Comcast Lost 477,000 Cable Customers In Q2 2020 (techspot.com) 63
AT&T lost an astounding 900,000 cable subscribers in the first quarter of 2020, and now, Comcast has reported that it lost 477,000 pay-TV subscribers of its own for Q2. TechSpot reports: In Q1 2020, roughly 409,000 subscribers pulled the plug on their Comcast-provided cable subscriptions -- this last quarter, the corporate giant managed to lose substantially more. If these losses continue to grow at this rate, Comcast may be on track to lose twice as many cable subscribers this year as it did last year. For reference, the company took a hit of around 733,000 cable subscribers in 2019, and it has already dropped significantly more than that (around 886,000 customers) in 2020.
There are plenty of reasons for these mass subscriber losses, but Covid-19 is likely chief among them. Thousands of Americans have lost their jobs due to coronavirus complications (including business shutdowns). Even many who haven't are now working from home, giving them more free time to explore alternatives to cable TV, such as Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and others. What it lost in cable-TV subscribers it gained in internet customers. The report notes that Comcast "managed to snag around 323,000 additional broadband customers in Q2 2020: the 'best second quarter high-speed internet net adds in 13 years,' according to the company."
There are plenty of reasons for these mass subscriber losses, but Covid-19 is likely chief among them. Thousands of Americans have lost their jobs due to coronavirus complications (including business shutdowns). Even many who haven't are now working from home, giving them more free time to explore alternatives to cable TV, such as Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and others. What it lost in cable-TV subscribers it gained in internet customers. The report notes that Comcast "managed to snag around 323,000 additional broadband customers in Q2 2020: the 'best second quarter high-speed internet net adds in 13 years,' according to the company."
Naw, they're sleeping (Score:1)
Pining for the Fjords.
How many are dying? (Score:5, Insightful)
I don't mean from COVID, but just old age. Let's face it -- Cable TV is 1990s technology with a 1970s business model. "Linear TV" I think the young-uns are now calling it. Real time programming. Watch what they want you to watch, when they want you to watch it.
Frankly, I would expect that most of their remaining customers are old. The kind who still use TV trays so they can watch their favorite shows during "prime time" while they have dinner. This set of customers are unlikely to convert to streaming or any kind of on-demand, so they're basically locked in until they die. But most of them have to be in their sixties now, so they must be dropping at a significant rate that's only going to increase with time.
How do these people get their internet? (Score:2)
How many places have Comcast as the main ISP?
In this time of Covid, you still need an internet provider, even if you 'cut' your cable TV
Where I live Charter (Spectrum) has the monopoly.
Re: How do these people get their internet? (Score:3)
There were voluntary moratoriums but the major cable/ISPs that promised to not disconnect anyone's service for non-payment during quarantine that covered most of 1st and 2nd quarters of 2020, these were most-likely simply people that decided they were tired of $100-200 (or more) a month bills.
They likely could have stopped paying their bill and kept enjoying all the fine fine programming.
Suspensions of phone and cable shutoffs: Also covered under the FCC directive, called the Keep America Connected Plan, phone and cable companies have suspended shutoffs to ensure customers have connectivity during the coronavirus pandemic. Companies that have made the pledge include Verizon, Comcast, Century Link, Charter (which operates Spectrum), Altice (branded as Optimum), Cable One (branded as Sparklight), T-Mobile, Cincinnati Bell, and more.
Source: https://www.fastcompany.com/90... [fastcompany.com]
From March, 2020
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"Not disconnecting" does not mean it comes for free. I am pretty sure you will owe the money for their service.
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Doubtful - you had paid service, you got laid off from work (Covid), you don't pay your bill for 6 months, covid is gotten under control, carriers lift the ban on disconnections, and they disconnect your service for failure to pay (and they get to write-off the losses they incurred while you didn't pay for your service.
That is exactly how I expect deferred/delayed evictions and foreclosures to play out also...
Not really. (Score:2, Informative)
You simply use your mobile plan for the data and your phone as a signal server to your TV (using an adapter). No need to subscribe to fixed internet.
Sprint recently gave me a free line with unlimited data, and that's how I watch my streamed shows. $45 total covers two phone lines with unlimited phone, text, data, free Hulu, free Tidal, free Amazon Prime and 120GB hotspot for my laptop. Hell, they even provided me a "free" MagicBox (must be returned, at their cost, when/if I don't need it anymore) for improv
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My experience has been that mobile is slow and expensive. I use it in emergencies but not otherwise. Of course, I have fiber to the house.
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How many places have Comcast as the main ISP?
In this time of Covid, you still need an internet provider, even if you 'cut' your cable TV
Where I live Charter (Spectrum) has the monopoly.
