Comcast expected to report loss of 125,000 basic cable subscribers in Q4

Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA) will likely report Wednesday that it lost 125,000 basic video subscribers during the fourth quarter, said Citigroup analyst Jason Bazinet.

That would be an improvement from Q3, when the nation's largest cable MSO lost 165,000 basic cable customers. It would also be an improved performance from Q4 2010, when it lost 135,000 basic subscribers.

Bazinet expects Comcast to report that it picked up 275,000 high-speed Internet subscribers during Q4, which would be a slight drop from 292,000 cable modem customers it added in Q4 2010.

Most cable MSOs continue to lose basic video subscribers, as a result of increased competition from Verizon (NYSE: VZ), AT&T (NYSE: T), DirecTV (Nasdaq: DTV) and Dish Network (Nasdaq: DISH). But cable operators have seen strong growth in high-speed data subscribers.

Time Warner Cable lost 129,000 video subscribers during Q4, while adding 117,000 cable modem customers.

DirecTV and Dish Network are scheduled to release Q4 results on Feb. 20. Charter Communications (Nasdaq: CHTR) will release its results on Feb. 28, and Cablevision (NYSE: CVC) will release earnings on Feb. 29.

For more:
- the AP has this story

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