Pay TV Providers Lost a Net 113,000 Subscribers Last Quarter With all the quarterly earnings reports in, telecom analyst firm MoffettNathanson notes that the Pay TV industry lost about 113,000 subscribers on the quarter. Cable operators lost 687,000 subscribers in Q3, and while telcoTV and satellite providers added 574,000 subscribers, it couldn't prevent the industry from seeing a net loss -- attributed to the slow and small but steady growth of cord cutters.

quote: "Of course, the fact that pay-TV revenue is still rising smartly is part of the problem. We have always argued that cord-cutting is an economic phenomenon, not a technological one. ... Pay-TV revenue growth reflects rapid pay-TV pricing growth and that is precisely the problem. Rapidly rising prices are squeezing lower-income consumers out of the ecosystem." Moffett, who is a one-man quote: “We continue to see steady gains to at least 80% penetration, but at current run rates that’s only three years away, and it must be noted that broadband is now nearly saturated among middle and higher income cohorts,” Moffett explained, noting that both Time Warner Cable and Cablevision Systems both reported broadband customer losses in the third quarter. “By contrast, every major TelCo save AT&T and Windstream gained subscribers, and all but Windstream and CenturyLink saw significant YoY improvements." Not only is Moffett no longer bullish on cable at his new firm, he uncharacteristically did not use this week's news to pitch and promote cable metered billing -- something Moffett has Calling this the "worst 12 month stretch ever," analysts Craig Moffett and Michael Nathanson also point out that the industry still isn't helping its case by refusing to seriously address skyrocketing prices:Moffett, who is a one-man news quote machine for the telecom industry, has been much less bullish on cable in general since leaving Sanford Bernstein to start his own firm. His new firm has also noted that cable broadband growth is also running out of steam Not only is Moffett no longer bullish on cable at his new firm, he uncharacteristically did not use this week's news to pitch and promote cable metered billing -- something Moffett has been a fan of for years . Regardless, don't feel too bad for cable: broadband growth is more modest but still strong, and they stand to make huge inroads in numerous broadband markets as AT&T and Verizon back away from massive swaths of territory they aren't interested in upgrading, leaving cable with a much more potent monopoly in many areas.







News Jump California Defends Its Net Neutrality Law; AT&T's Traffic Up 20% Despite Data Traffic Actually Being Down; + more news Are The Comcast-Charter X1 Talks Dead In The Water?; AT&T May Offer Phone Plans With Ads For Discounts; + more news Europe's Top Court: Net Neutrality Rules Bar Zero Rating; ViacomCBS To Rebrand CBS All Access As Paramount+; + more news Verizon To Buy Reseller TracFone For $7B; 5G Not The Competitive Threat To Cable Many Thought It Would Be; + more news MS.Wants Records From AT&T On $300M Project; Google Fiber Outages In Austin, Houston, Other Texan Cities; + more news States With The Biggest Decreases In Speed; AT&T Hopes You'll Forget Its Fight Against Accurate Maps; + more news AT&T's CEO Has A Familiar $olution To US Broadband Woes; EarthLink Files Suit Against Charter; + more news 5G Doesn't Live Up To Hype, AT&T's 5G Slower Than Its 4G; Cord-Cutting Now In 37% of Broadband Households; + more news FCC Cited False Broadband Data Despite Warnings; ZTE, Huawei Replacement Cost Is $1.87B, But Only $1B Allocated; + more Cogeco Rejects Altice USA's Atlantic Broadband Bid; AT&T Is Astroturfing The FCC In Support Of Trump Attack; + more news ---------------------- this week last week most discussed view:

topics flat nest silbaco

Premium Member

join:2009-08-03

USA silbaco Premium Member Pay TV I don't doubt the number of pay TV customers is declining, but is this actually the real number, or is this simply the number they came up with by tracking the major providers? Every study I have read regarding cable cutting leaves out the smaller providers. That includes muni's, independent telcos/cable co's, utility companies deploying fiber, fiber overbuilders (including Google,) etc. Individually they are insignificant, but combined they could actually change these statistics dramatically. Hundreds of them are rolling out fiber services (node and home) to their customers, which often times includes selling TV services to previous cable/satellite customers. Most of these small providers are actually adding customers every quarter. elefante72

join:2010-12-03

East Amherst, NY elefante72 Member Re: Pay TV It also doesn't count the millions who would cut the cord if their provider didn't bundle the two play the way it does:



For instance when I renewed on FiOS:



1. 50/25 - $70

2. 50/25 + SelectHD -> $75 ($5 for CC)

3 50/25 + broadcast -> $88 ($5 for CC) (HUH!)



I mean for an extra $10 total you get hundreds of stations or if you just pick broadcast you pay $13 more than tier 1????



