The top five pay TV operators added a net total of at least 252,000 video subscribers in the fourth quarter, suggesting again that the cord-cutting trend is having a relatively small impact on the industry
DIRECTV and AT&T, which have the most video subscribers in the nation with more than 25 million, led the way in the fourth quarter with a net gain of at least 173,000.
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That total includes subscribers who signed up for DIRECTV Now’s live streaming service, which AT&T says had at least 200,000 paying customers at the end of the year.
Comcast was second among the top five pay TV ops with a net addition of 81,000 video subscribers in the fourth quarter.
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Dish, which counts live streamer Sling TV in its sub totals, was third with a net gain of 28,000 while Verizon was fourth, adding 21,000 video subscribers during the time period.
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Only Charter lost video subscribers in the fourth quarter with a net decline of 51,000. The second largest cable operator attributed the losses to a continued weakness in markets formerly operated by Time Warner Cable. (Charter merged with TWC last year.)
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The pay TV operators have been able to add video subscribers through better customer service, less expensive channel packages (known as Skinny TV), and,in the case of Dish and AT&T, new live streaming services.
— Phillip Swann
