Editorial & Advertiser disclosure

Global Banking & Finance Review® is an online platform offering news, analysis, and opinion on the latest trends, developments, and innovations in the banking and finance industry worldwide. The platform covers a diverse range of topics, including banking, insurance, investment, wealth management, fintech, and regulatory issues. The website publishes news, press releases, opinion and advertorials on various financial organizations, products and services which are commissioned from various Companies, Organizations, PR agencies, Bloggers etc. These commissioned articles are commercial in nature. This is not to be considered as financial advice and should be considered only for information purposes. It does not reflect the views or opinion of our website and is not to be considered an endorsement or a recommendation. We cannot guarantee the accuracy or applicability of any information provided with respect to your individual or personal circumstances. Please seek Professional advice from a qualified professional before making any financial decisions. We link to various third-party websites, affiliate sales networks, and to our advertising partners websites. When you view or click on certain links available on our articles, our partners may compensate us for displaying the content to you or make a purchase or fill a form. This will not incur any additional charges to you. To make things simpler for you to identity or distinguish advertised or sponsored articles or links, you may consider all articles or links hosted on our site as a commercial article placement. We will not be responsible for any loss you may suffer as a result of any omission or inaccuracy on the website.

Home > Top Stories > Legacy multichannel subscriptions remain under pressure, S&P Report Finds

Legacy multichannel subscriptions remain under pressure, S&P Report Finds

Published by Gbaf News

Posted on May 19, 2018

3 min read

Last updated: January 21, 2026

Single broadband network concept illustration emphasizing Italy's telecom future - Global Banking & Finance Review — Illustration showcasing the concept of a unified broadband network in Italy, reflecting Vivendi's support for Telecom Italia's strategic overhaul to improve connectivity and streamline services.

Virtual services like Sling TV and Direct TV Now are softening overall erosion of multichannel subs, according to the Q1 2018 U.S. Multichannel Subscriber Report

Traditional multichannel video losses in the first quarter (period ended March 31, 2018) showed modest improvement over the same period in 2017, but the magnitude of the decline remains elevated, according to the Q1 2018 U.S. Multichannel Subscriber Report by Kagan, a media research group within S&P Global Market Intelligence.

Combined cable, direct broadcast satellite (DBS) and telecom multichannel subscriptions fell 0.8% sequentially, to 93.2 million, including 90.3 million residential customers. However, noteworthy gains for virtual platforms DIRECTV NOW and Sling TV put the evolution of the sector in perspective; the quarterly subscription losses are cut in half when including DIRECTV NOW and Sling TV and raise the overall residential figure to 94.1 million.

Additional takeaways from Kagan’s 1^st-quarter U.S. Multichannel Subscriber report:

The residential multichannel penetration rate stood at 76.1% as of March 31 when including the VSPs owned by AT&T and DISH Network (DIRECTV NOW and Sling TV).
Cable operators logged their largest first-quarter video subscriber decline on record, with the top two MSOs, Comcast and Charter, accounting for 59% of the drop.
Telco video appears to be regaining its footing as AT&T’s U-verse stabilizes. The platform’s video customer losses fell below 100,000 for the first time since the third quarter of 2015.
DBS losses ramped back up in the first quarter, bringing the sector’s total down to 31.1 million.

SOURCE S&P Global Market Intelligence

Virtual services like Sling TV and Direct TV Now are softening overall erosion of multichannel subs, according to the Q1 2018 U.S. Multichannel Subscriber Report

Traditional multichannel video losses in the first quarter (period ended March 31, 2018) showed modest improvement over the same period in 2017, but the magnitude of the decline remains elevated, according to the Q1 2018 U.S. Multichannel Subscriber Report by Kagan, a media research group within S&P Global Market Intelligence.

Combined cable, direct broadcast satellite (DBS) and telecom multichannel subscriptions fell 0.8% sequentially, to 93.2 million, including 90.3 million residential customers. However, noteworthy gains for virtual platforms DIRECTV NOW and Sling TV put the evolution of the sector in perspective; the quarterly subscription losses are cut in half when including DIRECTV NOW and Sling TV and raise the overall residential figure to 94.1 million.

Additional takeaways from Kagan’s 1^st-quarter U.S. Multichannel Subscriber report:

The residential multichannel penetration rate stood at 76.1% as of March 31 when including the VSPs owned by AT&T and DISH Network (DIRECTV NOW and Sling TV).
Cable operators logged their largest first-quarter video subscriber decline on record, with the top two MSOs, Comcast and Charter, accounting for 59% of the drop.
Telco video appears to be regaining its footing as AT&T’s U-verse stabilizes. The platform’s video customer losses fell below 100,000 for the first time since the third quarter of 2015.
DBS losses ramped back up in the first quarter, bringing the sector’s total down to 31.1 million.

SOURCE S&P Global Market Intelligence