How Streaming Became Cable TV's Unlikely Life Raft

Cable TV providers have spent the past decade losing tens of millions of households to streaming services, but companies like Charter Communications are now slowing that exodus by bundling the very apps that once threatened to replace them.

Charter added 44,000 net video subscribers in the fourth quarter of 2025, its first growth in that count since 2020, after integrating Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ directly into Spectrum cable packages -- a deal that grew out of a contentious 2023 contract dispute with Disney. Comcast and Optimum still lost subscribers in the quarter, though both saw those losses narrow.

Charter's Q4 numbers also got a lift from a 15-day Disney channel blackout on YouTube TV during football season, which drove more than 14,000 subscribers to Spectrum. Charter has been discounting aggressively -- video revenue fell 10% year over year despite the subscriber gains. Cox Communications launched its first streaming-inclusive cable bundles last month, and Dish Network has yet to integrate streaming apps into its packages at all.

There, I fixed it

[Powercntrl]

Sportsball fans are becoming cable TV's unlikely life raft.

If you're only into shows and movies, streaming (or sailing the high seas for downloads) is still the bee's knees. That being said, if you're in my situation you're still stuck dealing with the cable company, thanks to their monopoly position as the only landline-based broadband provider.

Wait, I could save some money?

[sabbede]

Hmm, sorta. Looks like I pay $99 for Hulu+live+disney+no ads. I also pay whatever else for Paramount through Prime. If I were paying for Peacock and HBO as well, this would save me a few bucks a month. As it stands, it looks like it would cost me maybe $7 more a month, but I'd get some streaming channels that do have things I want to watch.

I'd have to buy another Roku, but that's not too bad.

I'll have to think this over with my wife, but hell we might end up with cable TV again.

Re:

[sabbede]

Oh, $115 for 12 months, then "standard rates" apply. What are those standard rates? It doesn't say. Probably more than I'd like

vertical integration is bad for consumers

[k3v0]

yes comcast will gladly bundle peacock with your cable plan since they own both. this isn't groundbreaking

Bundled bundles

[algaeman]

I get a package from Spectrum through my HOA. It is $54 for cable+internet, and includes ESPN, Disney, HBO, Paramount and Peacock streaming (with ads). I'd be spending $30 for internet in any case, so $20 a month is an acceptable price to me for all that. The cable box is sitting in the box in the closet.

I thought that Cable was saved by

[rossdee]

their ownership of the fiber monopoly to your apartment.

Finally got Spectrum in Nov. 2025

[bsdetector101]

Came to my area., from 25 Mbps Windstream to 500 Mbps Spectrum. Only got internet as I don't need streaming services, running VPN.