Improved Network Performance and Reliability Drive Satisfaction With Residential TV and ISP Providers, as More Households Connect Digitally

Improved Network Performance and Reliability Drive Satisfaction With Residential TV and ISP Providers, as More Households Connect Digitally

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Sept. 24, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Scores for network performance and reliability have improved, the number of U.S. households connected to digital service has grown and satisfaction has increased across wireline offerings, according to three U.S. wireline studies released today: the J.D. Power 2015 U.S. Residential Television Service Provider Satisfaction Study(SM); the J.D. Power 2015 U.S. Residential Internet Service Provider Satisfaction Study(SM); and the J.D. Power 2015 U.S. Residential Telephone Service Provider Satisfaction Study(SM).

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For information about the three studies, visit:
http://www.jdpower.com/resource/us-residential-television-customer-satisfaction-study
http://www.jdpower.com/resource/us-residential-internet-service-provider-customer-satisfaction-study
http://www.jdpower.com/resource/jd-power-2014-residential-telephone-customer-satisfaction-study

The annual wireline studies evaluate residential customers' experiences with TV, Internet and phone services in four regions: East, South, North Central and West. The ISP and telephone studies measure customer satisfaction across five factors: network performance and reliability; cost of service; billing; communication; and customer service. The TV study measures satisfaction in those same five factors plus another one, programming. Satisfaction is calculated on a 1,000-point scale.

In 2015, 25 percent of U.S. households with Internet service report having a fiber optic connection, which may also provide TV and Internet service, a 5 percentage point increase from 2013 (20%). At the same time, overall satisfaction with these wireline services has increased as well. For example, customer satisfaction with television service has increased by a significant 24 points to 723 in 2015 from 699 in 2013. The main reason for the overall increase has been a 39-point rise in satisfaction in the network performance and reliability factor during the period.

"The ability to provide a high-quality experience with all wireline services is paramount, as performance and reliability is the most critical driver of overall satisfaction," said Kirk Parsons, senior director and technology, media & telecom practice leader at J.D. Power. "The fact that households continue to choose to upgrade their wireline connection to digital service is a testament to its improved performance and benefits, such as higher quality video and faster Internet speeds."

According to Parsons, as expectations regarding usage, performance quality and reliability continue to evolve, companies that understand these dynamics will be better positioned to provide a more satisfying customer experience, which can lead to higher levels of overall satisfaction and higher rates of retention, advocacy and return on investment.

KEY FINDINGS

Residential Television Service Provider Satisfaction Study


-- DIRECTV (771) ranks highest in TV customer satisfaction in the East
region; AT&T U-verse and DIRECTV (750) rank highest (in a tie) in the
North Central region; Verizon FiOS (777) ranks highest in the South
region; and DISH Network (761) ranks highest in the West region.
-- Overall satisfaction with television service providers has increased by
12 points to 723 in 2015 from 711 in 2014.
-- Satisfaction with network performance and reliability has improved to
765 in 2015, an increase of 22 points from 2014. This follows a 17-point
increase between 2014 and 2013.
-- Fifty-three percent of highly satisfied residential television customers
(overall satisfaction scores of 900 or higher) say they "definitely will
not" switch providers in the next 12 months, compared with only 10
percent of dissatisfied customers (scores below 550) who say the same.
Residential Internet Service Provider Satisfaction Study


-- Verizon ranks highest in ISP customer satisfaction in the East (738),
South (749) and West (731) regions; AT&T (726) ranks highest in the
North Central region.
-- Satisfaction with network performance and reliability has improved to
716 in 2015, an increase of 16 points in 2014.
-- The percentage of customers who purchase premium speed Internet has
increased considerably in 2015 to 37 percent from 27 percent in 2014.
Additionally, network performance and reliability satisfaction among
customers with premium speed Internet is 751 vs. 695 among those without
premium speed Internet.
-- Half (50%) of highly satisfied residential Internet customers (overall
satisfaction scores of 900 or higher) say they "definitely will not"
switch providers in the next 12 months, compared with only 9 percent of
dissatisfied customers (scores below 550) who say the same.
Residential Telephone Service Provider Satisfaction Study


-- AT&T ranks highest in telephone customer satisfaction in the North
Central and West regions (758 each); Verizon ranks highest in the East
(769) and South (773) regions.
-- At the national level, satisfaction with network performance and
reliability is 789, up from 754 in 2014.
-- Half (50%) of highly satisfied residential telephone customers (overall
satisfaction scores of 900 or higher) say they "definitely will not"
switch providers in the next 12 months, compared with only 10 percent of
dissatisfied customers (scores below 550) who say the same.
The 2015 U.S. wireline studies are based on responses from 30,947 customers nationwide who evaluated their cable/satellite TV, high-speed Internet and telephone service providers. The studies were fielded in four waves: November 2014, February 2015, April 2015 and July 2015.





