Analyst says Comcast added 250,000 broadband subscribers

August 5, 2009

Comcast, the largest broadband internet service provider in the U.S., is expected to announce 250,000 net additional subscribers in its second quarter release later this week, according to analyst firm Strategy Analytics.

This would bring the company's total broadband customer base to nearly 15.5 million, despite the fact that the second quarter is traditionally weak for broadband service providers due to customer cancellations for summer.

Last week, Time Warner Cable surprised analysts with stronger than expected earnings, but announced that cable subscriptions are trending toward much slower growth as consumers cut back on services in the tough economy, according to Forbes.com.

Yet consumers appear to consider broadband internet access to be a must-have, even when cancelling cable or wireless contracts.

"Our consumer research shows a very high 'keep rate' for broadband," said Ben Piper, analyst at Strategy Analytics. "Ninety-six percent of Americans would hold on to their broadband service, even if economic circumstances forced them to cut back household budgets."

Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters are expecting Comcast's second-quarter sales to hit $8.9 billion.

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