Major Pay TV Providers Lost 1.325M Customers in Q1: Leichtman

The 11 top U.S. pay TV operators, accounting for around 95% of the market, shed a record 1.325 million subscribers in the first quarter, according to Leichtman Research Group (LRG).

The research company reported losses of just 305,000 for the same group of companies in the first quarter of 2018.

The survey includes mostly publicly traded telecom companies. But privately held Cox Communications is estimated to have lost 35,000 video users in the quarter.

Related: Cord-Cutting Got 75% Worse In Q1

AT&T, meanwhile, had a net loss of 625,000 users across its three platforms, DirecTV satellite, AT&T U-verse and DirecTV Now. In the first quarter of last year, AT&T reported a gain of 125,000 users, largely on the growth of DirecTV Now.

In cable, Comcast (down 120,000 customers) and Charter Communications (lost 145,000) let a group that had no gainers. Losses in cable totaled 335,000 users vs. 285,000 in the first quarter of 2018.

The first quarter, said Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst for LRG, “was the third consecutive quarter of record pay-TV net losses. This accelerated downturn in the pay-TV market coincided with the decisions by AT&T and other providers to increasingly focus on long-term profitability when acquiring and retaining subscribers.”

Daniel Frankel

Daniel Frankel is the managing editor of Next TV, an internet publishing vertical focused on the business of video streaming. A Los Angeles-based writer and editor who has covered the media and technology industries for more than two decades, Daniel has worked on staff for publications including E! Online, Electronic Media, Mediaweek, Variety, paidContent and GigaOm. You can start living a healthier life with greater wealth and prosperity by following Daniel on Twitter today!