That's true, but it's a different question. Internet is something like $40 a month in this area, and I think cable STARTS at $120 a month. Streaming seems to be the wave of the future, or actually the present, with conventional cable being the legacy service. I'd expect that Comcast will be forced (by business pressure) to continue to provide internet access even as their cable TV business drops. I wonder how they'll figure out how to make internet access unreliable and horribly expensive.
The Comcast sa
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The programming is still shit, I was there on Tuesday and scrolled through 50 channels and found nothing of interest.. but they have adapted some.
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Don't forget the smartest move with streaming services. Rotate them, don't pay for more than one at a time. Stream one for a few months, picking out the best programs, don't worry about the ones you missed you can always get back to them months later. Once you have watched the stuff you most want to, cancel the service and jump to another and rinse and repeat.
So far Netflix, Stand, Amazon and back to Netflix the worst to date by far, Amazon, ugg, really disgusting. You go to watch a movie you searched for
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OnDemand is better than watching real-time live TV. However, I'm not sure how other providers do on-demand, but before I cut normal TV out, I had UVerse, and their version of on-demand prevented you from skipping the commercials, (it might have prevented you from FF altogether). Which was just a sucky as "live tv" at that point. Are the providers still crippling their on-demand services like this?
You had Uverse? I'm so very sorry.
My mother has Uverse. She recently added DirecTV when ATT bought them. I tried to convince her that all she really needs is a network connection and a Roku or something similar. So she bought a Roku and signed up for some streaming services, and now spends almost her entire TV time watching those. But she still has Uverse and she still has DirecTV. Why? She thinks she needs them. I eventually gave up arguing with her. I think her total internet/TV bill is around $2
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As far as TV service goes, over a 20 year period, I've had Comcast, DishNet, DirecTV, and UVerse. I have to say that I like DirecTV the best overall. I left them because the price doubled on me over a 10 yr period that I couldn't justify t
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UVerse was easily the worst TV service I had over the years. I only had it for about 2-3 years during a promo price. After that it wasn't worth it, and cutting the cord was becoming more feasible. I cut the cord complete about 3-4 years ago and haven't looked back.
As far as TV service goes, over a 20 year period, I've had Comcast, DishNet, DirecTV, and UVerse. I have to say that I like DirecTV the best overall. I left them because the price doubled on me over a 10 yr period that I couldn't justify the cost anymore and they wouldn't work with me on deals anymore.
We were charter members of cable internet when it first came out, when ATT owned it. Before that it was TCI, the most horrible cable TV service in the world, even Comcast is better. And DSL for internet. After the first year ATT sold their cable modem service to Comcast, and I had them for two years. We had cable TV and phone service and internet lumped in because Comcast arranges pricing to suck you into having them be your sole provider. And then once they have you locked in, the price increases star
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What she probably doesn't realize is that a straight network connection at 1/3 to 1/4 the price, and a roku box, probably gives her everything she needs plus some.
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Real time programming. Watch what they want you to watch, when they want you to watch it.
https://www.tivo.com/ [tivo.com]
Their argument is invalid.
Re: How many are dying? (Score:2)
Is it even still possible to get cable TV without a DVR bundled in?
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Actually I have friends who are still paying for cable, and apparently there is some sort of 'on demand' function, which I guess is sort-of like a DVR, but not.
Doesn't matter, cable TV sucks, I'm fine with an antenna and TiVo.
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Is it even still possible to get cable TV without a DVR bundled in?
I don't know. At the time I finally dropped cable, we had two DVRs, one upstairs and one downstairs, which were supposed to work in concert so you could record on one and play on the other. It never worked very well. Wife had the sports package (football fanatic) which I seem to recall required that we get the premium TV package to qualify. Our bill was well over $200 a month. When I went to a network connection only, it dropped to $40 a month. I bought wife a Roku and said she was responsible for her
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Is Tivo still a thing? I thought the cable services were trying to kill it.
They haven't even gotten started yet (Score:2)
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That's actually untrue. There are 5.4 million job vacancies as of May 2020:
https://www.bls.gov/news.relea... [bls.gov]
It is theorized that many of these jobs are staying empty thanks to enhanced unemployment payments.
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Re:They haven't even gotten started yet (Score:4, Insightful)
Yay for a single data point! So, for comparison, the JOLTS data for 2019 in April and May [bls.gov] showed about 7.2M open job positions. That means, year on year, there are 1.8M fewer available positions for roughly ~25-30M more newly jobless people. "It is [also] theorized" that we're in a massive shit economy and due to have millions of jobless, homeless people. And know what jobless homeless people don't do? Spend money in their local economy, thus driving more businesses under, and driving up costs related to the health and well being of the general population, like police, social workers, health care, etc. And once you're homeless, it is much much much harder to get a job for which you are qualified. It's a vicious feedback cycle that really sucks.
