Charter Communications, which offers services in the United States under the Spectrum brand, has become the leading cable television provider in the United States by subscriber numbers. It has finally overtaken Comcast, but only because it is losing cable television customers slightly more slowly. Between them, they lost nearly 0.6 million residential cable television customers in the last quarter, ending up with 24.216 million between them.
Charter reported that it had 12.16 million residential cable television customers at the end of the first quarter of 2025. That is down by 167,000 on the previous quarter or a loss of 950,000 on the same time the previous year, or down 3.32 million over four years.
Comcast had 12.10 million residential cable television customers, a loss of 427,000 in the first quarter, down by 1.52 million over a year, or 7.26 million over four years.
As informitv previously predicted would happen, it means that Charter overtook Comcast as the leading cable television service provider in the United States by residential subscriber numbers, but only because its rate of decline has been slower.
It begs the question why Comcast seems to be so careless in losing television customers, while Charter seems to be hanging on to them slightly better.
Comcast is still ahead on residential internet customers in the United States, with 29.19 million, down by 183,000 over the quarter, from a peak of 29.84 million three years previously.
Charter has slightly fewer residential internet customers at 27.98 million, down by 55,000 over the quarter, from its peak of 28.61 million at the end of the third quarter of 2023.
Comcast still seems to be managing to make money. Its connectivity and platforms business had revenues of $20.14 billion in the first quarter, with a residential margin of 39%. Consolidated revenue was $29.89 billion for the quarter slightly down by 0.6% on the same quarter the previous year.
Charter, which is more of a pure communications services company, had total revenues of $13.74 billion in the first quarter, down 0.4% on the previous year.