Durham, NH — August 15, 2023 — Leichtman Research Group, Inc. (LRG) found that the largest pay-TV providers in the U.S. – representing about 96% of the market – lost about 1,730,000 net video subscribers in 2Q 2023, compared to a pro forma net loss of about 1,725,000 in 2Q 2022.
The top pay-TV providers now account for about 71.9 million subscribers – with the top seven cable companies having 35.9 million video subscribers, other traditional pay-TV services having about 22.7 million subscribers, and the top Internet-delivered (vMVPD) pay-TV services having about 13.4 million subscribers.
Key findings for the quarter include:
- Top cable providers had a net loss of about 925,000 video subscribers in 2Q 2023 – compared to a loss of about 950,000 subscribers in 2Q 2022
- Other traditional pay-TV services had a net loss of about 690,000 subscribers in 2Q 2023 – compared to a loss of about 710,000 subscribers in 2Q 2022
- Top vMVPDs (including an estimate for YouTube TV) had a net loss of about 115,000 subscribers in 2Q 2023 – compared to a loss of about 65,000 subscribers in 2Q 2022
“Pay-TV net losses of about 1.73 million in 2Q 2023 were similar to the losses in last year’s second quarter,” said Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst for Leichtman Research Group, Inc. “Over the past year, top pay-TV providers had a net loss of about 5,360,000 subscribers, compared to a net loss of about 4,235,000 over the prior year.”
| Pay-TV Providers | Subscribers at end of 2Q 2023 | Net Adds in 2Q 2023 |
| Cable Companies | ||
| Comcast | 14,985,000 | (543,000) |
| Charter | 14,706,000 | (200,000) |
| Altice | 2,405,900 | (69,900) |
| Breezeline | 296,952 | (3,732) |
| Cable One | 158,100 | (8,900) |
| Other major private companies* | 3,340,000 | (100,000) |
| Total Top Cable | 35,891,952 | (925,532) |
| Other Traditional Services | ||
| DIRECTV** | 12,350,000 | (400,000) |
| DISH TV (DBS) | 6,901,000 | (197,000) |
| Verizon Fios (Telco) | 3,155,000 | (70,000) |
| Frontier (Telco)^^ | 267,000 | (21,000) |
| Total Top Other Traditional | 22,673,000 | (688,000) |
| Internet-Delivered (vMVPD) | ||
| YouTube TV^ | 5,900,000 | 200,000 |
| Hulu + Live TV | 4,300,000 | (100,000) |
| Sling TV | 2,003,000 | (97,000) |
| Fubo | 1,167,000 | (118,000) |
| Total Top vMVPD | 13,370,000 | (115,000) |
| Total Top Providers | 71,934,952 | (1,728,532) |
* Includes LRG estimates for Cox and Mediacom
** LRG estimate, includes DIRECTV, U-verse, and DIRECTV Stream
^ LRG estimate
^^ Includes LRG estimate for non-residential subscribers
Company subscriber counts may not solely represent residential households
Top pay-TV providers represent approximately 96% of all subscribers
Net additions reflect pro forma results from system sales and acquisitions, reporting adjustments, and changes to the list of top providers – 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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