Optimum Down 62,000 Subscribers, But Earnings Growth Returns
The network said it reached goals in fiber, mobile and video subscribers, while continuing to face debt challenges.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 12, 2026 – Optimum Communications, formerly Altice USA, lost 62,000 net broadband subscribers in Q4, 5,000 more than it lost Q3, ultimately closing out 2025 with 4.2 million broadband subscribers.
In Optimum’s earnings call Thursday, CEO Dennis Mathew said a big reason for this was the intense and “unprecedented levels” of competition among network providers.
Optimum said they purposefully focused on earnings, knowing that the number of broadband subscribers would fall. They did this in order to prioritize their average revenue per user (ARPU).
Optimum’s earnings grew nearly 8 percent in Q4 over the previous Q4, to approximately $900 million, which marked Optimum’s first year-over-year earnings growth in 16 quarters, Chief Financial Officer Marc Sirota noted.
The network also achieved its 2025 outlook goals, Sirota said, including reaching $8.6 billion in revenue and 1.6 percent broadband ARPU growth over the previous year.
As for fiber customer accounts, Optimum gained 12,000, for a total of 716,000 total customers at the end of Q4.
That is significantly less than the 40,000 additional fiber customers in Q3 and 56,000 in Q2 of 2025. It was an intentional decision to slow fiber migrations mid-2025, the company said.
Mobile growth
In the mobile market, Optimum added 38,000 mobile lines, consistent with its growth earlier in the year, and ended Q4 with a total of 623,000 lines.
Video subscriptions were down just 49,000 in Q4, the smallest loss of the year and a number that has seen substantial decreases for more than five years.
Sirota said debt reduction was a priority and part of Optimum’s long-term operating goals.
The company also closed a $2 billion refinancing from J.P. Morgan in Q4 and a $1.1 billion transaction from J.P. Morgan in January. These transactions will “enhance short-term liquidity and financial flexibility,” Sirota said.
Mathew explained that 2023 and 2024 were key stabilizing years, and hopes to lean into AI and automation in 2026 and focus on the network’s growth. Optimum is looking forward to improving broadband trends, maintaining financial discipline and investing for long term value creation as key priorities for 2026.
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