AT&T announced today that its DIRECTV and U-verse TV services combined for a net loss of 897,000 subscribers in the first quarter. The company’s streaming service, AT&T TV Now, also lost 138.000 subscribers, bringing the company’s total TV losses to more than one million in the quarter.
This was the first insight into how the Coronavirus crisis is affecting the pay TV business. AT&T is the first owner of a major pay TV service to report its first quarter results.
The company today noted the impact the virus has had on the economy, and warned that more troubling numbers could be forthcoming in future quarters.
“The economic effects of the pandemic and resulting societal changes are currently not predictable,” AT&T said today.
However, despite the obvious impact of the Coronavirus outbreak, AT&T has struggled for years to attract and maintain subscribers for all three TV services. DIRECTV and U-verse have now combined to lose roughly seven million subscribers since AT&T bought DIRECTV in 2015. (The two services lost 945,000 subs in the 2019 fourth quarter, long before the Coronavirus outbreak was an issue. Note: AT&T does not separate the sub numbers for DIRECTV and U-verse, choosing instead to combine them in its reporting.)
And AT&T TV Now, which had nearly two million subscribers less than two years ago, is now below 800,000.
AT&T has yet to offer a satisfactory solution to the escalating defections, and it recently stopped taking orders for U-verse, the TV service it has owned for almost 14 years. (The company continues to provide service for existing customers.)
DIRECTV is also likely to see more subscriber losses in the coming months due to the Coronavirus crisis, cord-cutting, and a growing concern among the satcaster’s customers that AT&T plans to phase out the business.
AT&T has introduced a new streaming service called AT&T TV, which is designed to replace DIRECTV at some point. But it’s unclear now whether AT&T TV is generating interest among consumers.
Need to buy something today? Please buy it using this Amazon.com link. This site receives a small portion of each purchase, which helps us continue to provide these articles.
Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvpredictions.com. Please include your first name and hometown in your message.
— Phillip Swann
AT&T just needs to sell. Very few losses are cord cutters. They are mostly angry at AT&T for ruining the gold standard.
Stefan is RIGHT ON.
AT&T will NEVER make it with the OVERSEAS Call Centers.
DirecTV “”WAS”” the GOLD STANDARD before AT&T DESTROYED IT.
Someone needs to step UP and BUY DirecTV before it is GONE.
Overseas call centers are the reason I left DTV. You can’t understand them, and in addition, they don’t follow through on what they say, if you are able to understand the broken English. They say sure we will fix it and they hang up and nothing happens. Worst customer service I have ever had on anything.
TY. The overseas calls centers are 100% of my frustration. I want to yell at them but these poor folks are trying to make a living. Not they’re fault. Randall Stephenson should be fired immediately.
I bet if AT&T automatically gave everyone a “Coronavirus Discount” of $50 to $70 that the article “Is DIRECTV Giving a Coronavirus Discount?” on April 17, 2020 story by the TV Answer Man they would slow down their subscriber losses.
When you call customer service, to avoid the overseas call center, choose the option or say “I WANT TO CANCEL MY DIRECTV SERVICE”. This will route your call to the Van Nuys, CA call center.