As an aside, don't forget that unemployment never actually hits zero percent. There is always a background churn, and the job marketplace still takes time to match openings with candidates who are qualified, geographically appropriate, and willing to take that job. Great if I'm fit and unemployed, but I'm not going to be servicing portable toilets for $10 - 14 / hour in Michigan [indeed.com].
Re:They haven't even gotten started yet (Score:5, Insightful)
Actually real data science has found no evidence that people are not seeking jobs just because of the extra unemployment benefits. Just starting with the fact that when you're on unemployment you have to report weekly to the unemployment office and show evidence of job searching which they follow up on and if you're found to have turned down a job offer you are kicked out of the program all together.
What you're parroting is a Republican talking point where they attempt to justify why they're giving American businesses hundreds of billions more but balking at spending a few more billion on individuals.
Re: They haven't even gotten started yet (Score:2)
The supplemental unemployment payments have run out, their last day was July 31st.
Of course, being as close as we are to a federal election, I fully expect the supplemental payments to run at least thru the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, but not at $600/wk, that's just a crazy number.
They'll be back... (Score:2)
Most of those customers don't have many options for different broadband providers, they'll be back. All because franchise laws don't require line sharing or encourage competition. Comcast knows this and doesn't give a shit. When I cancelled my Comcast account 6 months ago, they didn't even try to retain me. I told them I was leaving due to artificial bandwidth caps and I wasn't going to pay them extra money for "unlimited" internet when it doesn't cost them a penny more. I switched over to Centurylink Fibe
Re: They'll be back... (Score:2, Informative)
Right, giving everyone unlimited data or even "unlimited" data) costs no more than basic data.
You're a genius, everyone knows that fiber has infinite capacity and adding subscribers costs them nothing.
After your above reason dribbled down your chin and I to the phone, I suspect the Comcast customer service rep simply wrote you off as a 'kook'.
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Hey if the guy likes CenturyLink better, let him have it.
Re: They'll be back... (Score:3)
High speeds in the "last mile" are interesting, but they need to have an equally fast backbone connection to the resources you hope to access at those high speeds.
Kinda like saying "the street in front of my house has no speed limit, I'll be able to get to work much faster now!" - unless, of course, your travel includes other roads with speed limits or congestion.
I Ditched TV... (Score:3)
...right after mom moved into assisted living.
She only watched Fox News (*retch*), and I download anything I wanna watch. When the rest of the family comes to visit, they all watch Netflix or Amazon Prime, so I ditched the television package and boosted speed to 50mbs.
I've been on a torrent tear, picking up entire collections of old classic movies, series and what have you. I reckon if I have to cut out Internet as well as cable, I'll have a bunch of stuff to watch.
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B) be careful about offline -- Plex, ChromeCast, and I'm sure other devices require an internet connection to work, even with local content. (Plex can be configured not to do this, but you have to have internet to set it up.) And I'm sure your smart TV and/or BR player will throw a hissy-fit.
Look up Jellyfin or a direct Samba/HTTP link to a local network media player.
TV programming is awful (Score:5, Insightful)
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I have Comcast's broadband internet - the base plan - and only b'cos my residence only offers that: no Spectrum or anyone else (I loved Spectrum when I was in Atlanta and TWC in Charlotte). I keep getting welcome cards from Comcast inviting me to sign up for their cable. Except that I have no TV, and have no intention of getting one. Anything I need to watch, I watch on YouTube feeds - either live, or after the show (an hour's delay ain't gonna kill me)
Some stations insist that I have a cable subscript
It's not Covid causing this. (Score:2)
The cable TV business is a clunky anachronism and is so expensive that people are dropping it in droves. No one under 40 has a cable subscription any more. Other streaming options available now are cheaper and actually allow you to select what you want to pay for and watch. AT&T and Comcast will continue to raise rates as their customer base shrinks and their service gets worse and worse. Bail out now if you still subscribe! I dumped these people about 10 years ago and I do not miss them.
My money's on ESPN (Score:2)
I've heard that live sports are a major driver behind both big-screen TV purchases [startribune.com] and cable package purchases [cnbc.com]. No live sports, no cable/TV purchases, so the subscriptions might pick up once US football begins again.
Is this an undercount? (Score:2)
A few months ago, I cancelled most of out Cable TV service. We went down to the most basic Cable TV service. Our Cable TV bill went down by $100/month, but we still count as subscribers.
How many other people have done this?
