top cable and wireline phone companies represent approximately 96% of all subscribers
Net additions reflect pro forma results from system sales and acquisitions, reporting adjustments, and the addition of new providers to the list – therefore, comparing totals in this release to prior releases will not produce accurate findings
About Leichtman Research Group, Inc.
Leichtman Research Group, Inc. (LRG) specializes in research and analysis on broadband, media and entertainment industries. LRG combines ongoing consumer surveys with industry tracking and analysis, to provide companies with a richer understanding of current market conditions, and 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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