Leichtman Research Group, Inc. recently published results from a survey it conducted that found that the largest cable and wireline phone providers in the U.S. – representing about 96 percent of the market – acquired about 2,950,000 net additional broadband Internet subscribers in 2021, compared to a pro forma gain of about 4,860,000 subscribers in 2020, and about 2,550,000 in 2019.
These top broadband providers, according to the survey, now account for about 108.4 million subscribers, with top cable companies having about 75.7 million broadband subscribers, and top wireline phone companies having about 32.7 million subscribers. Overall, broadband additions in 2021 were 61 percent of the total in 2020, and 115 percent of the total in 2019.
In addition, the top cable companies had about 2.8 million net adds in 2021, 58 percent of the cable broadband additions in 2020, and 89 percent of additions in 2019. The top wireline phone companies added about 150,000 subscribers in 2021 – compared to a gain of about 30,000 subscribers in 2020, and a net loss of about 590,000 subscribers in 2019.
The study showed that telcos had about 1.8 million net adds via fiber in 2021, compared to about 1.64 million fiber net adds in 2020. Among these top providers, cable companies accounted for 95 percent of the net broadband adds in 2021, compared to 99 percent in 2020, and 123 percent in 2019.
“Broadband additions proved to be resilient in 2021, following 2020’s pandemic-related surge in subscribers,” said Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst for Leichtman Research Group, Inc. “The top broadband providers added significantly fewer subscribers in 2021 than in 2020, but the net adds in 2021 were higher than in each year from 2016-2019.”
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