Durham, NH — August 12, 2022 — Leichtman Research Group, Inc. (LRG) found that the largest pay-TV providers in the U.S. – representing about 92% of the market – lost about 1,925,000 net video subscribers in 2Q 2022, compared to a pro forma net loss of 1,235,000 in 2Q 2021.
The top pay-TV providers now account for about 72.2 million subscribers – with the top seven cable companies having about 39.5 million video subscribers, other traditional pay-TV services having about 25.5 million subscribers, and the top publicly reporting Internet-delivered (vMVPD) pay-TV services having about 7.2 million subscribers.
Key findings for the quarter include:
- Top cable providers had a net loss of about 950,000 video subscribers in 2Q 2022 – compared to a loss of about 590,000 subscribers in 2Q 2021
- Other traditional pay-TV services had a net loss of about 710,000 subscribers in 2Q 2022 – compared to a loss of about 700,000 subscribers in 2Q 2021
- Top publicly reporting vMVPDs had a net loss of about 265,000 subscribers in 2Q 2022 – compared to a gain of about 55,000 subscribers in 2Q 2021
“The second quarter of 2022 marked the second consecutive quarter with over 1.9 million net pay-TV losses,” 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 5,425,000 subscribers, compared to a net loss of about 4,550,000 over the prior year.”
| Pay-TV Providers | Subscribers at end of 2Q 2022 | Net Adds in 2Q 2022 |
| Cable Companies | ||
| Comcast | 17,144,000 | (520,000) |
| Charter | 15,495,000 | (226,000) |
| Cox* | 3,230,000 | (80,000) |
| Altice | 2,574,200 | (84,500) |
| Mediacom* | 540,000 | (15,000) |
| Breezeline** | 332,312 | (6,709) |
| Cable One** | 221,000 | (17,000) |
| Total Top Cable | 39,536,512 | (949,209) |
| Other Traditional Services | ||
| DIRECTV^ | 13,900,000 | (400,000) |
| DISH TV (DBS) | 7,791,000 | (202,000) |
| Verizon Fios (Telco) | 3,479,000 | (87,000) |
| Frontier (Telco)* | 343,000 | (20,000) |
| Total Top Other Traditional | 25,513,000 | (709,000) |
| Internet-Delivered (vMVPD) | ||
| Hulu + Live TV | 4,000,000 | (100,000) |
| Sling TV | 2,197,000 | (55,000) |
| fuboTV | 946,735 | (109,510) |
| Total Top vMVPD^^ | 7,143,735 | (264,510) |
| Total Top Providers | 72,193,247 | (1,922,719) |
* LRG estimate
** LRG estimate of pro forma net adds
^ LRG estimate, includes DIRECTV, U-verse, and DIRECTV Stream
^^ List does not include YouTube TV or Philo, as neither regularly report results. YouTube noted in a blog post that the TV service had “5 million subscribers and trialers” at the end of June 2022.
Company subscriber counts may not solely represent residential households
Top pay-TV providers represent approximately 92% 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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