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Not exactly. The combined U.S. pay-TV market added 303,000 subscribers in the third quarter of 2025, its first quarter-over-quarter increase since 2017. But that total included internet-delivered live-TV services such as YouTube TV, and traditional cable and satellite subscriptions were still down year over year. Later losses in 2026 showed the quarterly gain was not the start of a sustained reversal.
What grew in Q3 2025—and what did not?
MoffettNathanson’s Cord-Cutting Monitor counted a net gain of 303,000 subscribers across the combined U.S. linear-video market in Q3 2025, according to Ars Technica’s report. The prior quarter-over-quarter increase cited was 318,000 in Q3 2017. “Net additions” means additions minus cancellations over the period; this was a quarterly change, not proof of year-over-year growth.
The combined category included traditional cable, satellite and virtual multichannel video programming distributors (vMVPDs), which sell live-TV channel packages over the internet. YouTube TV and Fubo are examples. They may carry familiar linear channels, but they are not traditional cable subscriptions. The market-wide increase therefore should not be read as a cable-company gain.
Traditional cable and satellite were still declining
Even as the broad total rose quarter over quarter, traditional cable and satellite subscriptions remained down year over year, Ars Technica reported. The headline’s phrase “cable channel subscribers” obscures this distinction: the reported increase was for a broader pay-TV grouping, not cable alone.
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YouTube TV was a major contributor, by analyst estimate
MoffettNathanson estimated that YouTube TV added 750,000 subscribers in Q3 2025, compared with an estimated 1 million in Q3 2024, according to Ars Technica. These are analyst estimates reported by the publication, not subscriber figures disclosed by YouTube or Google.
Why one quarter did not signal a cable comeback
Q3 is typically the seasonally strongest quarter for pay TV, a point MoffettNathanson made in a statement reproduced by Ars Technica: “Yes, Q3 saw a positive net add number for [pay TV for] the first time in eight years, but that positive result came in the year’s seasonally strongest quarter.” A seasonal gain can reflect the timing of sign-ups and cancellations; by itself, it does not establish that the longer decline has ended.
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The subsequent estimates make the distinction clear. Light Reading, attributing the totals to MoffettNathanson, reported that the combined U.S. pay-TV market lost 2.03 million subscribers in Q1 2026 and 885,000 in Q2 2026:
| Period | Reported combined U.S. pay-TV subscribers | Net change in period | Source and attribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q3 2025 | Not stated in the Ars Technica report cited here | +303,000 quarter over quarter | MoffettNathanson, as reported by Ars Technica |
| End of Q1 2026 | 62.23 million | −2.03 million in Q1 2026 | MoffettNathanson, as reported by Light Reading |
| End of Q2 2026 | 61.51 million | −885,000 in Q2 2026 | MoffettNathanson, as reported by Light Reading |
The subscriber totals also show why the category definition matters. At the end of Q1 2026, Light Reading reported 40.90 million traditional-provider subscribers and 21.33 million vMVPD subscribers. At the end of Q2, it reported 27.5 million cable, 21.42 million vMVPD, 9.56 million satellite and 3.01 million telco TV subscribers. The Q2 figures are a provider-type breakdown; they should not be mistaken for cable-only totals covering all pay-TV services.
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How to read the headline accurately
- “Pay TV grew” describes the combined market’s quarter-over-quarter net gain in Q3 2025.
- “Cable grew” is not supported by that result: traditional cable and satellite remained down year over year.
- “Cord-cutting ended” is not supported either. The Q1 and Q2 2026 estimates recorded substantial combined-market losses after the Q3 2025 increase.
The most precise takeaway is that the broad U.S. pay-TV subscriber count had one seasonal quarterly increase in Q3 2025, helped in part by estimated vMVPD growth. It was a temporary interruption in the broader decline, not evidence that households were returning to traditional cable.
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