Cord cutting has continued to hit live TV services hard with cable TV and satellite getting hit hardest. Now DISH has reported in its earnings calls that it has lost over 515,000 TV subscribers so far in 2023. That works out to be over 2,800 subscribers lost every single day in the first half of 2023. If this continues DISH could lose over a million subscribers in 2023. Dish reportedly still has over 6.9 million subscribers paying for its TV service. This makes it the 4th largest provider of live TV services in the United States.
What is interesting is DISH has been able to slow its losses, especially in the 2nd quarter of 2023. In the first quarter of 2023 DISH lost 318,000 subscribers but that number dropped to just 197,000 subscribers lost in the 2nd quarter of 2023.
DISH is not alone in struggling with subscriber losses, as all major cable TV companies reported losing TV subscribers in the first half of 2023. This includes Comcast losing over 1.15 million and Spectrum losing over 441,000. DIRECTV its main competitor in satellite TV also reportedly lost 750,000 subscribers in the first half of 2023 according to the Leichtman Research Group.
The question now is what will happen this fall. Sports is finally back and that often helps keep subscribers but the writers and actors strike means there will not be as many new programs this fall. For now we will have to see how this plays out in the 3rd quarter of 2023.
As inflation grows and Americans struggle with bills increasingly they seem to be turning to cheaper on-demand options for their TV services.