Rivals consider Time Warner Cable

Ted MarzilliCEO YouGov Direct
November 27, 2013, 2:53 PM GMT+0

One potential concern for Comcast, Cox and Charter Communications as they circle Time Warner Cable with a possible bid: their target seems to be the least loved company in the business.

Time Warner Cable had both the biggest drop in consumer satisfaction over the past six months and the lowest customer satisfaction levels in the category.

Of the three possible bidders, Cox has the highest consumer satisfaction levels. Cox has also improved its satisfaction scores over the past six months, something that it may be thinking it could replicate with Time Warner Cable.

Comcast has the second lowest consumer satisfaction levels in the sector, well below Cox, yet it still maintains equal positive and negative feedback.

Time Warner Cable is the only brand in the sector with negative satisfaction scores. Time Warner Cable lost 306,000 subscribers in the third quarter, most of it attributed to the month-long battle with CBS-TV and Showtime over a distribution contract in major cities.

DirecTV leads the sector in customer satisfaction right now, although the biggest gains over the past six months belong to satellite rival Dish Network.

The cable and satellite brands were measured with YouGov BrandIndex’s Satisfaction scores, which asks respondents "Are you a satisfied customer?" All respondents are adults 18+. Results were charted two ways for this sector – creating an average Satisfaction score for the six months to November 25, 2013, and measuring the movement of Satisfaction scores over the past six months

YouGov BrandIndex’s Satisfaction score ranges from 100 to -100 and are compiled by subtracting negative feedback from positive. A zero score means equal positive and negative feedback.

Time Warner Cable’s average Satisfaction score over the past six months was -10, after falling 3 points from -7 over the prior six months.

Cox’s Satisfaction average score over the past six months was 14, compared to Comcast at 1. Both companies climbed two points vs. the prior six months.

By comparison, sector leader DirecTV has a 21 Satisfaction score, with no movement over the past six months. Biggest improver, Dish Network, climbed 3 points over the past six months.

Satisfaction: Cable Companies