Comcast Priced Themselves Out (Score:4, Insightful)
I am a Comcast customer. I do not have any other choice. Their pricing and services have been all over the place.
I had been a customer for a long time, we got TV from there and it worked. The price had finally reached an absurd $250 a month for their fastest internet, and their cable package. They wouldn't lower the price unless I installed a "security" system. I don't hardly trust them with cable tv and internet much less my home security. I wasn't under contract. I told them to move my service to all internet and drop the cable package. Internet is $100 a month for the fastest service here in my area. It is unlimited usage and 110Mbps down and 8 Mbps up.
With internet now at $100 a month, and saving over $150 a month, any other streaming service became an easy choice as every single one of them was cheaper than Comcast. It was a no brainer to leave. They forced me to leave. They created a situation where I could either pay them $150 for TV, or not at all. There was no magic "promotion" package they usually have. Hello Hulu, Netflix and Disney!
Now, fast forward to yesterday. I got an email that I was enrolled in a new "promotion." They have now added back Cable TV. I didn't ask for it. I don't pay any more for it, in fact I get a $8 a month discount on my bill for it. I assumed there was a reason for this, though at the moment I just figured it was to sucker me somehow down the line. My guess now is that they have added me and a whole lot of others back to the Cable TV plan for "free" so that their subscriber numbers go up.
--
A good laugh is sunshine in the house. - William Makepeace Thackeray
Re: Comcast Priced Themselves Out (Score:2)
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Similar. I been a Comcast customer for ~8 years. The internet I have is ~$125/mo. Any TV addon means a discount. So endup at $110/mo. What pissed me off was I had to pay $100 to setup the box... and then had the tech unplug them before he left; been sitting in my basement for a good 8 years.
AT&T is the same. $100 internet = $70 if 2yr contract; $40 if you buy $100 of TV/phone/etc. I would switch to AT&T but they decided to give me $40/mo for just internet and then realized their mistake and c
OTA FTW (Score:2, Interesting)
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Never looked back once.
OTA is amazing.
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These past few months I haven't even been keeping up with what my MythTV records for me. Lots more radio (live radio works great when browsing web forums or paying video games), lots more live streams on YouTube and Twitch. And even if I remember a TV program that I really want to watch, two hours before it's on, I'll often get distracted and forget, but it's there on my MythTV.
Also been doing a lot of cleaning up my old stuff, there's no way you can watch TV while you're in the garage or a closet finding
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I still don't understand cord cutters (Score:1)
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If you live in an area where the internet access options are meager, I feel for you. But for many people, they can get 100+ Mbps for under a hundred bucks. For the difference between that and an expensive cable plan, you can subscribe to practically everything.
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Local PBS, CBS, NBC, ABC, and Fox affiliates cover my need for local news. I have no interest in sports. Documentaries, classic movies and cooking shows are easy enough to find online. For the newer stuff I look for blu-rays and dvds to go on sale.
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A few options:
An elderly friend uses Roku with nothing but apps. She has Amazon Prime, the PBS app (free from your local provider), the free CBS News 24/7 app for Roku, and that's it. She only pays $50 for monthly Comcast Internet, and the yearly Amazon Prime cost.
For me, I have Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Youtube TV. Youtube TV has jacked up the price from $35 to $65 over the past few years, for a bunch of channels I don't give a crap about, but I split the cost with my girlfriend. So ~$50 a month for FiOS
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The only streaming service I subscribe to is HBO. My original reason for subscribing was Game of Thrones, but then they had a bunch of other shows that I enjoyed. Now, they've added Turner Classics, a bunch of TV shows, some anime channels, and others... enough that I really haven't had a chance to look at it very thoroughly. Anyway, I've kept it around because I really do watch it every week.
I haven't had cable TV since the 00s, and even then it was because I lived with roommates who wanted it. When I trav
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What am I watching? For the most part, nothing. I never was much of a TV junkie to start with, and I got fed up with TV back in the early 2000's before all the TV alternatives like Hulu, Netflix, etc. were around. Once I got out of the habit of spending hours in front of a TV, I never got back into it. I read, play computer games, browse the internet, go out and hike, and stuff like that. If I really want to watch something, there's always The Pirate Bay but I it's not like I'm finding much worth pirat
If they're losing users, why is my internet slow?? (Score:2)
You'd think the drop in cust
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Living in an over-subscribed neighborhood with buried cables means you'll likely have that problem no matter how many people outside your neighborhood "cut the cord".
Dear Comcast (Score:2)
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i just want to be rid of the ESPN Tax, currently estimated at $7.21/mo per household. [awfulannouncing.com]
What is taking people so long? (Score:2)
Comcast is on movie theater math (Score:1)