Biggest-Ever Drop in Subscription Video Accounts

Keep it in perspective, but in the second quarter of 2012 the U.S. subscription video entertainment business, accustomed to growing every year, suffered its biggest-ever decline in subscribers.

Net U.S. subscriber additions for subscription TV fell by 350,000 in the second quarter. These results were slightly worse than the 340,000 decline during the same period in 2011. You can make up your own mind about why the decline is happening. The second quarter is seasonally the toughest quarter of the year, but most of us would argue there is some combination of less interest in the product, affordability issues and use of substitute products at work. 

U.S. satellite providers also lost subscribers during the first quarter, down 62,000.  DirecTV's loss of 52,000 subscribers was its first-ever decline. 

Cable TV operators lost 600,000 subscribers in  the second quarter. And it is no fluke. Cable subs have decreased during each of the last 21 consecutive quarters.