Sports Helped Q3 MVPD Subscriber Trends, Uplift Temporary, Says Analyst

Sports was temporary wind in the sails in Q3 for MVPDs, but expect those losses to widen in Q4, nScreenMedia's Colin Dixon blogged Monday. Sports and especially the NFL seem to have slowed subscriber hemorrhaging, as MVPDs lost 1.1 million subscriptions -- "a big improvement" from deeper losses in Q1 and Q2, the analyst said. VMVPDs added 1.6 million. MLB and NFL ratings, while strong when they first resumed play, later dropped, and Q4 won't bring any additional major sports franchises, he said.