Could Cord Cutting Increase As Pay-TV Leaders Raise Rates In '19?

TV providers such as Comcast, Dish Network and AT&T "plan to raise rates again in the new year, a move that could boost revenue but risks alienating subscribers, who have been ditching their traditional TV subscriptions in record numbers," according to BLOOMBERG NEWS. JPMorgan Chase analyst Philip Cusick said that Comcast is "raising its fee" for RSNs "by $1.50 on average and its fee for broadcast channels by $2 a month." Charter Communications recently "boosted its monthly fee for a set-top box by about 50 cents and its broadcast channel fee by about $1." Meanwhile, DirecTV is "raising rates on all English-language video packages by $3 to $8 a month while hiking fees for regional sports networks by $1 to $1.90 in most markets" (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 1/4).