A recent earnings call showed something that some cord cutting advocates might find concerning. Growth in virtual MVPD is flattening. At least that was the case for DirecTV Now’s numbers. The service reported 49,000 new subscribers in the third quarter after piling up 342,000 in the second quarter. The revelation came as the company discussed the growth of the NBC-based cable channels.
Reporting on cord cutting and the growth of Virtual MVPD, which is the category assigned for services like DirecTV Now, Sling TV and other services, is regularly bullish about what the future holds. For some reason people keep expecting huge jumps in the numbers based on anecdotal evidence of people saying they are considering dropping traditional TV services in favor of streaming options. While there has been obvious growth in the virtual MVPD world from both subscribers and even options which include entries from YouTube, Hulu, fuboTV and others, the enthusiasm for new services is often tempered by a need for local TV channel access and an easy to use UI.
