U.S. cable, satellite and IPTV operators lost a combined 845,000 video subscribers in the fourth quarter, Evercore ISI analyst Vijay Jayant estimated in a note to investors this morning.
The continued pay TV customer loss compares to 456,000 lost video subscribers in the fourth quarter of 2016.
Meanwhile, Jayant predicted continued growth for virtual pay TV operators, estimating gains of 745,000 users in the fourth quarter, after the sector was essentially flat in the comparable 2016 quarter.
The 11 top pay TV companies lost around 2.5 million users in the first three months of 2017.
Most of the major pay TV operators will begin reporting fourth-quarter data this week, with Verizon and Comcast slated to deliver their quarterly reports.
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Jayant noted recent surcharge and service price increases by Comcast, Charter and Altice, calling them “in line” with historical increases.
Meanwhile, the analyst predicted that telecom operators will report growth of 1 million landline broadband users, up from 722,000 in the fourth quarter of 2016.
Cable, Jayant said, will continue to dominate this growth—Jayant predicted that cable operators would report 910,000 new high-speed internet customers in the quarter.