The very divergent paths taken by the broadband and pay-TV industries in the US over the course of the third quarter of 2022 have been revealed starkly by Leichtman Research Group (LRG) with the former showing 825,000 net customer additions while the latter lost about 785,000.
The analyst found that the gains made by the largest cable and wireline phone providers and fixed wireless services in the US, representing about 96% of the market, made almost the same number of acquisitions in Q3 2022 as they did a year ago. The top broadband providers now account for about 110.8 million subscribers, with top cable companies having about 75.6 million broadband subscribers, top wireline phone companies having over 32 million subscribers, and top fixed wireless services having about 3.2 million subscribers.
The leading cable companies added about 40,000 subscribers in Q3 2022, compared with about 590,000 net adds in Q3 2021, while the top wireline phone companies lost about 135,000 total broadband subscribers in Q3 2022, versus about 40,000 net adds in Q3 2021. Wireline Telcos had about 550,000 net adds via fibre in Q3 2022, and about 685,000 non-fibre net losses. Fixed wireless/5G home Internet services from T-Mobile and Verizon added about 920,000 subscribers in Q3 2022. This figure was about 190,000 net adds in Q3 2021.
Yet the cord-cutting fuelled gloom continued in the pay-TV sector where the haemorrhaging of subs carried on. The net video subscriber losses of 785,000 in Q3 2022, compared with 650,000 in Q3 2021. The top pay-TV providers now account for about 71.4 million subscribers – with the top seven cable companies having about 38.6 million video subscribers, other traditional pay-TV services having about 24.8 million subscribers, and the top publicly reporting Internet-delivered (vMVPD) pay-TV services having over 8 million subscribers.
Leading cable providers reported a net loss of about 980,000 video subscribers in Q3 2022, compared with a loss of about 700,000 subscribers in Q3 2021.Other traditional pay-TV services had a net loss of about 700,000 subscribers in Q3 2022, about 70,000 more a year ago. Top publicly reporting vMVPDs added about 900,000 subscribers in Q3 2022, 220,000 up on a year ago.
“Spurred by a strong quarter from Internet-delivered vMVPD services, pay-TV net losses of about 785,000 in 3Q 2022 were more modest than in the first two quarters of the year,” said Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst for Leichtman Research Group, Inc. “Not including YouTube TV, which does not regularly report subscriber totals, vMVPDs had nearly 900,000 net additions in the quarter. This was the third most quarterly net adds ever for the top publicly reporting vMVPD services.”
The leading cable companies added about 40,000 subscribers in Q3 2022, compared with about 590,000 net adds in Q3 2021, while the top wireline phone companies lost about 135,000 total broadband subscribers in Q3 2022, versus about 40,000 net adds in Q3 2021. Wireline Telcos had about 550,000 net adds via fibre in Q3 2022, and about 685,000 non-fibre net losses. Fixed wireless/5G home Internet services from T-Mobile and Verizon added about 920,000 subscribers in Q3 2022. This figure was about 190,000 net adds in Q3 2021.
Yet the cord-cutting fuelled gloom continued in the pay-TV sector where the haemorrhaging of subs carried on. The net video subscriber losses of 785,000 in Q3 2022, compared with 650,000 in Q3 2021. The top pay-TV providers now account for about 71.4 million subscribers – with the top seven cable companies having about 38.6 million video subscribers, other traditional pay-TV services having about 24.8 million subscribers, and the top publicly reporting Internet-delivered (vMVPD) pay-TV services having over 8 million subscribers.
Leading cable providers reported a net loss of about 980,000 video subscribers in Q3 2022, compared with a loss of about 700,000 subscribers in Q3 2021.Other traditional pay-TV services had a net loss of about 700,000 subscribers in Q3 2022, about 70,000 more a year ago. Top publicly reporting vMVPDs added about 900,000 subscribers in Q3 2022, 220,000 up on a year ago.
“Spurred by a strong quarter from Internet-delivered vMVPD services, pay-TV net losses of about 785,000 in 3Q 2022 were more modest than in the first two quarters of the year,” said Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst for Leichtman Research Group, Inc. “Not including YouTube TV, which does not regularly report subscriber totals, vMVPDs had nearly 900,000 net additions in the quarter. This was the third most quarterly net adds ever for the top publicly reporting vMVPD services.”
