The defections continue from pricey U.S. cable TV bundles to internet-based TV. As the cable/broadband industry consolidates, three major players — Comcast, Charter (merged with Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks) and AT&T — control most of America’s digital pipelines. Broadband internet subscriptions from these companies are holding their own.
Subscribers to U.S. video and internet services (Q2 2018 or as noted)
| Company | Digital TV | Internet | |
|---|---|---|---|
| COMCAST | 21,074,000 | 24,440,000 | Q2-2018 company reports: Household video subs decreased by 136K in Q3; high-speed internet added 260K subs; total 10,213,000 voice customers |
| CHARTER | 17,300,000 | 19,400,000 | Q1-2018 reports: Household video subs fell by 112K; high-speed internet subs grew 331K; total 10,375,000 telephone subs. (Merger of Charter, Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks closed in 2016) |
| ATT (includes DIRECTV) | 25,200,000 | 14,400,000 | Q3 reports: DirecTV lost 359K subs, online DirecTV Now added 342K, ATT WatchTV launched; 76K added household internet; 54,700,000 consumer wireless customers. Merger with Time Warner closed 2018; |
| VERIZON FIOS | 4,560,000 | 5,959,000 | Q2-2018 reports: 116,500,000 wireless customers; acquired AOL and Yahoo!, renamed Oath |
| COX | 4,500,000 | 6,000,000 | estimates |
| ALTICE | approx 4,600,000 | approx 4,600,000 | approx 4,600,000 voice customers. Acquired Suddenlink (2015) and Cablevision (2016) |
| DISH | 13,150,000 | 595,000 | Q1 2018 reports: Includes 2.3 million Sling TV subscribers. |
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