Analyst Mulls 'The End' for Google Fiber
“The story of Google Fiber seems more or less over,” MoffettNathanson said in a research note Monday. The analyst firm looked at the ISP’s pay-TV subscription data through Q4, as released by the Copyright Office. “The data reveals a sharp…
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deceleration, not only in new markets but in existing ones as well,” it said. Year-over-year growth across all markets slowed to 57.7 percent from 78.8 percent one year ago, and Google Fiber still has only 0.1 percent of the U.S. pay-TV market, MoffettNathanson said. In the past six months, Google Fiber added only five video subscribers in Stanford, California, and the company has fewer than 3,000 in Provo, Utah, the firm said. In Greater Kansas City, the company added 19 percent fewer customers over the past six months than the previous period, with its six-month growth rate slowing to 17.4 percent from 27.4 percent, MoffettNathanson said. The firm said the data shows only linear video subscriptions. But a Google Fiber spokeswoman painted a brighter picture, saying Fiber service is available to nine metropolitan areas, with three more planned or under construction: "Demand for Fiber speed continues to grow, as more consumers move toward over-the-top streaming and skinny TV offerings.”