Durham, NH — November 14, 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 465,000 net video subscribers in 3Q 2023, compared to a pro forma net loss of about 385,000 in 3Q 2022.
The top pay-TV providers now account for about 71.5 million subscribers – with the top seven cable companies having about 34.9 million video subscribers, other traditional pay-TV services having 21.9 million subscribers, and the top Internet-delivered (vMVPD) pay-TV services having 14.7 million subscribers.
Key findings for the quarter include:
- Top cable providers had a net loss of about 1,015,000 video subscribers in 3Q 2023 – compared to a loss of about 985,000 subscribers in 3Q 2022
- Other traditional pay-TV services had a net loss of about 780,000 subscribers in 3Q 2023 – compared to a loss of about 700,000 subscribers in 3Q 2022
- Top vMVPDs added about 1,325,000 subscribers in 3Q 2023 – compared to a gain of about 1,300,000 subscribers in 3Q 2022
“Similar to recent years, pay-TV net losses in the third quarter were more modest than in the first two quarters of the year due to the strength of sports on Internet-delivered vMVPD services,” said Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst for Leichtman Research Group, Inc. “While traditional pay-TV services had a net loss of about 1.8 million subscribers in 3Q 2023, vMVPDs had over 1.3 million net additions in the quarter.”
| Pay-TV Providers | Subscribers at end of 3Q 2023 | Net Adds in 3Q 2023 |
| Cable Companies | ||
| Comcast | 14,495,000 | (490,000) |
| Charter | 14,379,000 | (327,000) |
| Altice | 2,326,500 | (79,400) |
| Breezeline | 288,881 | (8,071) |
| Cable One | 148,900 | (9,200) |
| Other major private companies* | 3,240,000 | (100,000) |
| Total Top Cable | 34,878,281 | (1,013,671) |
| Other Traditional Services | ||
| DIRECTV** | 11,850,000 | (500,000) |
| DISH TV (DBS) | 6,720,000 | (181,000) |
| Verizon Fios (Telco) | 3,076,000 | (79,000) |
| Frontier (Telco)^^ | 248,000 | (19,000) |
| Total Top Other Traditional | 21,894,000 | (779,000) |
| Internet-Delivered (vMVPD) | ||
| YouTube TV^ | 6,500,000 | 600,000 |
| Hulu + Live TV | 4,600,000 | 300,000 |
| Sling TV | 2,120,000 | 117,000 |
| Fubo | 1,477,000 | 310,000 |
| Total Top vMVPD | 14,697,000 | 1,327,000 |
| Total Top Providers | 71,469,281 | (465,671) |
* 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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