Cable Suffers Customer Loss, Telco Up 24% (Dinosaur Media DeathWatch™)

Media Daily News ^ | June 23, 2011 | Wayne Friedman

[abb]

Cable TV distribution continues to lose customers in the top 15 markets, with telco companies sharply rising and satellite TV companies seeing little change.

There was a 3.8% decline in the first quarter of 2011 versus the same period in 2010 in the top 15 markets, slipping to 23.2 million customers, per SNL Kagan.

New York City, the biggest TV market, dropped 3.4%; Los Angeles, at No. 2, sank 4%; and Chicago, the third-largest market, slipped 5.1%.

The biggest declines in major markets were in Atlanta (eighth-biggest), losing 8%; Dallas (fifth place) gave up 7.7%. Seattle (13th place) lost the least, at 0.2%.

Telco was up 24% to 4.4 million among the top 15 markets during the period, with Los Angeles rocketing up 50.9% in customers during the period and Chicago 49.5%. The slowest movers were Dallas, rising just 7.8%, and Detroit (11th place) 16.4% higher.

Satellite TV distribution in the top 15 markets was virtually unchanged -- up 0.1% to 10.64 million. Washington (the 9th-largest market) was up 3.9%; Houston (the 10th-largest) was 3.8% higher.

Looking at all multichannel TV distributors -- cable, satellite and telco -- these TV business were virtually unchanged in the top 15 markets during the first quarter, slipping 0.1% to 38.18 million.

Washington witnessed the greatest rise at 4.7%; and Los Angeles was next at 3.9%. Atlanta lost the most at 5.2%; Phoenix was next at 3.3%.

[Tribune7]

Comcast has become infamous for poor service. We left it for Verizon last year -- not that Verizon is that much better.

It is a little cheaper.

[pnh102]

It doesn't help that cable companies (and now telcos which offer TV service) continue to hike prices for that service.

Not that long ago I told Comcast that they either need to cut my rate (my total for Internet, Cable TV and a HD-DVR was well over $150) or I was going to cancel the TV portion of the service. To my surprise (and my wife's delight) they gave me a $40 a month discount. I don't live in an area where FIOS or any similar service is available either. The only other choice I have for TV would be satellite... though I do want to explore just going with an antenna if cable TV creeps back up again,

[upchuck]

Cable, Uverse, FIOS, etc. Phooey!

I’m still waiting for AT&T to install DSL out here in the country.

[abb]

http://blogs.forbes.com/erikkain/2011/06/23/why-are-d-c-police-arresting-journalists-at-a-public-meeting/
Why Are D.C. Police Arresting Journalists at a Public Meeting?

http://www.knightdigitalmediacenter.org/news_blog/20110621_journalism_inextricably_linked_to_new_forms_of_digital_community/
Journalism inextricably linked to new forms of digital community - Neiman Reports

http://losaltos.patch.com/articles/for-student-journalists-no-burden-guarding-vargas-secret
For Student Journalists, No Burden Guarding Vargas’ Secret
For six weeks, 35 teenagers protected Jose Antonio Vargas after he revealed to them his undocumented status.

[capydick]

as soon as Verizon get the green light to start service in our sub

You may want to look into that - I remember reading a few months ago that Verizon has decided not to lay any new fiber, which means if it's not already dug and in the ground in your 'hood - it could be awhile before they commence any new digging.

BTW - I moved from Comcrap to FIOS about 18 months ago because Comcrap wouldnt open up my router to allow HD video conferencing from my home office - they told me I wasnt authorized to use video in my house! They were either so inexperienced or thought we were in the Soviet Union but either way I moved my service as fast as I could.

[kidd]

IOW - 3 channels of good programming is better than 300 channels of garbage

[Loyal Buckeye]

Do the telco’s lay new cable from the box outside to a house, just like cable companies do?

[TheGeezer]

Digital tv screwed all that up, even if you wanted to go “over the air”.

Actually, digital has a much better signal-to-noise advantage than analog at coverage edges (unless you are in a severe shadow area, like behind a hill). I get sigs from 60-80 miles that are crystal clear because either a sig is strong enough to decode or it is not. I am getting 25 off-air channels and subchannels. The main problem is that programs can be pretty tacky and/or old.

[abb]

I don’t know the answer to that. In my location (Ruston, LA) Bell South still uses a twisted pair, I think. The cable provider (TCA) wired the town with fiber back in the mid-90s. From the pole to the house is 75 ohm coax.

[Halfmanhalfamazing]

Competition works.

We the people can solve any and all of these problems without big government net neutrality.

That’s all.

[phockthis]

sfl

[ExtremeUnction]

..but Comcast is p!ssing me off..

I dumped Comcast six months ago after they raised their rates 10% - again. I went with our local phone company and couldn't be happier.

[bert]

I understand the cable provider part. It is the telco part that I am behind on, especially the fiber to home part.

I was aware of DSL and wireless provided by local telcos and ATT but not the ability to provide tv over copper. Another poster said in the cities it is fiber optic.

My son the geek gave me an old computer set up for internet TV and it is pretty amazing in what it will do. I have not fooled with it enough to learn all the capabilities. It runs off the cable internet

I ported my landline to an ATT Iphone and thus have some duplication with the cable provided services. What I want I think is a deal linking the I phones and the data capability to the LAN via wireless. That will allow eliminating the Charter cable connection.

The wireless internet is present but lacks the capability to take on all comers so is too expensive. There is no fiber to home capability yet. I could be wrong but there might be fiber but the last 100 feet is coax. I don’t know what the neighborhood cable wire is, copper or fiber.

I’m left wondering, what will become of the Charter infrastructure? Will ATT or Verizon gobble it up or will it become obsolete altogether?

[rawhide]

TV viewing has been declining for years. People do not watch as much as they used to. Too many other things to entertain themselves with.

[abb]

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=152964
Mobile Ads To Hit $4 Billion By 2015

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=153002
Cablevision Weighs In on iPad Debate

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman2/publish/New_media_23/The-richer-lives-of-social-media-users.asp
The richer lives of social media users

[super7man]

I liked TV better when I had 3 channels, and a 4th when the weather cooperated.

And they went off the air at midnight.

"This now completes our boadcast day at KRON, National Anthem....Test Pattern....Tweeeeeeeeee....."

[nonliberal]

I got rid of cable entirely in October. All I use my television for is a place to watch the stuff I rent from Redbox. I don’t miss it.

[icwhatudo]

We canceled comcast and bought a cheap HDMI output computer that sits next to the TV and we have more movie channels now thru the internet(free) than we had with cable.

[Beagle8U]

Direct TV is far and away better than Dish or cable.

Dish claims a cheaper price for the basic plan, but there isn't anything included in it that an adult with an IQ over plant life would watch.

Direct has news channels, ALL of them, even Fox Business channel. Dish charges extra for everything but PMS_NBC and a couple other commie propaganda channels.

[rhombus]

Thanks for the pointers. How do the satellite dishes do with 3 feet of snow on top of them? I’m in NH after all. I see some people with them so I know it must be possible.