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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsThe combined U.S. pay-TV market added 303,000 net subscribers in the third quarter of 2025, its first quarter-over-quarter increase since 2017. That does not mean traditional cable subscriptions grew: the total also counts internet-delivered live-TV services such as YouTube TV, and cable and satellite remained down year over year. Later losses in the first half of 2026 showed that one seasonal gain was not a lasting reversal of cord-cutting.
What grew—and what did not
The headline refers to the combined U.S. pay-TV subscriber count, not to cable-channel subscriptions on their own. MoffettNathanson’s Cord-Cutting Monitor, as reported by Ars Technica, counted cable, satellite, telco TV and virtual multichannel video programming distributors (vMVPDs). The combined category gained 303,000 net subscribers in Q3 2025 compared with the previous quarter.
Traditional pay TV means cable, satellite and telco TV. A vMVPD is an internet-delivered package of live television channels; YouTube TV and Fubo are examples cited in the report. These services can carry familiar linear channels, but they are not traditional cable subscriptions. The distinction matters: traditional cable and satellite were still down year over year in Q3 2025 even as the broader category posted a quarterly gain.
How unusual was the Q3 2025 increase?
The last previous Q3 increase cited by MoffettNathanson was in 2017, when the combined category added 318,000 net subscribers. The 303,000 gain in Q3 2025 was slightly smaller. “Net additions” means subscribers gained minus subscribers lost during the period; it does not mean every provider grew or that the total was higher than a year earlier.
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Analysts attributed much of the Q3 2025 lift to virtual providers. MoffettNathanson estimated YouTube TV added 750,000 subscribers that quarter, compared with an estimated 1 million in Q3 2024. Those are analyst estimates reported by Ars Technica, not subscriber figures disclosed by YouTube TV.
The timing also calls for caution. MoffettNathanson described Q3 as the pay-TV market’s seasonally strongest quarter and warned that one positive result did not establish renewed growth. The quarter’s gain was a pause in the longer decline, not proof that viewers were broadly returning to traditional cable.
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What happened after the brief gain?
Subsequent estimates reported by Light Reading show a sharp reversal. The combined U.S. pay-TV category lost 2.03 million subscribers in Q1 2026, leaving 62.23 million at quarter-end: 40.90 million with traditional providers and 21.33 million with vMVPDs.
In Q2 2026, the category lost another 885,000, according to Light Reading. The reported total at quarter-end was 61.51 million, comprising 27.5 million cable, 21.42 million vMVPD, 9.56 million satellite and 3.01 million telco TV subscribers.
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| Period | Reported change | Reported total or breakdown |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2025 | Added 303,000 net subscribers quarter over quarter; first positive quarter-over-quarter result since 2017 | Not stated in the cited Ars Technica report |
| Q1 2026 | Lost 2.03 million subscribers | 62.23 million total: 40.90 million traditional-provider subscribers and 21.33 million vMVPD subscribers |
| Q2 2026 | Lost 885,000 subscribers | 61.51 million total: 27.5 million cable, 21.42 million vMVPD, 9.56 million satellite and 3.01 million telco TV subscribers |
The 2026 figures are estimates attributed to MoffettNathanson in Light Reading’s reporting. The categories and totals are useful for showing the direction of the market, but the Q3 2025 quarterly gain should not be compared with a year-over-year change as though they measured the same thing.
So, did people go back to cable?
No broad return to traditional cable is established by these figures. The Q3 2025 increase applied to a combined market that includes internet-based live-TV bundles, while cable and satellite were still declining year over year. The losses in Q1 and Q2 2026 further show why a single seasonally strong quarter is not evidence that cord-cutting has ended.
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