Who Are The Biggest Cable Providers?

Do you have a ton of cable options? Not really - which is why so many people wonder how many cable providers there are and why they only have access to one or two providers when there are companies out there. It all comes down to access and money, like so many other things in life. Cable providers need to have access to the wires to provide cable and they need to keep track of things using the top-rated telco billing solutions like those from ETI to ensure they are actually getting paid: another big problem.

So what are the biggest cable providers in the United States? And why haven’t you heard about them? Let’s take a look:

The Biggest Cable Provider: AT&T

Largely due to its trusted name and reputation, AT&T is the largest cable provider in the country, with over 22 million subscribers. They have been providing the AT&T Now and DirecTV brands with cable since 1983. The reason they are the biggest is because of the ground they cover - there is another brand with more subscribers.

Currently, AT&T uses fiber and VDSL cables to give cable and they are pretty reliable in terms of services. No matter where you are, you will probably have access to some service from AT&T.

Next Up: Charter Communications

Charter Communications is a name that you might not have heard about, but they provide some 26 million people with service. They aren’t considered the “biggest” company because they don’t cover as much space. Charter Communications is the fastest-growing company and will likely soon take over AT&T. For now, they are focused on the West Coast and expanding.

Charter Communications encompasses Time Warner and Bright House Networks.

East Coast Favorite Xfinity

Next up, we have the favorite of the East Coast of the US, Xfinity or Comcast. Comcast provides internet, cable, and television services. They own stadiums, provide business-level access, and more.

The brand uses cable and finger cables to connect over 21.5 million users to their media. 

Microsoft was actually one of the biggest investors in Comcast because they wanted to combine cable and internet in one box, but that didn’t happen until much later.

Dish Network: Ads Galore

Dish Network is another popular brand that you probably see a lot of advertising for, as this is a brand that is losing clients as they switch from cable to streaming platforms. However, Dish still has 12 million subscribers and provides Sling TV.

The dish is pivoting slightly, but they aren’t giving up on cable just yet.

Verizon Is In The Game

With just under 4.5 million subscribers, Verizon is a well-known name with fewer subscribers than you’d expect. Now, this is just for cable and home phone. It doesn’t include their cell phone services. They provide mostly internet access under the Fios brand.

With nearly 200,000 employees overall, Verizon is doing just fine despite being lower on this list.

Biggest Cable Companies In The United States

As you can see, the biggest cable companies in the United States have their hands in multiple pots. This could be because the world of cable television and even home phones are going out of style. Instead, companies are having to pivot to internet services, providing connections to streaming services like Netflix and Hulu, and more.

These companies have all been around a long time, they have a lot of agreements with the government, businesses, and more, so they probably aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. However, it will be interesting as there is an underground movement to break up these bigger companies and give smaller companies a chance to shine.