Cable TV
AT&T, Comcast, Charter and Dish Network emerge among top cable, satellite and telco pay-TV operators
MUMBAI: AT&T (IPTV + Satellite), Comcast (Cable), Charter (Cable), Dish Network (Satellite), Verizon (IPTV), Cox (Cable), and Altice (Cable) have emerged as the top seven cable, satellite and telco pay-TV operators in the third quarter this year.
FierceCable has tallied a look at the third-quarter earnings season, ranking the top satellite, cable, and telco pay-TV operators and studying their performance through key metrics, including average revenues per user (ARPU) and subscriber growth.
| Top US Pay TV Service Provider Metrics Q3 2016 (ranking by subscribers) | |||||
| Rank | Platform | Subscribers (millions) | Net Adds | ARPU* | |
| 1 | AT&T | IPTV + Satellite | 25.292 | -3,000 | $118.09 |
| 2 | Comcast | Cable | 22.428 | 32,000 | $148.47 |
| 3 | Charter | Cable | 16.887 | -47,000 | $80.81 |
| 4 | Dish Network | Satellite | 13.643 | 50,000 | $89.44 |
| 5 | Verizon | IPTV | 4.673 | 36,000 | n/a |
| 6 | Cox | Cable | 4.146 | 3,000 | n/a |
| 7 | Altice | Cable | 3.598 | -41,000 | $117.80 |
Source- Fierce Cable
Meanwhile, satellite, cable, and telecommunications-based subscription video services lost 430,000 customers in the third quarter, according to SNL Kagan, giving the industry a loss of 1.3 million subscribers. The research firm’s count for the third quarter is lower than the 486,000 estimate given by MoffettNathanson analyst Craig Moffett last week. UBS experts sent analysis of the overall video industry in the United States, showing losses and gains in the past few years in this space. The firm said that it estimated that the pay TV subscribers base of U.S. multichannel including Sling TV, dropped by 0.6 per cent year over year in the third quarter, similar to the drop in both the first quarter and the second quarter.
MoffettNathanson experts said the overall subscriber declined in the pay-TV space in the last 10 years. Dish Network’s Sling TV service has affected the trend, the experts said. Experts said that Charter, Comcast, and other cable companies are scoring over telco providers such as Verizon and AT&T as also on satellite providers such as Dish Network. In the broadband internet space, UBS experts marked impressive performance of Comcast and Charter against Verizon and AT&T.
According to Firece Cable, in the third quarter, around 94,000 pay-TV customers were lost by cable operators, SNL Kagan said. This was still the sector’s best performance in 10 years. AT&T’s decision to give priority to the growth of DirecTV generated 323,000 new subs for the platform in the third quarter, offsetting huge losses for Dish Network in satellite. In the 12-month period ending 30 September, SNL Kagan calculated that Dish Network’s Sling TV added 925,000 customers.
MUMBAI: When margins wobble, liquidity talks and in Q3 FY25-26, cash did most of the talking. Den Networks Limited closed the December quarter with consolidated revenue of Rs.251 crore, marginally higher than the previous quarter but down 4 per cent year-on-year, even as profitability stayed resilient on the back of strong cash reserves and disciplined cost control.
Subscription income softened to Rs.98 crore, slipping 3 per cent sequentially and 14 per cent from last year, while placement and marketing income offered some cheer, rising 15 per cent quarter-on-quarter to Rs.148 crore. Total costs climbed faster than revenue, up 7 per cent QoQ to Rs.238 crore, driven largely by higher content costs and operating expenses. As a result, EBITDA dropped sharply to Rs.13 crore from Rs.19 crore in Q2 and Rs.28 crore a year ago, pulling margins down to 5 per cent.
Yet, the bottom line refused to blink. Profit after tax stood at Rs.40 crore, up 15 per cent sequentially and only marginally lower than last year’s Rs.42 crore. A healthy Rs.57 crore in other income helped cushion operating pressure, keeping profit before tax at Rs.48 crore, broadly stable quarter-on-quarter despite the tougher cost environment.
The real headline-grabber, however, sits on the balance sheet. The company remains debt-free, with cash and cash equivalents swelling to Rs.3,279 crore as of December 31, 2025. Net worth rose to Rs.3,748 crore, while online collections accounted for 97 per cent of total receipts, underscoring strong cash discipline across operations, including subsidiaries.
In short, while Q3 showed signs of operating strain, the financial backbone remains solid. With zero gross debt, steady profits and a formidable cash war chest, the company enters the next quarter with flexibility firmly on its side proving that in uncertain markets, balance sheet strength can be the best growth strategy.
