Traditional television, especially pay television, continues to face subscriber losses in the United States. In the second quarter of 2023, a decrease of 1.73 million was recorded, compared to approximately 1.72 million in the same period of 2022, according to Leichtman Research Group.
The proliferation of streaming platforms is one of the main causes of this trend, along with other factors such as the limited supply of channels and changes in viewing habits, which now focus more on mobile devices.
Cable companies are experiencing this impact, losing 925,000 video subscribers in the second quarter of 2023, compared to a reduction of about 950,000 in the same period a year ago. Comcast leads the losses with 543,000 customers churning, while Charter Communications reported a loss of 200,000 subscribers.
In total, the major pay TV companies in the US have around 71.9 million subscribers. Cable companies account for 35.9 million, other traditional pay TV services have around 22.7 million, and Internet TV services have a similar figure. Internet pay TV services, such as YouTube TV, have 13.4 million subscribers.
The pay TV industry is looking for strategies to retain subscribers, highlighting the trend of turning off decoders (STB). Verizon in the US is embracing this trend with its +play subscription aggregation platform, which includes services such as Netflix, Max and Disney+.
Despite the overall decline, the appeal of live sports persists. However, due to cord cutting, smaller teams like the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes are opting for local partnerships, broadcasting most of their games through local media outlets. Additionally, in the NBA, teams like the Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz have sought regional deals with specific broadcasters to reach their audiences.
