The numbers have been--or will be--crunched and analysts have decided that pay TV subscribership is not only alive, but will even move up a little, throwing a bit of a damper on up-and-coming cord cutters like Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX), which, if all things are equal, is expected to accept the crown as the nation's largest pay service provider when it's earnings are announced later today.
The analytical about-face, for the most part, is based on improved subscriber numbers for satellite and telco TV providers that offset and perhaps even overcome continued losses for cable companies. Verizon (NYSE: VZ) and AT&T (NYSE: T), for example, reported respective 192,000 and 218,000 first quarter subscriber gains last week.
Credit Suisse analyst Spencer Wang, a past downer when it came to pay TV's chances against OTT, was a bit hedgier when confronted with the new numbers, saying that they could "net-net, we submit that the evidence of cord-cutting remains inconclusive" but that "on a longer term basis, the trend clearly shows a deceleration of pay TV subscriber base."
For more:
- the Hollywood Reporter has this story
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