As Comcast and Charter Communications prepare for their next quarterly subscriber updates, a critical but often overlooked factor continues to sustain traditional cable television services: mandatory or bundled subscriptions tied to homeowners associations and apartment complexes. These arrangements force residents to pay for cable TV whether they watch it or not, creating a stable revenue stream that cushions the major providers against the ongoing wave of cord-cutting. Sadly, the FCC has ended plans to ban this practice that forces many people to pay for cable TV.
In the first quarter of 2026, both companies reported further declines in video subscribers, underscoring the pressure from streaming alternatives. Comcast recorded a net loss of 322,000 domestic video customers, bringing its total to roughly 11 million. Spectrum experienced smaller but still notable drops, shedding 51,000 residential video customers and 60,000 overall, ending the period with approximately 12.5 million total video customers. Broadband numbers also weakened, with Comcast losing 65,000 domestic residential broadband customers—an improvement from the prior year but still a decline—and Spectrum losing 120,000 internet subscribers, for a total of 29.6 million.
These losses fit a longer pattern. In the first three quarters of 2025 alone, Comcast and Spectrum together lost more than 1.3 million traditional pay-TV customers and over 900,000 internet subscribers. Nationwide, traditional pay-TV subscriptions have fallen from peaks above 100 million households a decade ago to an estimated 50–66 million today. Without additional supports, the erosion would likely be even more severe.
The buffer comes largely from bulk agreements with HOAs and multifamily properties. The United States has roughly 370,000 HOAs covering about 40 million housing units. Even a conservative estimate suggests that a quarter of these maintain active bulk cable partnerships, locking in around 10 million subscribers. More than 20 million multifamily rental units exist nationwide, and an increasing number bundle cable television and internet directly into monthly rent or HOA fees. Combined, these mandatory or semi-mandatory arrangements likely account for 15 million or more subscribers who cannot easily opt out.
In practice, property owners negotiate discounted bulk rates with providers like Comcast and Spectrum, then incorporate the cost into rent or mandatory assessments. Residents receive the service as part of their housing package and often cannot decline it without moving or facing extra fees. Many end up as “quiet quitters”—paying for traditional cable while relying primarily on streaming devices and services for their actual viewing. The cable connection remains active on paper, preserving revenue for the providers even as individual households abandon traditional channel packages.
This structural tie to housing has slowed the pace of industry decline. Cable companies still face intense competition in broadband from fiber providers and in video from on-demand platforms, yet the captive audience in apartments and HOAs provides predictable income that supports infrastructure investments and overall operations. Commercial bulk deals with hotels, offices, and other institutions add further stability, though residential HOAs and apartments represent the largest ongoing residential buffer.
Critics argue that these arrangements limit consumer choice and inflate housing costs for people who prefer streaming-only setups. Advocacy groups have called for greater flexibility, including rules that would let residents opt out of bundled video services. Property owners and industry representatives counter that bulk deals deliver convenience, negotiated savings passed along in fees, and reliable high-speed connectivity that benefits entire buildings. Regulatory efforts to restrict mandatory bulk billing have so far met resistance, with supporters noting that such contracts can improve broadband access in multi-unit buildings.
Looking ahead to the next subscriber reports, the role of these housing-linked agreements will likely remain a key variable. If consumer pushback grows or more properties shift toward optional services, the buffer could shrink. For now, however, HOAs and apartment complexes continue to act as a quiet but powerful force keeping traditional cable television viable. They convert what would otherwise be voluntary subscriptions into unavoidable housing expenses, helping Comcast and Spectrum weather subscriber losses that would otherwise accelerate the transition to a fully streaming-dominated market.
Both companies are responding to the broader shifts by expanding mobile offerings and refining video packages. Comcast added a record 435,000 wireless lines in the first quarter, reaching 9.7 million total lines. Spectrum gained 368,000 mobile lines, bringing its total above 12 million. These mobile gains provide diversification, yet the core video business still depends heavily on the steady flow of revenue from bulk residential contracts.
In an era defined by cord-cutting, the survival of cable TV is no longer driven solely by enthusiastic viewers. It increasingly rests on contractual obligations embedded in where people live. As long as HOAs and apartment operators continue negotiating and enforcing these bundles, Comcast and Spectrum retain a significant portion of their traditional video base—even among households that rarely or never tune in to linear television. This dynamic explains why subscriber erosion, while real and ongoing, has not yet produced the total collapse some predicted years ago. The next round of numbers will reveal whether this housing-backed stability holds or begins to fray under growing pressure for individual choice.
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