Report: Pay-TV Operators Added 1 Million Broadband Subs in Q1, Down From Last Year
May 19, 2022
As pay-TV operators continue to hemorrhage video subscribers, the offsetting silver lining continues to be high-speed internet service.
New data from Leichtman Research Group found that the largest cable and wireline phone providers and fixed wireless services in the U.S. — representing about 96% of the market — acquired about 1.065 million net additional broadband internet subs in 1Q 2022, compared with a pro forma gain of about 1.12 million subs in 1Q 2021.
These broadband providers account for about 109.3 million subs, with top cable companies having about 75.6 million broadband subs, top wireline phone companies having about 32.3 million subs, and top fixed wireless services having about 1.4 million subs.
Overall, Leichtman said broadband additions in Q1 were 95% of those in the previous-year period. The top cable companies added about 480,000 subs in the quarter — 52% of the net additions for the top cable companies last year. The top wireline phone companies added about 50,000 total broadband subs — compared with about 80,000 net adds in last year.
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Meanwhile, telecoms offering broadband realized about 480,000 net adds via fiber, and about 430,000 non-fiber net losses. Fixed wireless/5G home internet services from T-Mobile and Verizon added about 530,000 subs in the quarter — compared with 110,000 net adds a year earlier.
“The distribution of net broadband additions differed from a year ago,” analyst Bruce Leichtman said in a statement. “Fixed wireless services accounted for half of the net broadband adds in the quarter, compared to about 10% of the net adds [last year].””
| Broadband Providers | Subscribers at end of Q1 2022 | Net Adds in Q1 2022 |
| Cable Companies | ||
| Comcast | 32.163 million | 262,000 |
| Charter | 30.274 million | 185,000 |
| Cox | 5.560 million | 30,000 |
| Altice | 4.373 million | (13,000) |
| Mediacom | 1.468 million | 5,000 |
| Cable One | 1.057 million | 11,000 |
| Breezeline | 719,608 | 2,830 |
| Total Top Cable | 75.614 million | 482,830 |
| Wireline Phone Companies | ||
| AT&T | 15.533 million | 29,000 |
| Verizon | 7.400 million | 35,000 |
| Lumen | 4.470 million | (49,000) |
| Frontier | 2.819 million | 20,000 |
| Windstream | 1.176 million | 11,300 |
| TDS^ | 495,200 | 4,900 |
| Consolidated | 380,150 | (850) |
| Total Top Wireline Phone | 32.273 million | 50,350 |
| Fixed Wireless Services | ||
| T-Mobile | 984,000 | 338,000 |
| Verizon | 433,000 | 194,000 |
| Total Top Fixed Wireless | 1.417 million | 532,000 |
| Total Top Broadband | 109.305 million | 1.065 million |