This all glazes over the lurking problem just ready to explode. It's all lipstick on a pig guys.

ITALIAN926

join:2003-08-16 ITALIAN926 Member Re: Pay TV Ready to explode? Lets exaggerate a little harder. 10 years from now there will still be like 80 million pay-tv subscribers in this country. Any cord cutting going on only represents a verrry slow transition to IPTV in which MSO's will simply raise internet prices. Think the consumer wins? Nope. Unless we're predicting that human beings will tear themselves off their couch and start reading books again.

newview

Ex .. Ex .. Exactly

Premium Member

join:2001-10-01

Parsonsburg, MD newview Premium Member It's actually worse than it appears I'm sure these numbers do not take into account the amount of people who are reducing services, dropping premium channels like HBO, Starz, etc. Or reducing tier levels, dropping the higher tier levels to lower priced ones, once they take a good, hard look at what the upper, more expensive tier offers in the way of extra channels ... and finding alternate means of viewing any desired channels on that upper tier.



Netflix looks awful good when you're paying $5-$6 for a higher tier of service that only offers 1 or 2 extra channels that you'd actually watch.

bionicRod

Funkier than a mohair disco ball.

Premium Member

join:2009-07-06

united state bionicRod Premium Member Re: It's actually worse than it appears said by newview: I'm sure these numbers do not take into account the amount of people who are reducing services, dropping premium channels like HBO, Starz, etc. On the other hand, HBO is the only reason some people (like me) still subscribe to cable at all. I can see everything else I want to see through Netflix, Hulu, or just online at the station's website. Give me a HBO streaming option and I'm gone (probably why they haven't done that yet).

rrm

@204.108.96.x rrm Anon I am happy! I am happy this is happening. I am tired of garbage shows. I had ESPN but i did not watch it ever. I used to watch a lot of tv from 96-02 and they had things to watch. USA, WGN, Discovery, Animal Planet and TLC were my faves. MTV had actual music, so did theBOX. Now they have shows like Cesar Milan crap, mob sh't, Big Ange and pretty faced cop shows that look like model shows. I have not paid for cable since 2006 and I would never do it. I jumped onto METV, PBS, ION TV, Antenna and a few others over the air. I do have cheap internet and stream some older shows on netflix but if they go metered billing I will cut that too.

buzz_4_20

join:2003-09-20

Biddeford, ME buzz_4_20 Member Double Edged Sword While I'm happy to see more of the masses catching on that the current prices of Pay TV are too high. I see the downside which will be rising prices on Broadband internet across the board.

carlnyc

@rr.com carlnyc Anon I was one of those I got tired of paying time warner cable of nyc compressed crappy picture quality. Every day of the week a lot of microblocking, glitches, and blur in every channel except the locals. They got switch digitarl tv and went all digital still they rather save all that bandwidth.

Transmaster

Don't Blame Me I Voted For Bill and Opus

join:2001-06-20

Cheyenne, WY Transmaster Member Re: I was one of those I getting real close. I like my Dish Network setup but with the stuff offered on my new LG smart TV, and the best $100 buck spent on a Apple TV. Even though the equipment to upgrade to HD service is free I have not upgraded and so far I can't convince myself to do it. I hardly watch anything on Dish. One of the things I notice is the difference between in picture quality of NFL games coming vis NFL channel in SD and the local stuff coming in, The local SD picture is horrible. textech

join:2009-01-11

Glasgow, KY textech Member How do you justify Cable these days? Really how do people justify Cable these days? Has the quality of uninterrupted TV viewing justified the cost increases or has the quality of programming decreased with increased interruptions (commercials)?



Say you have the time to actually sit down for 1 hour and watch TV. At whose mercy are you choosing the show you end up with? So you have 140 channels to choose from. Is the program you end up with one of compromise simply because of all that is being shown it beats total silence? Or, is it just the show you were hoping to find because this was your one hour to sit down for a program?



Having Cable is like being at the mercy of someone that doesnt even know what you like; giving you choices you really have little interest in. Watch what they happen to be showing at that time or watch nothing. That is their best presentation when you turn on a TV that just has Cable. I think that program presentation has progressed beyond such a methodology, but regrettably society as a whole has not. They are willing to compromise by paying out the big bucks for being told when and what to watch rather than having a measure of control over what they will view and when they will view it.



How much of your Cable TV viewing is interrupted by commercials? Rather than paying the Cable Company to show you a program you compromised on that is full of interrupted commercials that lower our total IQ level, Find an alternative that empowers you to a choice worthy of your hard earned money.



Corporations like Netflix are the best thing that has happened to the TV viewing sector of entertainment. They should be commended for providing affordable uninterrupted program viewing personalized to the viewer. The viewer actually chooses when and what. Much more personalized than cable today. Definitely the best bang for the buck.



