The number of digital-cable subscribers has surged this year even as cable-TV companies continue to lose market share to satellite-TV operators, a new study shows.
The portion of households with cable dropped to 58 percent this year from 60 percent a year ago while satellite penetration increased to 29 percent from 27 percent, according to a study by J.D. Power and Associates released Wednesday. One percent of all households subscribe to both satellite and cable.
Cable customers spend an average of $58 a month, down $1 from 2005, the study said. Satellite subscribers spend an average of $61 a month, up $3 from a year ago.
The study also ranked companies in terms of customer satisfaction. In the West region, Cox Communications ranked first, followed by EchoStar’s Dish Network, DirecTV and Comcast.
WideOpenWest, a provider of cable, digital cable, high- speed Internet and digital telephone services, ranked No. 1 in the North Central region. The company, based in Arapahoe County, operates in 114 municipalities reaching more than 1.4 million households in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio.
Despite losing market share to satellite TV, cable providers saw an increase in digital-cable customers. The J.D. Power study found that 41 percent of cable customers subscribed to digital cable this year, up from 30 percent in 2005.
Digital-cable subscribers receive more programming than analog customers and have access to services such as video- on-demand and high-definition TV.
Comcast, which has more than 800,000 subscribers in Colorado, began offering a $99-a-month bundled package of digital cable, high-speed Internet and phone service in the state this summer.
“We are seeing more and more customers that are taking our digital product,” said Cindy Parsons, a Comcast spokeswoman.
Staff writer Andy Vuong can be reached at 303-820-1209 or avuong@denverpost.com.
