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from: Center for Media Research

First Quarter Sees Almost Three Million New High-Speed Internet Subscribers

May 18, 2007

[Editor’s note: To view the chart associated with this article, click here.]

According to Leichtman Research Group, Inc., the nineteen largest cable and telephone providers in the US, representing about 94% of the market, acquired over 2.9 million net additional high-speed Internet subscribers in the first quarter of 2007. The top broadband providers now account for 56.2 million subscribers, with cable companies having over 30.7 million broadband subscribers, and telephone companies having over 25.4 million subscribers.

Additional broadband findings for the quarter include:

* The top telephone companies added 1.49 million subscribers, 51% of the net broadband additions for the quarter
* The top cable providers had a record tying quarter with about 1.45 million subscribers added
* Telephone companies have added more broadband subscribers than cable providers in each of the last ten quarters, acquiring about 1.86 million more subscribers than cable over that time
* The top cable broadband providers have a 55% share of the market, with a 5.3 million subscriber advantage over the telephone companies.

Other related findings from the first quarter of 2007 include:

* The top cable companies added a record 1.1 million telephone subscribers
* The top cable companies added over 1.2 million digital cable subscribers, the most net additions since the fourth quarter of 2002
* The top cable companies added about 200,000 basic cable subscribers
* The three largest telephone companies added over 150,000 wireline video subscribers, and added 335,000 video subscribers in DBS partnerships

Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst for Leichtman Research Group, Inc. “The top cable companies now have over 30 million broadband subscribers, and about 10 million telephone subscribers, to complement their enhanced TV offerings.”