Charter Sheds 80,000 TV Customers in Latest Quarter, Shrinking Losses

As a devoted viewer, I’ve noticed that Charter Communications is grappling with a steady loss of video and broadband customers. This is because, in the era of streaming, traditional cable giants like Charter are facing intense competition from platforms such as YouTube and other modern competitors. The shift away from conventional TV is also impacting their ability to attract and keep video viewers.

In the second quarter ending June 30, 2025, the company, headed by CEO Chris Winfrey, experienced a decrease of 117,000 Internet users and 80,000 TV customers, but gained 500,000 mobile wire line subscribers. Operating under the Spectrum brand name, the company served a total of 31.2 million customers (excluding only mobile customers) during this period.

In contrast to the previous financial quarter which showed a decline in Internet and video subscribers for Charter, this latest quarter represented an improvement. The company experienced a loss of 408,000 video subscribers and 149,000 Internet customers during the same period last year, but this was partly due to the conclusion of government subsidies under the Affordable Connectivity Program for low-income households.

Investors demanded more due to ongoing customer losses, causing Charter’s shares to drop by $30, or 8%, to $350 in pre-market trading on Friday. Charter is still grappling with intense competition from fiber TV providers, satellite services, and streaming platforms, all of which are eroding the market share of traditional cable TV providers who are already struggling with cord-cutting and cord-nevers.

At the close of the second quarter, Charter’s customer base for video services totaled approximately 12.6 million. During this period, Charter’s overall revenue remained stable, experiencing a slight increase of 0.6% to reach $13.76 billion. The company’s net income attributable to shareholders also saw an uptick of 5.7%, amounting to $1.3 billion in the second quarter. Notably, TV video revenue decreased by 10% to hit $3.5 billion during this timeframe; however, this was compensated by a rise of 2.8% in Internet revenue, which climbed to $6 billion.

The newly disclosed outcomes for Charter are consistent with their recent announcement of a $34.5 billion fusion with Cox Communications, resulting in an immense cable giant boasting significant size in both broadband internet coverage and video services.

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2025-07-25 14:54