Satellite TV giants DirecTV and Dish could lose more than 1 million subscribers in total next quarter as the sector slumps
By Ashley Rodriguez
[list]The biggest losses of pay-TV subscribers are now from satellite services including DirecTV and Dish, a June report from Credit Suisse shows.[/list]
[list]The two US satellite companies could lose more than 1 million subscribers next quarter, and end 2019 with 12% fewer subscribers than they had at the end of 2018, based on the estimates.[/list]
[list]Most of the losses will be at DirecTV, while Dish should see respite in the second half of the year.[/list]
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Satellite subscriber losses have been mounting year-over-year, and analysts at Credit Suisse expect the trend to continue throughout 2019, according to the firm's Jun. 3 report on the media and telecom sectors.
During the first quarter of 2019, the two major US satellite-TV companies combined lost more than double the subscribers they lost during the same period last year. DirecTV and Dish lost about 926,000 net subscribers altogether during the first quarter, up from 373,000 a year ago. They closed out the period with 9.4% fewer satellite subscribers than they had during the first quarter of 2018, according to the report.
Credit Suisse anticipates even greater subscriber losses, totaling more than 1 million, during the second quarter. It also projects DirecTV and Dish will end 2019 with 12% fewer satellite subscribers than they did last year — compared to a 7.5% drop year-over-year in the last quarter of 2018.
Full Story: Business Insider