MVPD Subscriber Losses Set to Decline With vMVPD Boost Drying Up, BTIG Says

It seems clear based on data so far that legacy, facilities-based distributors lost close to 950,000 subscribers in Q4, the second worst quarter ever, behind Q3 2018, BTIG Research analyst Rich Greenfield wrote investors Wednesday. He said benefits from virtual MVPDs slowed materially in Q4, leaving around 8 million subscribers at year's end. Minus vMVPD subscriber gains, MVPD subscriber losses exceeded 500,000, he said. Year-over-year subscriber trends that had improved throughout 2018 are going to worsen again in 2019, he said.