Comcast Excited To Have Lost 4,000 TV Subscribers This Spring (consumerist.com) 68
An anonymous reader writes from a report via The Consumerist: Comcast has released their second quarter results and they are happy to announce that they lost 4,000 TV subscribers in the last three months. Why are they so happy to announce such a loss? Because, compared to the same time last year where they lost 69,000 TV subscribers, the loss this year is much better for them. Comcast said in a statement to investors that "video customers net losses improved to 4,000, the best second quarter result in over 10 years." That Consumerist reports: "That means that for the most than a decade, the best Comcast can do in April to June of every year is to lose only 4,000 TV subscribers. At this time last year, Comcast reported 22.3 million TV subscribers, and at the same time this year, they report roughly 22.3 million TV subscribers. The major driver of increased subscriptions comes, as you'd guess, from broadband. Comcast reports an increase of 220,000 broadband customers in the second quarter which, in the overall growth of the company, entirely offsets a lost of 4,000 TV viewers."
Re: (Score:3)
I haven't been a subscriber in 8 years and I get something in the mail from Comcast.... Every. Single. Day.
I know sending junk mail costs next to nothing, but maybe if they step it down a notch they can save a few dollars.
Re: (Score:2)
CenturyLink does the same for me. I have said no to their face several times yet every week, there it is in my mailbox. I am sure they have wasted an entire tree and who knows how much ink on me...
Oh... as long as we are talking about junk mail... what is with charities sending me huge packets of paper? I already gave you money! I sought you out! You don't need to market to me anymore!
Won't someone think of the trees?!
And... to stay on topic... How many subscribers did they take on during the same period an
Re: (Score:2)
I think the amount of money you give, puts you in a bracket where they assume that you would like to recieve that sort of thing or maybe give more.
When I were looking through my budget to cut expenses( I dropped cable TV among other things), and halved what I gave to charity, the letters stopped.
Re: (Score:2)
I also got on some list that thinks I am over 65. (Sad story, was because my mom's last address was my house right before she died. Even though she wasn't retirement age either. We have the same last name, so...) So, I get AARP cards, hearing aid advertisements, medical scams, and pretty much every form of insurance scam junk mail constantly.
You would not believe the number of people trying to scam old people. Especially ones they think have just become a widow/widower.
Re: (Score:2)
It's the city blocking it (or at least was, I see all sorts of articles about the mayor THINKING about changing Rule 2-2009, but I haven't seen a single one about it actually being changed).
In order to install new telecom cabinets, 60% of the OWNERS (not the person renting the house, whatever guy in Florida or China or wherever who owns it) of the buildings within 100 feet of the cabinet has to approv
Take it from someone who knows (Score:2, Informative)
I worked at USPS and I can confirm that Comcast is on a whole different level than anyone else when it comes to sending junk mail, in measures of both frequency and address coverage.
The best measure you had that a house was empty was when they would get no mail other than Comcast junk.
I remember on one block on my very first route there was a tiny old empty house behind some trees back by an alley... if it weren't for Comcast junk making me go out of my way to look to see if such an address actually existed
Re: (Score:2)
It must be somewhat demoralizing knowing just how much of a % junk mail makes up of your routes.
Re: (Score:2)
I haven't been a subscriber in 8 years and I get something in the mail from Comcast.... Every. Single. Day.
I know sending junk mail costs next to nothing, but maybe if they step it down a notch they can save a few dollars.
There is a local cable TV/Internet provider here called Mediacom. I had them once because it was the only real option. I once talked to a regional manager from Comcast and asked them why they don't buy Mediacom and put them out of their misery.
The answer? Mediacom is too screwed up to buy and they tried. How screwed up do you have to be to not be buyable by Comcast??? Sheesh.
Mediacom gave me an unsolicited call one day selling their business internet bundle service. They didn't realize that I at one time ha
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Cut the poor sap a break. I figure 99% of the evil at Comcast (or Mediacom, or AT&T, etc...) lives at upper management and above. The rank and file employees are just trying to pay the rent. I don't yell at anyone at Comcast on the phone, or even complain. Whatever problems I have come from someone who would never bother to speak with an actual customer.
good point. I don't disagree with you.
