Over 77.8 million now get broadband from top cable and telco operators in the US

The eighteen largest cable and telephone providers of broadband services in the U.S. acquired about 635,000 net additional high-speed Internet subscribers in the third quarter of 2011, a new report from Leichtman Research Group, Inc. (LRG) finds.

These top broadband providers, which have about 93% of the market, now account for over 77.8 million subscribers -- with cable companies having 43.6 million broadband subscribers, and telephone companies having 34.2 million subscribers. Many of the new subs were captured by cable operators, who added over 525,000 customers, about 83% of the net adds for the third quarter. Growth, however, slowed versus the third quarter of 2010, particularly among telcos who added about 38% of the subscribers they attracted last year. Cable's net ads were close to last year's pace, adding about 98% as many subs. Overall broadband additions in the third quarter of 2011 amounted to 77% of those in the third quarter of 2010.

(11/18)