Major Pay-TV Providers Lost About 2,215,000 Subscribers in the first quarter of 2023

Leichtman Research Group found that the largest pay-TV providers in the US– representing about 96% of the market – lost about 2,215,000 net video subscribers in the first quarter (Q1) of 2023, compared to a pro forma net loss of about 1,850,000 in Q1 of 2022. The top pay-TV providers now account for about 73.7 million subscribers – with the top seven cable companies having about 36.8 million video subscribers, other traditional pay-TV services having 23.4 million subscribers, and the top Internet-delivered (vMVPD) pay-TV services (now including an estimate for YouTube TV) having about 13.5 million subscribers. Key findings for the quarter include:

• Top cable providers had a net loss of about 1,060,000 video subscribers in Q1 of 2023 – compared to a loss of about 825,000 subscribers in Q1 of 2022;
• Other traditional pay-TV services had a net loss of about 760,000 subscribers in Q1 of 2023 – compared to a loss of about 625,000 subscribers in Q1 of 2022;
• Top vMVPDs had a net loss of about 395,000 subscribers in Q1 of 2023 – compared to a loss of about 400,000 subscribers in O1 of 2022.