Skip to main content

Cable and satellite companies lost nearly half a million subscribers in Q2

netflix vs porn hotel room entertainment person watching tv
baranqv / Shutterstock.com

Cord-cutters continued to make a dent in cable TV subscribers in the second quarter of 2015. Tracking the top 20 providers, which account for 95 percent of the market, a new report from Strategy Analytics on pay TV reported subscriber losses of a whopping 479,000 in the U.S. between April and June. The report claimed that the subscribers declined at “the highest rate we have seen so far.”

Canada saw a similarly proportionate drop-off of 53,000 subscribers from traditional TV services. In addition, Digital TV subscriptions from Internet Protocol TV services (IPTV) also fell 62,000 in the US and 9,000 in Canada in the second quarter.

The news comes on the heels of the first ever net drop in US pay TV subscribers in 2015’s first three months of the year. The losses have helped create a massive sell-off on Wallstreet as stocks for big media conglomerates like Disney, Time Warner, and others have all been in a nose dive over the last week or so.

That said, while it looks like this will be a continuing trend as more TV consumers switch to streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Instant Video, analysts still see some promising signs in the pay TV sector. The report notes that the 10s of millions of pay TV customers who remain are paying more, on average, for those services. DirecTV, Charter, Dish Network, and Time Warner Cable all saw multiple percentage point increases in their average revenue per user (APU).

In addition, Strategy Analytics notes that — regardless of the decreases in both pay TV and digital TV subscriptions — upcoming over-the-top video services from Verizon, Comcast, CenturyLink (and, possibly, AT&T after its DirecTV acquisition) will offset some of those subscriber losses.

That being said, cord-cutting isn’t something for cable providers to take lightly. “There is clear and convincing evidence that consumers are increasingly cutting the cord or shaving the cord,” wrote BITG Research analyst Rich Greenfield, according to Variety. “In turn, some of the executive commentary makes you wonder how disconnected from reality they are.”

Editors' Recommendations

Chris Leo Palermino
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Chris Leo Palermino is a music, tech, business, and culture journalist based between New York and Boston. He also contributes…
One of our favorite 75-inch 4K TVs is 34% off at Amazon
Hisense U8G 4K ULED HDR TV

Is it time to upgrade your TV? If you're planning to get a massive display for your living room, look no further than the 75-inch Hisense U8 Series ULED 4K TV. From its original price of $1,950, it's down to $1,290 from Amazon following a 34% discount. It's still not cheap by any means, but if you want nothing but the best for your home entertainment needs, this is the kind of purchase from TV deals that you should be willing to make. We're not sure how much time is remaining before the $660 in savings disappears though, so you better hurry with the transaction if you're interested in this 4K TV.

Why you should buy the 75-inch Hisense U8 Series ULED 4K TV
Hisense is one of the best TV brands, and it uses its mini-LED QLED technology, which it calls ULED, in its premium models like the Hisense U8 Series ULED 4K TV -- one of our best TVs. You'll be enjoying excellent contrast and vivid colors, for image quality that challenges those from the best models of Samsung, Sony, and LG. The 4KT V also supports Dolby Vision IQ and Dolby Atmos, which combine to create a truly cinematic experience in the comfort of your own living room while you're watching streaming shows through the Google TV platform.

Read more
Ends tonight: Save $400 on the 50-inch Samsung Frame TV
Samsung's 65-inch Class 'The Frame' QLED 4K Smart TV displaying a famous oil painting.

If you want a unique TV to place in your living room or anywhere else around your home, you should check out Samsung's The Frame QLED 4K TV. It's a top-performance screen, a conversation starter, and as of right now, the 50-inch model is $400 off from Best Buy for a lowered price of $900 from $1,300. This opportunity at savings ends tonight though, so if you're interested in taking advantage of one of the most interesting TV deals we've recently seen, there's no time to waste -- add it to your cart and check out as soon as you can.

Why you should buy the 50-inch Samsung The Frame QLED 4K TV
Samsung, one of the best TV brands, knocks it out of the park in terms of performance and design with The Frame QLED 4K TV. It features the most advanced display technology that's found in the best TVs, including 4K Ultra HD resolution that promises sharp and lifelike details, Quantum HDR that delivers an even wider range of color and contrast, and Samsung's Tizen platform that enables access to all of the popular streaming services. It's also a QLED TV, which offers higher brightness, a longer life span, no risk of screen burn-in, and a lower cost on a price-per-inch of screen size basis compared to OLED TVs, according to our QLED versus OLED comparison.

Read more
This 65-inch Samsung OLED TV is $500 off for a limited time
The Samsung S90C in a living room environment.

Best Buy has one of the better TV deals currently around if you're looking for a high-end OLED TV for less. Over at the popular retailer, you can buy the Samsung 65-inch S90C OLED TV for $1,600 thereby saving $500 off the usual price of $2,100. This is a well-sized TV for most living rooms while also packing all the essential features you need to enjoy a great visual experience while you game or watch a movie. If you're tempted but not entirely sure, read on while we take you through what the TV offers.

Why you should buy the Samsung 65-inch S90C OLED TV
Samsung is one of the best TV brands you can buy from at the moment with its S90C OLED TV a particular highlight. As the name suggests, you get OLED technology which is a great starting point for any high-end TV. It means you get a panel with self-lit pixels so that each pixel can be illuminated independently of each other. That ensures you can enjoy deep blacks and vibrant colors all on one scene without any quality being compromised. HDR OLED goes one step further by analyzing each scene so you get richer and more accurate colors than regular OLED. The TV is also Pantone validated so that you get colors looking just how they should.

Read more