In early September, Charter was involved in a video-carriage dispute with Walt Disney Co. As a result, the company experienced some “carryover churn” and rate impacts in October. According to Fischer, November has also seen soft performance in this regard.
Analysts had predicted approximately 85,700 internet net additions for the fourth quarter for Charter, according to FactSet.
As a result of these concerns, Charter’s stock fell by about 9% in Tuesday afternoon trading, making it one of the top decliners in the S&P 500 index. Peer company Comcast Corp. also experienced a stock decline of over 3%.
Fischer’s optimism about the future of the broadband landscape stems from her positive outlook on the housing market. She anticipates growth in this sector and believes that Charter’s investments in rural areas will yield positive results.
“We are successfully competing against fiber,” Fischer stated confidently. “Our mobile products are providing customers with substantial savings of hundreds of dollars per year.”
Charter offers wireless plans through a mobile virtual network operator relationship with Verizon Communications Inc. Additionally, the company bundles wireless service with its internet plans, further enhancing its offerings to customers.