The 13 largest subscription video providers in the United States added 195,000 net additional video subscribers in the first quarter of 2013.
Quarterly net subscriber gains the first quarter of 2013 were down compared to a net gain of about 445,000 in the first quarter of 2012, and a net gain of 470,000 in the first quarter of 2011, according to Leichtman Research Group.
But the industry lost a net 80,000 subscribers over the past year, compared to a net gain of about 380,000 between 2011 and 2012.
That loss is the first ever for a year period, Leichtman Research says. To be fair, a loss of 80,000 subscribers on a base of 95 million is not yet a big deal. Subscriber growth has ended, it appears, but the amount of desertion is not yet significant.
The top nine cable companies still had more than 51 million subscribers, the two satellite TV companies had 34.2 million subscribers and the largest telephone companies had nearly 9.7 million subscribers.
The significant changes remain the shift of market share among the leading suppliers. The largest nine cable companies lost about 264,000 video subscribers in the first quarter of 2013, and about 1,560,000 over the past year, compared to a loss of about 1,535,000 subscribers in 2011.
The largest telephone providers added 401,000 video subscribers in the first quarter of 2013, and 1,319,000 year over year, compared to 1,475,000 net additions in the 2011 period.
Satellite TV providers added 57,000 subscribers in the first quarter of 2013, compared to 160,000 subscribers added year over year in 2012 and to a gain of 439,000 in the 2011 period.
Traditional video entertainment services seem to have peaked, but are far from a meaningful decline, however much observers are expecting to begin seeing such decline.
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Multi-channel Video Provider
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Subscribers at End of Q1 2013
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Net Adds in Q1 2013
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Net Adds in Past Year
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Cable Companies
|
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Comcast
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21,935,000
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(60,000)
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(359,000)
|
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Time Warner (News  - Alert)^
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12,100,000
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(118,000)
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(553,000)
|
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Charter
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4,124,000
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(34,000)
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(217,000)
|
|
Cablevision^
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3,191,000
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(6,000)
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(66,000)
|
|
Suddenlink
|
1,211,900
|
700
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(35,300)
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Mediacom
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999,000
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(1,000)
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(60,000)
|
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Cable ONE
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588,180
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(5,435)
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(34,159)
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Other Major Private Cable Companies*
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6,895,000
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(40,000)
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(235,000)
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Total Top Cable
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51,044,080
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(263,735)
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(1,559,459)
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Satellite TV Companies (DBS)
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DirecTV (News - Alert)
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20,105,000
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21,000
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139,000
|
|
Dish Network
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14,092,000
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36,000
|
21,000
|
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Total Top DBS
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34,197,000
|
57,000
|
160,000
|
|
Telephone Companies
|
|
Verizon (News - Alert) FiOS
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4,895,000
|
169,000
|
542,000
|
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AT&T (News - Alert) U-verse
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4,768,000
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232,000
|
777,000
|
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Total Top Phone
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9,663,000
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401,000
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1,319,000
|
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Total Multi-channel Video
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94,904,080
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194,265
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(80,459)
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Sources: The Companies and Leichtman Research Group, Inc.
* Includes LRG estimates for Cox (News - Alert) and Bright House Networks
^ Includes former Bresnan properties with sale pending to Charter
Edited by Alisen Downey
