Weak Economy, Not Cord-Cutting Drives US Pay-TV Subscriber Decline in 2Q 2010

For the first time in recent memory the number of pay-TV subscriber households in the United States actually decreased, according to In-Stat. US pay-TV households, which consist of cable TV, IPTV, and satellite TV subscribers, saw a reduction of some 167,000 subscribers during 2Q of 2010.

“There are several reasons behind the quarterly subscriber loss,” says Mike Paxton, Principal Analyst. “While growing availability of over-the-top Internet video is spurring talk of mass ‘cord-cutting,’ this decline is not about cancelling pay-TV in favor of Internet video. The main driver of these subscriber declines is the struggling US economy and high unemployment.”

A recent In-Stat In-Sight report, US Pay-TV Subscribers Decline in 2Q10 (#IN1004673MBS) provides commentary regarding the decline of US pay-TV subscribers including:

• A snapshot of the current (2Q) US pay-TV market by platform.
• New household formation and disposable income trends.
• A narrative forecast regarding the pay-TV subscriber growth beyond 2010.

In-Stat’s related research, 2Q10 Pay-TV Subscribers Database (#IN1004699PTSD), provides actual subscriber numbers for the top 60 cable (analog and digital), top 75 satellite (DTH), and top 70 IPTV (or telco TV) pay-TV operators worldwide. The data is segmented by:

• 2010-2014 worldwide subscriber forecasts by household, region, and platform.
• 2008-Q210 worldwide actual subscribers by household, region, operator and platform.
• Top 20 pay-TV operators by platform, region and country.

For a free sample of the report and more information contact Elaine Potter, epotter@in-stat.com or (480) 483-4441.