Charter CEO Chris Winfrey Charter Communications Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment Charter Communications added video customers in its fourth quarter after the cable and internet giant introduced new pricing and bundled packages in Sept. 2024 in the face of stiff competition from YouTube and other streaming-era rivals. Spectrum added 44,000 video subscribers, compared to a loss of 70,000 subscribers in the third quarter and another 123,000 shed in the fourth quarter of 2024. The company added programmers' streaming applications in Spectrum's expanded basic packages to lower churn and had a slight bump in signups when Disney channels were unavailable for YouTube TV subscribers during a recent carriage dispute. Charter had 12.6 million pay-TV customers at the end of the fourth quarter. Related Stories Business Charter Loses 70,000 Pay-TV Subscribers in Third Quarter Business Spectrum Launches a Streaming App Store and Live Lakers Games on Apple Vision Pro Charter, led by CEO Chris Winfrey, also shed 119,000 Internet customers during the latest quarter, against a decline of 177,000 during the fourth quarter of 2024. That was offset by 428,000 net mobile line additions, compared to 522,000 mobile line customers added during the fourth quarter of 2024. "In this environment, getting back to positive net additions is a game of inches," Winfrey told financial analysts during a morning call as Charter battles in the residential and business connectivity markets with a converged broadband, mobile and video services strategy. Shares in Charter jumped by $15.49, or 8 percent, to $207.01 in pre-market trading as investors turned thumbs up to the narrowing of internet customer losses, continuing mobile line growth and a return to net video subscriber additions. Winfrey on the call also discussed whether the Q4 video customers rebound was sustainable. "Our North Star here is not to have net gains in video for net gain sakes. Our goal is to have a video product that supports broadband acquisition and broadband retention," he said of Internet customer alongside mobile line gains remaining the big prize. Winfrey added the video market remains intensely competitive: "The ecosystem is still really challenged. Programming costs continue to go up, in particular (retransmissions) is a real problem. But around that, you will continue to see us innovate." Overall fourth quarter revenue fell 2.3 percent to $13.6 billion year-over-year due to lower residential video and political advertising revenues. Net income attributable to Charter shareholders fell 9 percent $1.3 billion in the fourth quarter, while the latest quarter saw adjusted EBITDA slip 1.2 percent to $5.7 billion. In May 2025, Charter unveiled a $34.5 billion deal with Cox Communications to combine their businesses and create a cable TV giant with greater scale in broadband Internet connectivity and video to take on tech giants in the video and advertising spaces. The transaction is expected to be completed in mid-2026 as Charter works to get regulatory approvals. THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day Subscribe Sign Up Disney Disney Hires Morgan Stanley Analyst Ben Swinburne to Lead Investor Relations and Corporate Strategy Peter Chernin Peter Chernin's North Road Company Sells to Mediawan united kingdom Magus Films Steps Into U.K. Distribution With Matthew Hope's 'Empire of Lies' (Exclusive) Writers Guild of America Ahead of High-Profile Negotiations, Writers Guild West's Own Staff Union Authorizes Strike labor Production Workers at Big D.C. Concert Venues Vote to Unionize (Exclusive) Rambling Reporter LinkedIn Founder's AI Christmas Album Is as Bad as You'd Expect Disney Disney Hires Morgan Stanley Analyst Ben Swinburne to Lead Investor Relations and Corporate Strategy Peter Chernin Peter Chernin's North Road Company Sells to Mediawan united kingdom Magus Films Steps Into U.K. Distribution With Matthew Hope's 'Empire of Lies' (Exclusive) Writers Guild of America Ahead of High-Profile Negotiations, Writers Guild West's Own Staff Union Authorizes Strike labor Production Workers at Big D.C. Concert Venues Vote to Unionize (Exclusive) Rambling Reporter LinkedIn Founder's AI Christmas Album Is as Bad as You'd Expect