So, the only new detail might be how much this is accelerating - net loss in Q1
of 1.325 M compared with 305,000 last year. Even vMVPDs showed loss, it says.
Yet, people watch plenty of TV. NBC is right to consider ad-supported TV, IMO,
even if they seem to have forgotten how they have already been doing so for
years and years, with a scheme that's better than what they proposed yesterday.
FOTA and FOTI have been showing gains, as reported in other articles and, for
some odd reason, not repeated in articles like this one. Also ad-free pay-OTT
sites have been showing gains. It's not like anything is mysterious about this.
In the Internet era, things are progressing pretty much as one should expect.
Bert
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https://www.tvtechnology.com/news/leitchman-pay-tv-bloodletting-continues
Leitchman: Pay-TV Bloodletting Continues
Largest pay-TV providers lost about 1.325 million subscribers in Q1 2019.
Michael Balderston 12 hours ago
DURHAM, N.H.-More specifics are coming out about how pay-TV fared in the first
quarter of 2019, and they aren't positive. Leitchman Research Group released
its own report that found the largest pay-TV providers in the U.S., which make
up about 95% of the market, had a net loss of 1.325 million video subscribers
in Q1 2019; last year's numbers over the same period resulted in a pro forma
net loss of 305,000 subscribers.
In total, the top pay-TV providers now have about 87.8 million subscribers.
Broken down, that gives the top six cable companies 46.7 million subscribers;
satellite TV services 28.3 million; top telephone companies 8.9 million; and
the top vMVPD pay-TV services 3.9 million.
All services suffered a net loss of subscribers during the measured time
period. Satellite TV services took the biggest hit, losing 810,000 subscribers
in the first quarter; up from a loss of 375,000 in Q1 last year. The top six
cable companies lost about 50,000 more subscribers this year (285,000 in Q1
2018, 335,000 in Q1 2019). Telephone providers' losses more than doubled from
50,000 last year to 105,000 in the recent period. The measured vMVPD services,
which include the likes of SlingTV and DirecTV Now, went from a net gain of
405,000 during the first quarter of 2018 to a loss of 75,000 subscribers.
No company took a bigger hit than AT&T according to Leitchman's research.
Across its three pay-TV services (DirecTV, AT&T U-Verse and DirecTV Now) there
was a net loss of 625,000 subscribers; last year saw a net gain of 125,000.
Overall, AT&T accounted for 47% of the net losses for all pay-TV providers.
Leitchman President and Principal Analyst Bruce Leitchman noted that Q1 2019
marked the third straight quarter of record pay-TV net losses. He also said
that the downturn coincides with pay-TV providers' decision to focus on
long-term profitability when acquiring and retaining subscribers.
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