DURHAM, N.H.—More specifics are coming out about how pay-TV fared in the first quarter of 2019, and they aren’t positive. Leitchman Research Group released its own report that found the largest pay-TV providers in the U.S., which make up about 95% of the market, had a net loss of 1.325 million video subscribers in Q1 2019; last year’s numbers over the same period resulted in a pro forma net loss of 305,000 subscribers.

In total, the top pay-TV providers now have about 87.8 million subscribers. Broken down, that gives the top six cable companies 46.7 million subscribers; satellite TV services 28.3 million; top telephone companies 8.9 million; and the top vMVPD pay-TV services 3.9 million.

All services suffered a net loss of subscribers during the measured time period. Satellite TV services took the biggest hit, losing 810,000 subscribers in the first quarter; up from a loss of 375,000 in Q1 last year. The top six cable companies lost about 50,000 more subscribers this year (285,000 in Q1 2018, 335,000 in Q1 2019). Telephone providers’ losses more than doubled from 50,000 last year to 105,000 in the recent period. The measured vMVPD services, which include the likes of SlingTV and DirecTV Now, went from a net gain of 405,000 during the first quarter of 2018 to a loss of 75,000 subscribers.

No company took a bigger hit than AT&T according to Leitchman’s research. Across its three pay-TV services (DirecTV, AT&T U-Verse and DirecTV Now) there was a net loss of 625,000 subscribers; last year saw a net gain of 125,000. Overall, AT&T accounted for 47% of the net losses for all pay-TV providers.

Leitchman President and Principal Analyst Bruce Leitchman noted that Q1 2019 marked the third straight quarter of record pay-TV net losses. He also said that the downturn coincides with pay-TV providers’ decision to focus on long-term profitability when acquiring and retaining subscribers.

MONTEREY, Calif.—Apollo Global Management’s Cox Media Group and Northwest Broadcasting deals and Nexstar Media Group’s divestiture of 19 stations to win FCC approval of its Tribune Media acquisition helped to propel merger and acquisition activity in the U.S. broadcast market to $5.1 billion, according to Kagan, a media research group with S&P Global Market Intelligence.

The quarterly deal volume, the highest since the second quarter of 2007, was propelled by Apollo’s $3.1 billion purchase of a majority stake in Cox Media, which included 14 full-power and nine low-power TV stations, four radio stations and a newspaper, as well as its $384 million purchase of a majority stake in Northwest Broadcasting, the researcher said.

The other major M&A activity centered on Nexstar divestitures. The company sold a total of 19 stations in 15 markets for $1.32 billion to E.W. Scripps and TEGNA, a move needed to win regulatory approval for its December 2018 deal to merge with Tribune Media.

Gray Television boosted the quarterly deal total by $45 million with its acquisition of two CBS affiliates, WWNY serving Watertown and upstate New York and KEYC-TV serving southwestern Minnesota, Kagan said.

Radio deal volume for the quarter hit nearly $237 million, half of which involved Cumulus Media.