Continuing a years-long trend, in 2017 cable added about 2.7 million broadband subscribers while telcos lost about 625,000. Cable companies accounted for 130% of the net broadband adds for the year.
According to the Leichtman Research Group, the 14 largest cable and telephone providers in the United States - representing about 95% of the market - acquired about 2.1 million net additional high-speed Internet subscribers in 2017. Annual net broadband additions in 2017 were 78% of the 2.7 million net adds in 2016.
The top broadband providers now account for nearly 95.1 million subscribers, with top cable companies having about 61.2 million broadband subscribers and top telephone companies having 33.9 million subscribers.
Other findings indicate:
- The top cable companies added 2.7 million broadband subscribers in 2017, 83% of the net additions for the top cable companies in 2016. Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) has added more than a million broadband subscribers each year from 2010-2017. Charter Communications (NASDAQ:CHTR) has added more than a million broadband subscribers each year from 2014-2017.
- The top telephone companies lost about 625,000 subscribers in 2017, similar to a loss of about 600,000 subscribers in 2016.
"The top broadband providers in the U.S. added nearly 4.8 million net broadband subscribers over the past two years," said Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst for LRG. "The top cable companies accounted for 130% of the net broadband additions in 2017, following 122% of the net adds in 2016."
