For the first time, more Americans subscribe to cable Internet than to cable TV – Quartz

You can now officially view US cable companies as Internet service providers with a declining secondary television business.

At the end of June, the number of broadband Internet subscribers from the nine largest American cable distributors (49,915,000) exceeded for the first time the number of television subscribers (49,910,000). It is according to a new count by Bruce Leichtman, President of Leichtman Research Group.

The step is important, if not surprising. Cable companies like Comcast have been losing TV subscribers for many years now as people cut the cord or switch to telecom service like Verizon and satellite companies like DirecTV.

However, the cable industry has remained strong as these companies replace their lost business with new Internet subscribers, who are paying more than ever. The average price of Time Warner Cable’s Internet service has increased 20% over the past two years, to $ 47 per month.

And as television moves to the Internet, the distinction between the two will become less important. For cable companies, data travels through the same pipes, and even cable cutters still tend to require Internet service. This is one of the reasons internet bills are likely to continue to rise.