The thirteen largest multi-channel video providers in the US, representing about 94% of the market, lost about 325,000 net additional video subscribers in Q2 2012.
Quarterly net multi-channel video losses in Q2 2012 were only about 1,500 more than in Q2 2011, according to the Leichtman Research Group.
The top multi-channel video providers account for nearly 94.7 million subscribers, with the top nine cable companies having about 52.1 million video subscribers, satellite TV companies having nearly 34 million subscribers, and top telephone companies having 8.6 million subscribers.
Other key findings include: the top nine cable companies lost about 540,000 video subscribers in Q2 2012 — compared to a loss of about 600,000 subscribers in Q2 2011.
The top telephone providers added 275,000 video subscribers in Q2 2012 — compared to 386,000 net additions in Q2 2011; IPTV services net adds in Q2 2012 were the fewest since Q3 2007.
Satellite TV providers lost 62,000 subscribers in Q2 2012; compared to a loss of 109,000 in Q2 2011.
DirecTV lost 52,000 subscribers in Q2 2012; this was DirecTV’s first quarterly subscriber loss ever.
“While reports of multi-channel video industry losses in the second quarter of 2012 have rekindled pronouncements of cord-cutting impacting the industry, the reality is that industry-wide losses in the traditionally weak quarter were nearly identical to losses in last year’s second quarter,” said Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst for Leichtman Research Group, in a statement.
“Over the past year, multi-channel video providers added about 375,000 subscribers, compared to a gain of about 210,000 over the prior year.”
