Compare The Largest US TV Providers by the Number of Subscribers
The following data displays the leading subscription-based TV providers in the United States, sorted by the number of subscribers at the end of Q3 2015.
The top pay-TV providers listed below sum to 94.0 million subscribers. 48.8 million cable subscribers, 33.5 million satellite subscribers, and 11.7 fiber subscribers.
The big losers in customer satisfaction ratings are Comcast and Time Warner Cable, with year over year ACSI score change of -10% and -9% respectively. DISH and AT&T U-Verse stay consistent with 2014’s scores, and Verizon FiOS and Charter improved.
| Provider | End of Q3 2015 Subscribers | Technology | ACSI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comcast | 22,258,000 | Cable | 54 |
| DirecTV | 19,570,000 | Satellite | 68 |
| DISH Network | 13,909,000 | Satellite | 67 |
| Time Warner | 10,977,000 | Cable | 51 |
| AT&T U-Verse | 5,880,000 | Fiber | 69 |
| Verizon FiOS | 5,807,000 | Fiber | 71 |
| Cox | 4,158,000 [1] | Cable | 62 |
| Charter | 4,274,000 | Cable | 63 |
| Cablevision | 2,604,000 | Cable | 67 |
| Bright House | 2,500,000 [2] | Cable | 65 |
| Suddenlink | 1,094,000 | Cable | 57 |
| Mediacom | 862,000 | Cable | 51 |
| WOW | 564,500 | Cable | 66 [3] |
| Cable ONE | 380,807 | Cable | 66 [3] |
Sources:
The Companies and Leichman Research Group, Inc (http://www.leichtmanresearch.com/press/111615release.html)
1. Top 9 Cable, Satellite and Telco Pay-TV Operators in Q3 (http://www.fiercecable.com/special-reports/top-9-cable-satellite-and-telco-pay-tv-operators-q3-ranking-comcast-twc-cha?confirmation=123)
2. About Bright House Networks (https://brighthouse.com/about/about-us/about-us.html)
3. Most recent data for WOW and Cable ONE is from Q3 2014
The chart above displays the top pay TV providers in the United States. Consumers have the option between cable, satellite and fiber. Many communities only have one cable television provider that services them. Typically, limited competition leads to higher competition. So it helps consumers to have satellite television as an option available nearly country-wide. The only area satellite isn’t a great option is in downtown areas with big buildings that block a satellite dish’s view of the western sky.
