Satellite, Telco Services Gaining U.S. Market Share

MONTEREY: The number of cable-TV subscribers in the U.S. fell last year, according to SNL Kagan, while the number of satellite and telco customers increased.

SNL Kagan, in partnership with MediaBiz, reports that the overall multichannel video market expanded from 97 million video subscribers at year-end 2008 to 99.9 million as of year-end 2009. The number of cable subs fell from 62.6 million to 62.1 million, while satellite-TV customers rose from 31.3 million to 32.7 million. Telco showed the biggest gains, with video subscribers growing 65 percent, from 3.1 million to 5.1 million.

Cable leads in the top-ten markets in the U.S., with its highest share being in Boston (74.9 percent). Satellite TV has its highest market share in Atlanta (43.4 percent.) Telco’s biggest share is in Dallas-Ft. Worth (14.1 percent).