DirecTV: no of video subscribers in the U.S. 2014-2023

As of the fourth quarter of 2023, the number of DirectTV video subscribers was around 11.3 million in the United States. Like many similar providers, DirecTV is a casualty of the increasing dominance and success of streaming services, a phenomenon not just isolated to the U.S. but which has spread across North America. 

DirecTV: background information

Broadcast satellite provider DirecTV was a subsidiary of American conglomerate AT&T Inc. as of the acquisition completed in 2015 and has been in business since 1994, when it was brought into the world by Hughes Electronics. Since August 2021, DirecTV is a new standalone company, with AT&T (70 percent) and TPG Capital (30 percent) as its owners.

Decline in pay TV subscriptions

In line with industry trends, as DirecTV has suffered losses, online TV services such as YouTube TV have grown in popularity, reflecting the changing preferences of U.S. consumers and their tendency to migrate to streaming platforms from satellite and cable providers. DirecTV’s key competitor Dish Network has also seen a decline in its customer base in recent years. Dish Network lost around eight million subscribers between 2014 and 2023, with losses increasing from tens to hundreds of thousands per year.