Charter Communications reported second-quarter revenue of $13.5 billion on Friday, a 1.7% decline from the same period a year earlier, as the company continued to shed broadband subscribers.
The Spectrum parent lost 172,000 internet customers in the second quarter, a steeper drop than the same period a year ago
Yvonne Hemsey / Getty Images
Charter Communications reported second-quarter revenue of $13.5 billion on Friday, a 1.7% decline from the same period a year earlier, as the company continued to shed broadband subscribers.
Internet customers fell by 172,000 during the quarter, bringing Charter's total to 29.4 million. That loss was steeper than the 116,000 internet subscribers the company shed in the second quarter of 2025. The decline was driven by falling residential internet revenue, which dropped 3.2% year-over-year to $5.8 billion, the company said.
Total revenue has now declined for a fourth straight quarter, according to the Wall Street Journal. Rival offerings from fixed wireless and fiber providers have steadily eroded Charter's home-internet customer base, and ongoing cord-cutting trends are adding further pressure to its cable business.
Video customers dropped by 21,000 in the quarter to about 12.5 million, though that was an improvement from a decline of 80,000 in the same period last year. Charter attributed the improvement to simplified pricing and packaging and the inclusion of streaming applications in its expanded basic video packages.
Adjusted EBITDA fell 4.3% year-over-year to $5.4 billion, and free cash flow came in at $969 million, down $77 million from the prior year, the company said.
Net income attributable to Charter shareholders totaled $1.3 billion, roughly flat with the $1.3 billion reported in the year-earlier quarter. Net income per basic share rose to $10.76 from $9.41, reflecting a 13.1% decrease in basic weighted average common shares outstanding.
Charter's mobile business was a bright spot. The company added 406,000 Spectrum Mobile lines during the quarter, bringing its total to 12.5 million. Mobile service revenue climbed 18.9% year-over-year to $1.1 billion, driven by line growth and rate adjustments.
Capital expenditures totaled $2.9 billion in the quarter, in line with the prior year period. Charter said it continues to expect full-year 2026 capital expenditures, excluding impacts from its pending Cox transaction, to total approximately $11.4 billion.
"We operate in a competitive environment across all of our products, and our strategy for growing connectivity services is simple — deliver the best products, at the best overall value, with the best service," Charter President and CEO Chris Winfrey said in a statement. Winfrey also referenced the pending Cox acquisition, saying Charter looks forward to extending its services to Cox's customers after the transaction closes.
During the quarter, Charter bought back 4.0 million shares of Charter stock for $838 million and repurchased $1.2 billion in aggregate principal amount of debt notes for $1.0 billion in cash.
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