Perhaps I had a fit of PTSD from such horrible service and performance of Mediacom.
At peak usefulness time, namely the 5pm to 11pm EST window, it was often sub 1.5 Mbps. This meant that, for example, youtube would not play. I know a guy who documented this and kept calling them and they kept comping him a months bill. He eventually went to DSL that was, on paper, slower, but in effect, much much faster.
Comcast itself isn't THAT bad, it's much much better than Mediacom.
Re: (Score:2)
There is no DSL available at my house, so I can't use the swap tactics to get a better price.
Annual Cycle (Score:2)
If there is an annual cycle where they tend to lose and gain subscribers at certain times of the year, then this makes sense.
I would be happy too if my down season was less pronounced than normal.
The article alone doesn't provide enough information to justify the snarky headline.
Fortunately, Comcast is a shitty enough company that they earn the snark simply by continuing to exist.
We call this Wall Street-ese... (Score:4, Insightful)
A high-flying stock missed the quarterly earnings by a penny per share and the share price plunged 50% in after market trading.
Translation: Stock analysts are dicks.
Re: (Score:2)
But easy to replace with your average magic-8-ball.
Numbers are easy to manipulate (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
I guess I am missing something, but 79 certainly seems cheaper that 89. That's how they get you, you say hey the cost for two is 45 each, but the cost for one is 79, so two is a better deal. This is NOT CORRECT. That 10 dollar package is likely furthermore just to local over the air plus some shitty religious channels anyway. Maybe QVC so you can spend even more money on things you don't need.
Do yourself a favor, and drop the TV, yeah paying $79 just for internet blows, however there are some fun things
Re: (Score:2)
Where I live, Comcast is the only high speed internet option. The next time I move, I think I'll ask the seller to purc
Re: (Score:1)
They just want the subscriber numbers even if you take the most basic package that nets them nothing and loses money in discount.
Just like magazines use various tactics to up their circulation numbers just to be able to jackup advertising rates.
Re: (Score:2)
I asked some friends once why they had Comcast. They said its cable service sucked, they said its internet service sucked, they said its phone service sucked, but they used it because bundled together the price wasn't too bad. Ringing endorsement!
Anyway, I don't have cable or cable internet. I went with AT&T. I think $50 for 12mbps, slower than Comcast for that price, but at least it's not Comcast.
Re: (Score:2)
Their sales and billing department are pure evil. They have to know they're pure evil. Every piece of junk mail I get from them has both "Existing customers only" and "New customers only" in the same paragraph of fine print, and I have to believe it's an intenti
Remember when...? (Score:3)
FCC to save Cable TV (Score:3)
Re: (Score:3)
I couldn't convince my wife to give up cable television, but two and a half years ago I finally convinced her to switch from Comcast to DirecTV. Our first two years at DirectTV were covered by a detailed contract, so I knew exactly what I was paying each month. Month 25 hits, and I get a bill for $107. Now, if anything I think the service cost of the first two years should be higher - they have to recoup the cost of
Wonderful marketing strategy (Score:1)
"We lost less than we did last year."
That's like saying Clinton is not as bad as *That Other Guy*
Re: (Score:2)
It's more like "It doesn't look as good as it did yesterday, but it sure looks better than tomorrow!"
Really, not that interesting .... (Score:5, Interesting)
Seriously, in other "news", Amazon sees a huge decline in revenue in Q1 every year ...
Yes, Comcast, and just about every other related company (cable, IPTV, or satellite), loses subs every year in Q2, or at best sees fewer gains. People tend to move out of their houses in the spring, so that they can sell during the peak buying summer season, since families with children prefer not to move during the school year. And college students cancel their subscriptions when school ends in May or June (Q2) for the summer (even broadband, if they are living off campus). Typically, they gain the majority (or perhaps more, some years) of those subs back in Q3 or Q4; as evidenced by the "flat" year-over-year numbers.
Yes, losing 4,000 subs in Q2 is something for Comcast to celebrate, because if history is any indication, that means that they are actually going to see positive growth for the year. But it's not all good news. It's entirely possible that history isn't an indication, and that the reason that fewer subs were lost in Q2 this year was because there are fewer students subscribing in the first place. And that means that these subs won't reappear in the fall, if that's the case. I can't tell for certain, but it's a possibility.
