Latest in skinny bundle

With TV antenna use booming, skinny bundles gaining traction and subscription streaming still on the upswing, new findings from Nielsen offer some eye-opening statistics showing how viewers are getting TV programming outside of the traditional pay bundle. While about 89 million U.S. households still subscribe to…

The pace of cord-cutting accelerated in 2018, with the largest pay-TV providers shedding about 2.9 million video subscribers, nearly double the 1.5 million subscriber losses in 2017, according to the latest study by Leichtman Research Group. The research firm, which tracks providers covering about 95% of the market…

With competition growing in the internet-delivered pay-TV market, one of its pioneers is offering a sizable price cut for new subscribers during their first three months. The company has rolled out a 40% discount on monthly plans, making the cost $15 a month for basic plans, or $25 a month for higher-tier plans with…

Viacom and FuboTV have set a carriage deal that will put nine of the programmer’s networks on the virtual MVPD’s basic tier. The networks covered by the deal include BET, CMT, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., Paramount Network, TV Land and VH1. Other Viacom networks will also be available in a higher Fubo…

Hulu is phasing in a significant rate hike for its skinny-bundle live TV service, to $44.99 a month from $39.99, but at the same time will lower the price of its signature SVOD offering to $5.99 from $7.99. The ad-free version of Hulu’s SVOD service will remain $11.99 a month. The new pricing scheme will go into…

Discovery Communications reported mixed third-quarter results, but executives during a conference call with Wall Street analysts pointed to expanding skinny-bundle distribution and growth overseas. Six months after closing its $14 billion acquisition of Scripps Networks Interactive, the company reported adjusted earnin…

UPDATE with closing stock price. Two years and tens of billions of dollars after AT&T’s pursuit of Time Warner began, the assets now known as WarnerMedia generated zero discussion during an hour-long quarterly earnings call with Wall Street analysts. Before the call, AT&T reported a mixed bag of third-quarter…

FuboTV, whose skinny-bundle TV service predates those launched by DirecTV, Dish, Hulu and YouTube, is not quite as big as those heavier-marketed offerings. This morning, though, the company announced it is now approaching 250,000 subscribers and has set company records in key financial metrics such as time spent and…

Turner, a key player in TV sports, has reached a carriage deal with emerging skinny bundle fuboTV. The internet-delivered service has steadily built a low-six-figure subscriber base as viewers continue to reshuffle their TV packages and sports remains a lure. The Turner portfolio gives fubo 40 total networks featuring…

AT&T said today it will raise the monthly rate for its internet-delivered DirecTV Now service to $40, from $35. The move follows last Thursday’s announcement by Dish’s Sling TV that it was boosting the rate for its basic service by 25%, to $25. And in March, YouTube said it was raising its rate to $40 a month, on the…

A new report from UBS predicts a “steeper ramp” than previously forecast for so-called “skinny bundle” services like Sling TV and DirecTV Now in the coming years. By 2022, the financial institution’s media analysts predict, they will represent 25% of all pay-TV subscriptions. “As these offerings continue to…

Hulu has nearly doubled the number of subscribers to its “skinny bundle” pay-TV service over the past six months, reaching 800,000 paying customers, according to CEO Randy Freer. The Hulu chief provided the estimate during an interview with CNBC. The company, which is controlled by 21st Century Fox, Disney and…