Major U.S. Pay-TV Providers Lost 345,000 Subs in Q2

DURHAM: The 13 largest multi-channel video producers in the U.S., representing about 94 percent of the market, lost around 345,000 net additional video subscribers in the second quarter of 2013, according to new findings from Leichtman Research Group.

The top pay-TV providers account for 94.6 million subscribers; the top 9 cable companies have about 50.5 million subs, satellite TV companies have over 34 million and telephone companies have over 10 million.

The top nine cable companies lost about 555,000 subscribers in Q2, compared to the loss of 540,000 subs in Q2 2012. The top telephone providers added 373,000 video subscribers in the period, compared to 275,000 net additions in the prior year period. Satellite TV providers lost 162,000 subscriptions in Q2 2013, compared to Q2 2012’s loss of 62,000.

Over the past year, multi-channel video providers lost around 100,000 subscribers compared to a gain of about 380,000 over the prior year.

"The traditionally weak second quarter proved to be a down quarter for the multi-channel industry, but industry-wide losses were similar to recent second quarters," said Bruce Leichtman, the president and principal analyst for Leichtman Research Group, Inc. "The multi-channel video industry has leveled-off, with major providers losing about 0.1 percent of all subscribers over the past year."