U.S. multichannel video programming distributors had...
U.S. multichannel video programming distributors had their first full-year decline in subscriptions in 2013, said SNL Kagan in a press release Wednesday. “While seasonally driven quarterly declines have become routine for industry watchers, the annual dip illustrates longer-term downward pressure…
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even as economic conditions gradually improve,” it said. Pay-TV service providers shed 251,000 subscriptions in 2013, dropping to around 100 million combined subs, SNL Kagan said. MVPDs added 40,000 video subscriptions in Q4, but that wasn’t enough to offset “the broader downward momentum,” the release said. The decline was primarily fueled by cable losses, it said: Cable operators lost “nearly 2 million video subscriptions for the full year and 388,000 in the fourth quarter to finish 2013 with fewer than 54.4 million basic subs.” Satellite growth slowed in Q4 but Dish and DirecTV gained subscribers for the year, it said. DBS gained 101,000 subscribers in the fourth quarter, and “despite the loss of 162,000 subscribers in second quarter 2013,” the satellite industry ended the year with 34.3 million subscribers, it said. Verizon FiOS and AT&T U-verse reached 10.7 million subscribers in Q4, adding 286,000 subscribers, the release said. CenturyLink’s PrismTV gained 9,000 subscribers for a total of 175,000 for the year, and Consolidated Communications Holdings’ digital TV service “added 1,000 customers to end the year with 110,000,” it said.