NEW YORK, Jan 31, 2026, 09:23 EST — The market is now closed.
Charter Communications (CHTR.O) shares jumped 7.6% to close at $206.12 on Friday, following quarterly results that hinted at a slowdown in broadband customer losses. The stock reached an intraday peak of $214.84.
The timing is crucial since cable still rakes in most of its revenue from home internet. The battle is intensifying. Wireless carriers and fiber providers are ramping up promotions, and even slight shifts in churn—the customer cancellation rate—can impact cash flow and share buybacks.
Charter saw a smaller-than-anticipated decline in broadband subscribers, crediting its push on mobile-and-internet bundles as a key factor. CEO Chris Winfrey said the company plans to “nearly complete our rural build-out” by 2026, adding over 1.7 million new subsidized rural passings. But Vikash Harlalka of New Street Research cautioned that “it will be a while” before broadband trends turn noticeably better. Charter lost 119,000 internet customers, compared with a Visible Alpha forecast of 131,970. Revenue came in at $13.60 billion, falling short of the $13.73 billion consensus, Reuters reported. Reuters
Charter reported a 2.3% drop in fourth-quarter revenue to $13.6 billion, according to its earnings release. Adjusted EBITDA, which excludes interest, taxes, and depreciation, edged down 1.2% to $5.7 billion. Free cash flow fell to $773 million, hit by a rise in quarterly capex. The company projects 2026 capital spending around $11.4 billion and confirmed plans to finish a network upgrade by 2027, along with launching an “Invincible WiFi” router early next year. Charter Communications
Charter scored a rare win in video. StreamTV Insider reported 49,000 net residential video adds—their first quarterly gain since 2020. Winfrey called the new video platform “a killer app” and said recent tweaks “are having an impact” on retention. CFO Jessica Fischer noted the accounting hit from bundled streaming apps “could be as much as $1 billion for the full year 2026,” but emphasized it should be EBITDA-neutral. StreamTV Insider
The broader backdrop remains challenging for the group. Comcast shed 181,000 broadband customers in Q4 and plans to keep prices flat this year while overhauling packages and bundling services, Reuters reported. Analysts cited by Reuters don’t see significant customer growth returning before 2027.
Charter hasn’t yet returned to broadband growth and is pouring money into network upgrades and rural expansions. If rivals keep up aggressive pricing, subscriber losses may continue, squeezing margins despite more video bundles and mobile discounts in play.
U.S. markets are closed for the weekend, so all eyes turn to Monday’s open. Traders are eager for new analyst updates and any early details on 2026 broadband losses, capital spending control, and how fast Charter plans to push into rural areas.