As more folks migrate from restricted Cable viewing to companies like Netflix, the more choices that will become available as well. So, I applaud all who cut their Cable viewing ties with those offering the inferior choice.

Happydude32

Premium Member

join:2005-07-16 Happydude32 Premium Member Re: How do you justify Cable these days? quote: Really how do people justify Cable these days? With the 70+ TV shows I record on a regular basis and the 25+ hours worth of live sports I watch a week. quote: Has the quality of uninterrupted TV viewing justified the cost increases or has the quality of programming decreased with increased interruptions (commercials)? DVRs and the amount of excellent series on premium cable.



People on this site bitch, cry and whine how an hour long TV show is 43 minutes without commercials. A typical network shows is 22 or 23 episodes, a cable series is 12 or 13 episodes. If there were no commercials and a show was a full 60 minutes, there would just be a few less episodes per season, but the actual running time when it's all said and done would be about the same I'd guess. Hell, even most of the premium series I watch, the episodes all well short of an hour and there are no commercials. Sundays episode of Homeland on Showtime was 48 minutes and that included the recap of last weeks episode and opening theme. quote: So you have 140 channels to choose from. Is the program you end up with one of compromise simply because of all that is being shown it beats total silence? Or, is it just the show you were hoping to find because this was your one hour to sit down for a program? I watch TV to be entertained. If I'm channel surfing and discover a whole that holds my attention, or see a promo for a show that looks like something I would like, I set it to record. quote: Having Cable is like being at the mercy of someone that doesnt even know what you like; giving you choices you really have little interest in. Can't that be said for all things in life? Why should I listen to audio services like Pandora, or Sirius XM when I may *gasp* hear things I don't care for. Why should I go shopping for a new shirt when I will have to walk into a store being at their mercy not knowing if they'll have something I like? Why should I have to so to a store and have to looking a shirts I have little interest in just to find something I like?



I have over 300 channels and subscribe to most of the sports season packages, I can find a lot of good things to watch. quote: How much of your Cable TV viewing is interrupted by commercials? Rather than paying the Cable Company to show you a program you compromised on that is full of interrupted commercials that lower our total IQ level, Find an alternative that empowers you to a choice worthy of your hard earned money. It's a commercial, it's not that big of a deal, it's not the end of the world if you see a few minutes worth of advertising an hour. At least I can FFW through them unlike Hulu or whatever the stupid online service was that wouldn't let you skip commercials. quote: As more folks migrate from restricted Cable viewing to companies like Netflix, the more choices that will become available as well. How is some shitty service like Netflix, or Quickster or whatever identity crisis those idiots are having even a consideration? You get what you pay for, and you couldn't pay me enough to subscribe to Netflix, wasting my time to searching for shows or movies they don't have, or waiting forever for the content I want to see. No live sports, no current event programming. Netsux is the inferior one, with the stale outdated programming. Not to mention the lack of Dolby 5.1 audio on Netsux streaming. I'm not an audiophile and I don't expect 7.1 DTS MA on everything, but I didn't spend over $2,000 on a multichannel audio receiver and 7.1 speaker package to watch everything in downmixed matrixed Pro Logic. With the 70+ TV shows I record on a regular basis and the 25+ hours worth of live sports I watch a week.DVRs and the amount of excellent series on premium cable.People on this site bitch, cry and whine how an hour long TV show is 43 minutes without commercials. A typical network shows is 22 or 23 episodes, a cable series is 12 or 13 episodes. If there were no commercials and a show was a full 60 minutes, there would just be a few less episodes per season, but the actual running time when it's all said and done would be about the same I'd guess. Hell, even most of the premium series I watch, the episodes all well short of an hour and there are no commercials. Sundays episode of Homeland on Showtime was 48 minutes and that included the recap of last weeks episode and opening theme.I watch TV to be entertained. If I'm channel surfing and discover a whole that holds my attention, or see a promo for a show that looks like something I would like, I set it to record.Can't that be said for all things in life? Why should I listen to audio services like Pandora, or Sirius XM when I may *gasp* hear things I don't care for. Why should I go shopping for a new shirt when I will have to walk into a store being at their mercy not knowing if they'll have something I like? Why should I have to so to a store and have to looking a shirts I have little interest in just to find something I like?I have over 300 channels and subscribe to most of the sports season packages, I can find a lot of good things to watch.It's a commercial, it's not that big of a deal, it's not the end of the world if you see a few minutes worth of advertising an hour. At least I can FFW through them unlike Hulu or whatever the stupid online service was that wouldn't let you skip commercials.How is some shitty service like Netflix, or Quickster or whatever identity crisis those idiots are having even a consideration? You get what you pay for, and you couldn't pay me enough to subscribe to Netflix, wasting my time to searching for shows or movies they don't have, or waiting forever for the content I want to see. No live sports, no current event programming. Netsux is the inferior one, with the stale outdated programming. Not to mention the lack of Dolby 5.1 audio on Netsux streaming. I'm not an audiophile and I don't expect 7.1 DTS MA on everything, but I didn't spend over $2,000 on a multichannel audio receiver and 7.1 speaker package to watch everything in downmixed matrixed Pro Logic.

lordfly

join:2000-10-12

Homestead, FL lordfly Member Re: How do you justify Cable these days? Obviously you have money and lots of idle time. Maybe you are the guy that is sharing all of those torrent links so I can download episodes of recent shows that are missing from playon.tv and Netflix and Crackle.



