Comcast’s customers are dropping like flies, just like Verizon’s

MSN ^ | 4/25/2025 | Matthew Sholtz

[bert]

Trends favor cord-cutting and switching to streaming services, leading to customer losses. Comcast's Peacock service saw growth, but remains unprofitable after five years. Universal Studios' earnings dropped in part due to the California wildfire. It's the time of year when Q1 earnings reports are starting to trickle in, and much like Verizon's recent report that showcased significant subscriber losses, Comcast is also feeling the pinch, with a report detailing customer losses across paid TV and broadband (via Bloomberg).

While it's not all bad news, Comcast’s Peacock service saw some growth, it's still not a profitable service after five years. Ouch. Cutting the cable television cord has been a trend ever since Netflix started offering streamed online content all the way back in 2007.

Consumers were no longer beholden to cable providers to get their movie and TV show fix, and this trend is still growing with no expectation of it stopping.

So when Comcast drops an earnings report that details it lost 427,000 Pay-TV customers, it may not come as a surprise. But if you're thinking Comcast is cleaning up by picking up new broadband subscribers as they switch from cable to streaming services, you'd be wrong, as Comcast also lost 199,000 domestic broadband customers in the last quarter.

And things only get worse from here. Like many companies that want to keep their content on their own services, Comcast's Peacock streaming service exists to pick up those cable customers leaving for greener streaming pastures. And while the Peacock streaming service saw 41 million new subscribers in the quarter, with revenue rising 16% to $1.23 billion, this sum still failed to hit a projected $1.3 billion, leaving Peacock unprofitable (for its fifth year in a row) with a $215 million adjusted loss for the quarter.

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TOPICS: Business/Economy; TV/Movies
KEYWORDS: comcast; msnbc; nbc

[bert]

This is some good news on a Friday Morning.

The American enemy, purveyor of anti American propaganda, left wing extremist promoter, COMCAST is hemorrhaging customers. The need for Comcast to exist is no more.

[virgil]

Had to cut cable service a while back. It was just too expensive. The bill for TV, Internet and phone was approaching $400 a month. Crazy.

[MayflowerMadam]

What the hell kind of title is that? Shouldn’t there be some punctuation, or is it the new style of journalists to go to a random word generator?

[Cowgirl of Justice]

We have several tvs (LG and Samsung) that came with a program that streams dozens of channels with our internet. We have Prime and Netflix but don’t pay the $250+/mo my dad and others pay for cable channels. We have everything we need for about $65 a month plus the charges for our subscriptions.

[Bigg Red]

mark

[V_TWIN]

Looks like the title was posted twice by mistake.

[dfwgator]

But they are probably switching to YouTube TV.

[V_TWIN]

Problem is, streaming services are getting about as expensive as Comcast and directv.

Youtube tv is now $83 a month and Fubo tv is at least thzt much.

Slingtv is probably still the cheapest but doesn’t carry local network channels so a OTA antenna is necessary. Although I keep hearing rumors about free OTA channels becoming a thing of the past.

[dfwgator]

Who watches local channels anymore?

[Doctor Congo]

I have a Roku TV that gives me all the channels I can handle, for free except for the need to have an internet connection. But mostly I still watch the local channels. I could use a way to record shows that are on too late like SWAT tonight. I go to bed at 10 and get up at 5.

[Swanks]

I’m $67 with Spectrum then $70 on internet.. that just went up from $55 so it’s same $$ as Google Fiber. But switching to Google gonna take away some TV discounts so that goes up. The TV package is pretty good considering the sports avail I’m after. Sone I’m kinda stuck. Sling FUBO etc are all more $$

[ponygirl]

Me. I love local channels and have an antennae. Streaming has gotten so expensive it’s no longer affordable for me. My damn phone alone is $115 and internet is $90… and the connection is spotty or sometimes just craps out completely, and I’m in the middle of the city. Can’t afford steaming on top of that.

[Swanks]

I am only 14 mi from a major tower with decent line of sight so a cheap antenna off the house = about 40 channels incl the big 4 locals. It’s nice when the internet goes out to switch over. Use “ TVFOOL.com “ to ID your specific situation incl distance and where you need to point an antenna

[CatOwner]

Who watches local channels anymore?

My wife used to, but she says there hasn't been a decent TV series in several years now.

We have had Sling TV for two years now, which is advertised as not having local channels. But in many TV markets, they'll provide the NBC or Fox affiliate for free, sometimes both.

In our area, we get Fox affiliate. We don't watch any prime time broadcast shows, but it is nice to have a local channel when you want to watch the news for regional events (weather, fires, etc.).

[kelly4c]

I try to convince my husband to drop cable every now and then but it’s just his comfort zone I guess ugh

[Melinda in TN]

I cut the cable to DTV and have Roku units on all the TV’s. That gives me a lot of free TV channels plus I subscribe to Netflix. I get Paramount+ with Walmart+ and Prime Video with Prime. All total it’s about $200 a month cheaper than DTV. We have Spectrum fiber optic unlimited Internet and it’s $60 a month cheaper than Hughes.net plus it’s unlimited (no data caps) and no satellite. My local channels are free with Haystack and some others. I like the free Pluto app.

[mewzilla]

Wonder how many of the customers were so-called public servants sticking taxpayers with their Verizon bills...

[Swanks]

… and SolidSignal.com is a great supply store. If they don’t have it, you don’t need it

[mewzilla]

I finally got my husband to agree when I explained what carriage fees were.

After that, easy peasy.