How did pay-TV distributors—including cable MSOs, IPTV operators and satellite providers—perform in 2016's third quarter? What about relevant programmers and technology companies? In this earnings summary, we listed the results for the biggest pay-TV industry players.
To compare results in this industry segment, check out our earnings summaries from the second quarter and third quarter of 2016. Also, round out your telecom earnings knowledge with more summaries for the current quarter, updated at FierceTelecom and FierceWireless.
Jan. 18
Netflix
Netflix well outpaced the projections it set for subscriber growth in the fourth quarter, adding more than 7 million new subscribers. In all, the company added 1.93 million domestic subscribers and 5.12 million international subscribers, totaling 7.05 million. The company had originally predicted it would add 5.2 million subscribers, in line with Wall Street analysts’ estimates.
- see this article
- visit Netflix's investor relations page
Jan. 24
Verizon
Offering up data on a range of its video products, Verizon confirmed that it has laid off 155 workers focused on its struggling Go90 mobile platform, while also reporting that its FiOS pay-TV service managed flat growth in the fourth quarter by adding 21,000 subscribers.
- see this article
- visit Verizon's investor relations page
Jan. 25
AT&T
In addition to adding over 200,000 subscribers to DirecTV Now in its first month of operation, AT&T said it added 235,000 customers to its traditional DirecTV satellite platform in the fourth quarter. Notably, the company reported fourth-quarter losses for its legacy U-verse platform of 262,000 video customers. AT&T has been strategically moving customers from U-verse to DirecTV. It ended 2016 with 21.01 million DirecTV customers and just 4.25 million U-verse video subscribers.
- see this article
- visit AT&T's investor relations page
Jan. 26
Comcast
Comcast’s sustained its momentum in video services, adding 80,000 pay-TV subscribers in the fourth quarter, beating analysts' forecasts and finishing 2016 with 160,000 net video customer additions. It was the first time in 10 years that the No. 1 cable operator reported growth in pay-TV services for the full year. Comcast lost 36,000 pay-TV subscribers in 2015.
- see this article
- visit Comcast's investor relations page
Feb. 2
Amazon
Amazon CFO Brian Olsavsky said the number of hours viewed on Amazon Prime Video doubled in 2016 as compared to 2015. “Well, ultimately, I'll step back and say one of the main things we look out on Prime Video is customer usage patterns and in 2016 we had a doubling of Prime hours for video, music and reading. So we're happy with the engagement that customers have,” Olsavsky said
- see this article
- visit Amazon's investor relations page
Feb. 4
Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications saw its revenues climb during its fiscal fourth quarter thanks in part to U.S. networks’ growth. U.S. networks' revenues in the fourth quarter increased 3% to $812 million due to 6% distribution growth and 1% advertising growth. Distribution growth came because of higher rates, and advertising growth came because of higher pricing.
- read this article
- visit Discovery's investor relations page
Feb. 6
21st Century Fox
- visit Fox's investor relations page
Feb. 8
CenturyLink
CenturyLink is experiencing losses with its Prism IPTV product and plans to replace it with OTT service in the second quarter. “Our [OTT] trial is getting really strong reviews right now … We have deemphasized [Prism TV] and are moving more toward the over-the-top product and also focusing more on the broadband offerings we have versus the video.” said CenturyLink President and CEO Glen Post, speaking to investors on CenturyLink’s fourth-quarter earnings call.
- see this article
- visit CenturyLink's investor relations page
Time Warner Inc.
- visit Time Warner's investor relations page
Feb. 15
CBS Corp.
- visit CBS' investor relations page
Cisco
- visit Cisco's investor relations page
Feb. 16
Charter Communications
Charter Communications continues to be challenged by churn associated with the expiration of promotional deals and what it calls “limited basic” video services as it transitions Time Warner Cable customers under its Spectrum brand. In all, Charter lost 105,000 former TWC pay-TV customers in the fourth quarter, offsetting gains of 34,000 video subscribers in the Florida footprint of another recently acquired system, Bright House Networks, as well as 20,000 video subs gained in the legacy Charter footprint. The MSO lost 51,000 video users overall in the fourth quarter.
- see this article
- visit Charter Communications investor relations page
Liberty Global
Although it continues to lose video customers overall, European conglomerate Liberty Global reported fast growth of its pay-TV customer base using "next-generation" IP video platforms, adding 313,000 TV subscribers in the fourth quarter across its systems. Liberty said it added 1.2 million users across its TiVo-enabled platform in 2016, operated by Virgin Media in the U.K., its Yelo service in Belgium and its Horizon platforms in mainland Europe.
- see this article
- visit Liberty Media's investor relations page
Feb. 22
Dish Network
- visit Dish Network's investor relations page
Arris
- visit Arris' investor relations page
Feb. 28
Cable One
- visit Cable One's investor relations page
March 8
Altice USA
- visit Altice USA's investor relations page
TBD
AMC Networks
- more AMC's investor relations page
Mediacom
- visit Mediacom's investor relations page
Synacor
- visit Synacor's investor relations page
Viacom
- visit Viacom's investor relations page