The subscriber erosion that has characterised US cable over successive quarters is beginning to slow.
Kagan said losses to cable, telco and satellite video services slowed from the year-ago period to 1.5 million and should be read alongside improvements to six-monthly and 12-monthly periods from 2012.
The market research group’s latest report found continued “sluggish” virtual multichannel growth hampered progress in maintaining the number of subscriptions to the traditional bundles.
The virtual multichannel segment is represented by Sling TV, PlayStation Vue, YouTube TV, Hulu With Live TV and AT&T Now, who provide a mix of broadcast and streaming services. The segment gained 2.7 million subscribers in the 12 months ended June 30, 2021.
Satellite multichannel recorded its smallest quarterly net losses since the second quarter of 2018, but Kagan says the segment remains on a “seemingly inexorable downward trajectory”, ending the period with an estimated 20.5 million subscribers, down 39% from its first-quarter 2014 peak.
Telco video subs slumped to 7.3 million, driven by the estimated 7.5% sequential decline in AT&T U-verse subscribers.