Overall Customer Satisfaction Index Scores J.D. Power.com Power Circle RatingsTM

(Based on a 1,000-point scale) For Consumers


Residential Television Service Provider Satisfaction Study


East Region

DIRECTV 771 5

DISH Network 757 4

Verizon FiOS 756 4

East Average 721 3

Optimum (Cablevision) 707 3

Cox Communications 705 3

XFINITY (Comcast) 689 2

Time Warner Cable 686 2


North Central Region

AT&T U-verse 750 5

DIRECTV 750 5

DISH Network 735 4

WOW! (Wide Open West) 721 4

North Central Average 710 3

XFINITY (Comcast) 689 2

Charter Communications 688 2

Time Warner Cable 666 2


South Region

Verizon FiOS 777 5

AT&T U-verse 763 4

DISH Network 758 4

DIRECTV 750 4

South Average 729 3

Cox Communications 716 3

Bright House Networks 713 3

Charter Communications 709 2

Time Warner Cable 699 2

Suddenlink 690 2

XFINITY (Comcast) 682 2


West Region

DISH Network 761 5

DIRECTV 760 5

AT&T U-verse 756 5

Verizon FiOS 754 5

CenturyLink 729 3

West Average 724 3

Cox Communications 709 3

Charter Communications 685 2

XFINITY (Comcast) 682 2

Time Warner Cable 673 2


Residential Internet Service Provider Satisfaction Study


East Region

Verizon 738 5

Cox Communications 703 3

East Average 700 3

Optimum (Cablevision) 695 3

XFINITY (Comcast) 679 2

Time Warner Cable 665 2


Note: AT&T and Frontier Communications (formerly AT&T) are included in the study and regional averages but not ranked due to recent acquisition of AT&T wireline services in the East region


North Central Region

AT&T 726 5

WOW!(Wide Open West) 697 4

North Central Average 687 3

Charter Communications 682 3

XFINITY (Comcast) 674 3

Time Warner Cable 657 2

Frontier Communications 635 2


South Region

Verizon 749 5

AT&T 732 4

Cox Communications 708 3

South Average 705 3

Suddenlink 703 3

Charter Communications 701 3

Bright House Networks 694 3

Time Warner Cable 687 3

CenturyLink 675 2

XFINITY (Comcast) 669 2

Windstream 635 2


West Region

Verizon 731 5

AT&T 729 5

Cox Communications 695 3

West Average 689 3

CenturyLink 686 3

Charter Communications 685 3

Time Warner Cable 669 2

XFINITY (Comcast) 664 2

Frontier Communications 639 2


Residential Telephone Service Provider Satisfaction Study


East Region

Verizon 769 5

East Average 746 3

Cox Communications 742 3

Optimum (Cablevision) 732 3

XFINITY (Comcast) 711 2

Time Warner Cable 705 2

Frontier Communications 684 2


Note: AT&T and Frontier Communications (formerly AT&T) are included in the study and regional averages but not ranked due to recent acquisition of AT&T wireline services in the East region


North Central Region

AT&T 758 5

WOW! (Wide Open West) 747 4

CenturyLink 740 3

North Central Average 739 3

Charter Communications 720 2

XFINITY (Comcast) 706 2

Frontier Communications 699 2

Time Warner Cable 698 2


Note: Verizon is included in the study and regional averages but not ranked in the North Central region due to insufficient sample


South Region

Verizon 773 5

AT&T 765 4

South Average 752 3

Cox Communications 750 3

Bright House Networks 734 2

CenturyLink 732 2

Charter Communications 727 2

Time Warner Cable 727 2

Windstream 708 2

XFINITY (Comcast) 703 2


West Region

AT&T 758 5

Verizon 757 5

Cox Communications 743 3

West Average 740 3

CenturyLink 729 2

Charter Communications 723 2

Time Warner Cable 710 2

XFINITY (Comcast) 707 2
Power Circle Ratings Legend

5 - Among the best

4 - Better than most

3 - About average

2 - The rest



Award-Eligible Telecom Providers Included in the Studies


Company Name CEO Name Company Address
------------ -------- ---------------

AT&T, Inc. Randall Stephenson Dallas, Texas

Bright House
Networks,
LLC Steve Miron East Syracuse, N.Y.

Cablevision
Systems
Corporation James Dolan Bethpage, N.Y.

CenturyLink,
Inc. Glen Post Monroe, La.

Charter
Communications,
Inc. Thomas Rutledge Stamford, Conn.

Comcast
Corporation Brian Roberts Philadelphia, Pa.

Cox
Communications,
Inc. Patrick Esser Atlanta, Ga.

Dish Network
Corp. Charles Ergen Englewood, Colo.

Frontier
Communications
Corporation Daniel McCarthy Norwalk, Conn.

Suddenlink
Communications Jerald Kent St. Louis, Mo.

Time Warner
Cable Inc. Robert Marcus New York, N.Y.

Verizon
Communications
Inc. Lowell McAdam New York, N.Y.

WideOpenWest
Networks,
LLC Steven Cochran Englewood, Colo.

Windstream
Communications,
LLC Anthony Thomas Little Rock, Ark.
Media Relations Contacts
John Tews; Troy, Mich.; 248-680-6218; media.relations@jdpa.com

About J.D. Power and Advertising/Promotional Rules www.jdpower.com/about-us/press-release-info
About McGraw Hill Financial www.mhfi.com

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