Advanced Television

US: Pay-TV sheds 1.9m subs in Q1

May 20, 2021

Findings from analyst firm Leichtman Research Group suggest that the largest pay-TV providers in the US – representing about 95 per cent of the market – lost about 1,895,000 net video subscribers in Q1 2021, compared to a pro forma net loss of about 1,955,000 in Q1 2020.

The top pay-TV providers now account for about 78.7 million subscribers – with the top seven cable companies having 43.1 million video subscribers, other traditional pay-TV services having about 28.9 million subscribers, and the top publicly reporting Internet-delivered (vMVPD) pay-TV services having about 6.7 million subscribers.

Key findings for the quarter include:

  • Top cable providers had a net loss of about 775,000 video subscribers in Q1 2021 – compared to a loss of about 595,000 subscribers in Q1 2020
    • Net cable losses in Q1 2021 were more than in any previous quarter
  • Other traditional pay-TV services had a net loss of about 865,000 subscribers in Q1 2021 – compared to a loss of 1,150,000 subscribers in Q1 2020
    • AT&T Premium TV had 620,000 net losses in Q1 2021 – compared to 897,000 net losses in Q1 2020
  • Top publicly reporting vMVPDs had a net loss of about 255,000 subscribers in Q1 2021 – compared to a loss of about 210,000 subscribers in Q1 2020

“Pay-TV net losses of about 1.9 million in Q1 2021 were similar to the net losses in Q1 2020,” said Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst for Leichtman Research Group. “Over the past year, top pay-TV providers had a net loss of about 4,790,000 subscribers, compared to a loss of about 5,125,000 over the prior year.”

 

Categories: Articles, Broadband, Broadcast, Cable, DTH/Satellite, IPTV, OTT, OTT, Pay TV

Tags: , ,