Pay TV takes its first net subscriber hit, with Dish Network leading the pack

By Steve Smith May 12, 2015

cable tv

For the first time ever, the US pay-TV business sector dropped a net number of subscribers in the first three months of a year, during Q1 of 2015.

Cord cutters are finally getting the kind of traction they have been looking for since online video became available. The pay-TV business is shrinking at a 0.5 percent annual rate, with a net loss of 31,000 customers in Q1, according to MoffettNathanson analyst Craig Moffett. That means more people than ever are finding their TV and other entertainment on streaming sites such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Instant Video, YouTube and others. “Cord-cutting has finally accelerated,” Moffett wrote in a research note Monday. “It’s not too early to get worried.”

This decline comes after more than one million households decided to cancel their cable or satellite service, as well as new households that didn’t bother signing up at all. The first quarter of the fiscal year is usually a strong one for pay-TV operators, but occupied net household adds were down 407,000, according to the US Census Bureau.

Dish Network was hit the hardest, dropping 134,000 satellite-TV subs. The company blamed the blackout of Fox News Channel Dish blacks out channels again; this time it’s Fox, which it allowed back in January after an initial uproar. Dish CEO Charlie Egen said on a call with analysts that pay-TV peaked years ago, “…but it’s not declining as fast as I thought it would.” Dish launched its Web TV service Sling TV in February, aimed directly at cord cutters, but the company didn’t say how many customers signed up for the package.

Comcast shed 8,000 video subscribers, while Time Warner actually gained a net of 33,000. DirectTV, Verizon FiOS and AT&T U-verse all added subscriptions as well, so it’s not likely that the fall of pay-TV is happening any time soon.

However, the trend may be a forecast of things to come in an industry that is evolving at a rapid pace. With new choices popping up from a multitude of sources, the transition to online video has, for now at least, seemed to put consumers in the drivers seat.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Steve doesn’t really like to write about himself in the third person. He’s not The Rock. He is, however, a writer who has…

Audio / Video

Last day to get a $1,100 discount on the 65-inch LG C2 OLED TV

55 inch lg um7300 uhd 4k tv b9 oled c9 amazon discounts 2 4 768x768

It's your last day to avail one of the best OLED TV deals we've seen in a while. The 65-inch LG C2 OLED TV is over $1,400 off, bringing the price from $2,500 all the way down to $1,395. The catch is that this is a refurbished model on Woot! Many people don't appreciate what a refurbished TV can get them. Trust Woot! when they say this LG C2 has been completely restored to a like-new state. Grab this one before it's completely gone.

Why you should buy the 65-inch LG evo C2 Series OLED TV
There are a lot of different TV technologies to choose from out there, with QLED and OLED regarded as the cream of the crop. OLED technology is able to produce one of the best images you’ll find in a television by allowing each pixel in the screen to turn on and off independently. This creates perfect blacks, rich colors, and infinite contrast, all of which bring your content to life across more than eight million pixels. The LG evo C2 combines this amazing picture quality with other tech like the a9 AI Processor, which was engineered exclusively for LG OLED and automatically adjusts settings to improve picture and sound qualities based on what you’re watching.

Audio / Video

Walmart has a 75-inch TV for under $550, but you’ll need to be quick

hisense 65 inch roku smart tv deal walmart april 2023 r6 4k

One of the cheapest 75-inch 4K TVs just got even cheaper. The 75-inch Hisense R6 4K TV is normally just $598, a great value for such a large screen, but Walmart's TV deals have brought it down to $538. It will be tough to find anything cheaper without dipping into refurbished TVs. Grab this one before Walmart takes away the discount or the TV sells out.

Why you should buy the 75-inch Hisense R6 Series 4K TV
The 75-inch Hisense R6 Series 4K TV is relatively affordable compared with other options at the same size, but it still comes with some of the most important features that you can find among the best TVs. The large display offers 4K Ultra HD resolution for sharp details, as well as High Dynamic Range for an impressive boost in colors and contrast. The 4K TV will also make it easier to follow fast-paced action scenes with the help of Motion Rate 120 technology, while DTS Studio Sound makes audio more immersive.

Audio / Video

Crazy deal gets you Beats Studio Buds earbuds for under $100

beats studio buds cyber monday deal 2021 black friday

One of the more popular headphone deals today is over at Woot. You can buy the ever-popular Beats Studio Buds for $98 instead of $150 working out at $52 or 35% off the regular price. Ideal for anyone that wants AirPod style performance with the good looks that come from Beats, this deal is only available for today or until stock sells out. If you're interested, you'll need to be quick to buy them. You do have enough time to quickly see what else we have to say about them though. Here's an overview.

Why you should buy the Beats Studio Buds
At launch, we described the Beats Studio Buds as AirPods Pro Lite. While they lack finer details like wireless charging and wear sensors, they're well-priced offering excellent sound quality and ANC. The buds provide two distinct listening modes -- Active Noise Cancelling and Transparency -- so you can take in as much of the world as you desire at any time. Industry-leading Class 1 Bluetooth provides an extended range and fewer dropouts than other earbuds while you also get a great audio experience.