SNL Kagan: Cable Subs Fall In 15 Biggest Markets

Cable operators lost 3.8% of their subscribers in the top 15 markets during the first quarter, according to a new report by SNL Kagan, which found that satellite and telco providers picked up nearly the same number of video customers.

While the number of cable subscribers fell to 23.2 million from 24.1 million in big cities, satellite saw a small increase of 0.1% to 10.6 million. Telco subs jumped 24% to 4.4 million. Overall, the number of multichannel subscribers fell 0.1% to 38.2 million in the quarter in the biggest 15 markets. In some big markets, the total number of multichannel video subscribers fell significantly. New York registered a 0.8% drop. In Chicago, subs were down 2.3% and in Dallas they were off 5.2%. The biggest drop was registered in Atlanta, where there was a 5.2% decrease. Subs also fell in Detroit, Phoenix, Seattle and Minneapolis/St. Paul. In Los Angeles, the number of multichannel subscribers rose 3.9%. Gains were also seen in Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Houston, and Tampa/St. Petersburg. The gains in Los Angeles represented a 2% pickup by satellite and a 50.9% jump by telco. Cable subscribers fell by 4%. Comcast is the largest multichannel operator in the top 15 markets with 11.6 million subs, followed by DirecTV, Dish Network and Time Warner Cable, SNL Kagan said.