The largest pay TV providers in the U.S., representing about 96% of the market, lost over 5 millionnet video subscribers in 2023, compared to a pro forma net loss of about 4,590,000 in 2022, according to a study by Leichtman Research Group.
The top pay TV providers now account for about 71.3 million subscribers, with the top seven cable companies having about 34.1 million video subscribers, other traditional pay TV services having 21 million subscribers, and the top Internet-delivered (vMVPD) pay TV services (including estimates for YouTube TV) having 16.2 million subscribers.
When diving the companies, Leichtman Research Group found out that top cable providers had a net loss of about 3,825,000 video subscribers in 2023, compared to a loss of about 3,540,000 subscribers in 2022; other traditional pay TV services had a net loss of about 3,105,000 subscribers in 2023, compared to a loss of about 2,720,000 subscribers in 2022; top vMVPDs added about 1,895,000 subscribers in 2023, compared to a gain of about 1,670,000 subscribers in 2022; and traditional pay TV services (not including vMVPD) had a net loss of about 6,930,000 subscribers in 2023, compared to a net loss of about 6,260,000 in 2022.
“The top pay-TV providers had a net loss of about 5 million subscribers in 2023, compared to a pro forma loss of about 4.6 million subscribers in 2022,” said Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst for Leichtman Research Group. “At the end of 2023, top pay-TV providers had about 71.3 million subscribers, down from 91.5 million at the end of 2018.”