The cord-cutting results are in. But there will be plenty of debate about what the data means.

U.S. pay-TV providers lost a net 357,000 subscribers in the third quarter, according to MoffettNathanson. That was more than double what they lost in the third quarter of 2014, but well down on a loss of 605,000 in the second quarter. Dish Network, which reported results Monday, was the final piece of the puzzle. The satellite provider had a net loss of 178,000 subscribers, excluding Sling TV. That was up slightly from its loss of...