Re: (Score:2)
Of course, it's partly a bait and switch scam. I can pay $80 for 75/5 internet or $65 for 75/5 internet plus television. But if I get the television, I'll probably want DVR service and that includes an equipment rental fee and a monthly service fee, and those push the price above $80.
Re: (Score:2)
Why are they so happy to announce such a loss? Because, compared to the same time last year where they lost 69,000 TV subscribers, the loss this year is much better for them. (emphasis mine)
Frontier's loss is Comcast's gain (Score:2)
Frontier's takeover of FIOS has something to do with this too. Frontier is another traditional cable company (whose business model is to drive customers away as quickly as possible) and the churn is driving people to Comcast. I know several who made that choice quickly after Frontier took over.
Second I get 100 Gbps service in Seattle (Score:1)
I'm out of there.
Just saying. Already bought an HDTV antenna, so it's sayonara, Comcast.
Knowing my high school classmates in BC get 200 Mbps for $20 a month makes me furious.
Re: (Score:3)
Knowing my high school classmates in BC get 200 Mbps for $20 a month makes me furious.
They're lying, or in one of a few very specific buildings... the rest of us suffer with plans as bad as what's south of the border, or worse.
Re: (Score:1)
The ones I'm referring to just signed up for them in Burnaby and Vancouver. Still cheaper than $220 from Comcast for lower speeds.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
100Gbps service? Are you planning on running an ISP with a couple hundred thousand customers out of your house?
It's none of your business what I want to do.
But Seattle is the home of tech startups, after all.
Re: (Score:2)
Ban same company offering connectivity and content (Score:3)
Even if Comcast remains a natural monopoly, it will not be able to push it's expensive TV packages riddles with ads and worthless filler channels. Speeds and rates can then be addressed with regulation and services like Sling will compete on price and quality.
Re: (Score:2)
It's a bit of a stretch to call Comcast a natural monopoly. Yes, it's true that the physical wiring installation is a barrier for entry for new competitors, but not an insurmountable one. Many areas of the US have multiple cable offerings. Not my area, but many. A natural monopoly occurs when a single company out-competes all competitors, or where profits are so slim that the remaining entities have to merge just to reduce overhead to survive. For most regions where a single cable company holds local m
Re: (Score:2)
I would argue that natural monopoly is when multiple competing companies would result in unacceptably higher cost of service. Like if there are 3 competing cable providers with equal market share, a customer of one of them ends up paying for cost of laying and maintaining cable to two other homes in case they switch. So regulated utility model is best to ensure good treatment of customers while controlling costs.
If you can antenna... (Score:3)
Re: If you can antenna... (Score:3)
Better yet, buy a HDHomeRun (the HDHR3-US goes for about $50 on eBay) and pair it with an old laptop (dualcore, 4 gigs, preferably a ssd, win 7 pro or 8 pro) and external 2-8tb hard drive to use with Windows Media Center. Then, you'll have a DVR that's at least as good as any you could get from Comcast, and won't have to pay a thing for DVR guide service (if Microsoft discontinues the free guide data, there's a company that charges $25/year and integrated with WMC).
Better yet, if you miss cable tv channels,
Sounds familiar? (Score:1)
MS makes the latest Win10 upgrade nag full-screen, after a long campaign of dirty tricks forcing win7 users to upgrade. "Tens of millions of people switched to Windows 10! Success!"
They'll soo lose a few more in my neighborhood... (Score:1)
Fiber would have to cost a LOT more than Comcast before I'd consider NOT switching.
Cut my service by 2/3 yesterday (Score:1)
From 197 (not even near a full package) to $70 with tax.
That's $50 for 25mb plus 10 for basic cable & hbo plus 10 for taxes.
It's a one year deal with a contract that runs 1 year (I was very specific- no 1 year deals with 2 year contracts).
Can't tell the difference.
That's about 1500 per year. That's a ski trip. maybe 2 with buds. Or it's a new car every decade.
Cup Half Empty? (Score:2)
220,000 new customers - 4000 existing customers = 216,000 more clients. Where's the downside for them exactly?