I have two kids in school and a wife in college. We both work full time and have family and church to keep us busy. We maybe watch 15 hours max a week depending on what is going on. I am happy with what I have. It is time to get back to basics and go outside. Happydude32

Premium Member

join:2005-07-16 Happydude32 Premium Member Re: How do you justify Cable these days? No thanks. I have absolutely no desire to have a family. I get very little enjoyment out of being around people. No desire to do anything outside as there's nothing I like doing outside. Rather be in a climate controlled house playing with my electronic toys. I have a full time job that I really enjoy, after quitting a full time job that I absolutely hated, don't make a large sum of money, but enough to feed my addiction for all things that plug into a wall and fund my digital multimedia consumption. Between home and work I'm either staring at a computer screen, TV screen, phone or tablet a good 17 hours or so a day, and I wouldn't have it any other way. your moderator at work hidden : Personal attacks

54761437 (banned)

join:2013-01-18

Durham, NC 54761437 (banned) to Happydude32

Member to Happydude32

Re: How do you justify Cable these days? A disturbing soliloquy, indeed.

DeadSurvivor

Actor (Mill Creek Ent.)

Premium Member

join:2013-09-03

Tampa, FL ·Charter

4 edits DeadSurvivor Premium Member Pricing ... As Long As The Prices Keep Rising (And They Will), I Will Not Pay More For Fewer Quality Programs On The Airwaves. After My Current Bundle Deal Has Expired, I'll Likely Drop Television Service. I'll Only Keep It At The Same Price For Triple Play That I Currently Have Now. JBT

Premium Member

join:2002-12-06

Tucson, AZ JBT Premium Member Not quite cord cutting but scaled back.. I didn't cord cut, but I signed on a plan that is cheaper than the service alone...



Blast!+ (50/60mbps down and 10mbps up)and "digital economy + HBO" for $49 for 6 months and $59 after that. With that said I am paying $10 more a cable box, which I may get rid of soon.

I can't seem to price out internet only where it would actually be cheaper, and actually get the Blast! + speeds.

Move

@comcast.net Move Anon US Prices/Speed is a joke, and not a very funny one at that...



I lived and worked in China, Hong Kong, Japan, etc, and when I came back after a few years I was stunned to see that not only had prices nearly doubled, but speeds were roughly the same... I see Century Link is still peddling 1.5 mbit connections... wtf!? I can throw data faster than that - yes yes, I know that's for people that are far from a dslam, etc, blah blah blah, the reason they have to use such outdated speeds is because the telecoms refuse to update our ancient infrastructure.



The US has the slowest speeds for the most money, even countries like Poland and Hungary have faster internet for much MUCH less.



»www.bbc.co.uk/news/magaz ··· 24528383



As soon as the wife gets her overseas orders (Navy) I am getting the hell out of this ridiculous country for as long as possible. Go anywhere else in the world and you'll soon realize just how badly we are getting ripped off for our internet services (and cell phone service). Only in America could companies get away with this bologna. Look at Korea or Japan where they actually care about customer service - both have 75 to 100 Mbps connections for around 30 USD a month with no caps.I lived and worked in China, Hong Kong, Japan, etc, and when I came back after a few years I was stunned to see that not only had prices nearly doubled, but speeds were roughly the same... I see Century Link is still peddling 1.5 mbit connections... wtf!? I can throw data faster than that - yes yes, I know that's for people that are far from a dslam, etc, blah blah blah, the reason they have to use such outdated speeds is because the telecoms refuse to update our ancient infrastructure.The US has the slowest speeds for the most money, even countries like Poland and Hungary have faster internet for much MUCH less.As soon as the wife gets her overseas orders (Navy) I am getting the hell out of this ridiculous country for as long as possible.

DeadSurvivor

Actor (Mill Creek Ent.)

Premium Member

join:2013-09-03

Tampa, FL DeadSurvivor Premium Member CellPhone! I'll Likely Switch To Using A Cellphone Full-Time ... It All Depends On Pricing. Since Rates Have Been Lowered For Me Years Ago, I Doubt I'll Get The Rate Or A Better Rate. your comment..

