Sizing up the cable industry in the fourth quarter of 2010
The table below summarizes reported fourth quarter earnings among the major MSOs, as well as satellite and IPTV operators.
Basic subscriber losses and rising retransmission fees took a chunk out of cable industry profits in Q4 2010, but the popularity of broadband has residential and business customers coming back into the fold, as this related feature finds.
Plenty of M&A activity marked the fourth quarter, as Comcast worked to push through FCC approval of its merger with NBC Universal. That finally took place in the first quarter of 2011, with the FCC's nod coming in January. Meantime, Cablevision completed its purchase of Bresnan Communications, after edging out six other bidders in the sale by Providence Equity Partners after founder Bill Bresnan's passing in 2009.
Mediacom Communications, after reporting a 1.9 percent increase in Q4 revenues, was taken private soon after shareholders approved a takeover offer by former CEO and founder Rocco B. Commisso last week--the ultimate end to a merger agreement the company entered into in November.
Take a look at all our fourth quarter earnings news.
| 4Q 2010 Results - Cable MSOs | ||||||
|
MSO |
Revenues Q4 |
Y-o-Y |
Basic Subs |
Digital Subs |
Broadband Subs |
Mergers / Acquisitions |
|
$1.87 billion |
5.7% |
(35,000) |
(15,000) |
5,500 |
Completed purchase of Bresnan Communications |
|
|
$1.78 billion |
4.3% |
(63,000) |
19,200 |
31,700 |
|
|
|
$9.7 billion |
7.2% |
(135,000) |
283,000 |
292,000 |
NBC Universal merger completed Q1 2011 |
|
|
$123.6 million |
15.3% |
24,036 (video connections) |
|
27,969 (data connections) |
Acquired Sunflower Broadband for $165 million |
|
|
$378.9 million |
1.9% |
(10,000) |
14,000 |
11,000 |
Entered into merger agreement with Rocco B. Commisso, who will take Mediacom private |
|
|
$4.8 billion |
5.9% |
(141,000) |
|
94,000 |
|
|
|
$191.3 million |
~1% |
(20,573) |
(3,778) |
75,995 |
|
|
|
$6.6 billion |
11% |
964,000 (incl. DirecTV Latin America) |
N/A |
N/A |
Purchased 19% of Sky Brazil |
|
|
$3.21 billion |
8.2% |
(156,000) |
N/A |
N/A |
Purchased Liberty-Bell Telecom in Dec. |
|
|
$1.1 billion |
(2.5%) |
246,000 (U-verse & satellite) |
|
210,000 |
|
|
|
$1.8 billion |
18.4% |
182,000 (FiOS TV) |
|
52,000 (FiOS & DSL) |
|
|
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