Subscriptions to traditional TV service were up in the second quarter of 2025 for the first time since 2017. In an ironic twist, streaming services could be to thank, a new report said.

The figures showing the increase were published in an investor note from MoffetNathanson Research on December 8. The analysts’ report said Charter’s scheme to offer free streaming services alongside traditional pay TV is responsible.

Charter offers home internet, mobile, and TV service to about a third of all addresses in the U.S under the brand Spectrum. According to the report, about 40% of households that choose Spectrum for home internet service also subscribe to video services.

Subscribers across all pay TV providers were up by about 300,000 in the third quarter, according to the report, compared to losses of about 1 million and 2.5 million in the previous two quarters, respectively. Those figures include traditional TV services such as Charter and Comcast, over-the-top services like Fubo and YouTube TV, and satellite services Dish Network and DIRECTV.

Streaming services were the big story, but football also played a role, the report said. Going back to 2020, the third quarter of the year always showed either increased viewership or, at least, slower declines.

Charter had the best numbers this quarter, and analysts said it’s due to its two-year-old deal to offer free access to Disney+ with certain subscriptions to linear TV service. Charter later made deals to offer HBO Max, Peacock, Paramount+, and more.

These deals made Charter “believe in video again” and enabled it to start marketing TV packages again, according to the report.

The analysts expect Charter to bring its expertise in selling video to its merger with Cox, announced in May of 2025 and currently undergoing regulatory review.

“Charter’s remarkable improvement in video trajectory offers reason for hope, not just because Charter itself seems on a trajectory to continued improvement,” the analysts

summarized in the streaming report. “Charter’s video packaging strategy points the way for others to follow.”