The fall in US pay-TV subscribers has begin to slow, according to the informitv Multiscreen Index.
It says the top ten services in the United States recorded a total net loss of 128,400 subscribers over the quarter. Four of the top 10 services reported a net increase in subscribers.
Not for the first time the greatest gains came from Verizon. It added 42,000 FiOS customers, though fellow telco AT&T lost 92,000 U verse television subscribers. DirecTCV, now a part of AT&T, added 26,000 subscribers on the quarter. However, a change in its methodology meant it has 633,ooo fewer customers than it did in the previous year.
Comcast shed 48,000 television customers, which is its lowest loss in the third quarter for a decade, while Time Warner Cable lost 7,000, compared to a loss of 184,000 in the same quarter the previous year.
“The latest numbers suggest that television service providers in the United States are stemming subscriber losses,” says Dr William Cooper, the editor of the informitv Multiscreen Index. “The percentage change in subscriber numbers remains relatively small. The reality is that the top four cable or satellite providers still have over 66 million television customers between them.
“At 25.42 million television customers, the combination of DIRECTV and AT&T now exceeds the 22.26 million subscribers of Comcast,” adds informitv analyst Dr Sue Farrell. “The mature American market is further consolidating, with Altice planning to take control of Cablevision and Suddenlink.”
With some quarterly results still to be reported, the Multiscreen Index of 100 leading services worldwide once again indicates an overall gain in subscribers, particularly in emerging markets.
