U.S. HISPANIC
Historic loss of pay-TV subscribers in the U.S.: 500 thousand in three months
Maribel Ramos-Weiner| 9 de noviembre de 2010
Según el reporte 4 de 10 son adolescentes, mientras que el 15% son ejecutivos
For the first time in history, pay-TV in the U.S. reported negative subscription figures. Last quarter, cable TV had a record cancellation pace: the five largest operations in the country reported a combined loss of half a million subscribers compared to the previous quarter.During this years third quarter, Comcast lost 275 thousand subscribers; Warner lost 155 thousand, Carta Com 63,800, and Cablevision 24,500.Analysts still cannot pinpoint the cause of this subscriber hemorrhage that has set off the alarm in the industry. They observed that the IPTV and the DTH sectors did not experience any significant growth either. While some think the economic downturn is finally catching up with the industry, others see new advantages in the departure from pay-TV, pointing towards the Internet and its contents.Craig Moffett, analyst for Sanford Bernstein, said in an interview with ABC News that this phenomenon had nothing to do with the economy. He said the Internet was the real reason subscribers were cancelling their cable service.Evidence suggests that poverty is the problem. But the public sentiment, and particularly that of the specialized press, is clearly in favor of the thesis of the Internet replacing TV, and we dont expect this to change, added Moffett.
