Charter Communications, Inc. /mo/ (CHTR) · Nov 6, 2026 · Earnings
In line — Actual revenue $14.9B vs published consensus ~$14.9B
Charter’s Q3 earnings show worsening internet losses and falling pro forma EBITDA, but a new operating model targets $2 billion in annual savings.
Charter is in the early integration phase of its August 19, 2026 Cox acquisition, trying to turn a much larger cable footprint into renewed internet growth while using mobile bundling and network upgrades to defend against fiber and fixed-wireless competition. Its prior quarter already showed internet customer losses and falling EBITDA, while management framed Cox as the platform for a recovery.
| Q3 2026 | Q3 2025 | Consensus / prior period | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Actual revenue (Financial Highlights) | $14.9B (+9.1%) | $13.7B | ~$14.9B consensus |
| Pro forma revenue (Financial Highlights) | $16.5B (-1.5%) | $16.8B | |
| Pro forma Internet customers (Operating Results) | 34.3M (-2.5%) | 35.2M | |
| Pro forma Internet quarterly net additions (Operating Results) | (233K) | (171K) | |
| Pro forma Adjusted EBITDA (Financial Highlights) | $6.6B (-4.0%) | $6.9B | |
| Actual free cash flow (Cash Flow statement) | $674M (-58.4%) | $1.6B |
The core operating trend got worse, not better. On the relevant pro forma basis, internet customers fell by 233,000, compared with a 171,000 decline a year earlier, while residential revenue dropped 4.1% and adjusted EBITDA fell 4.0%. The Cox acquisition increases scale, but it has not yet changed the underlying trajectory. 〔0〕
The headline revenue growth is mostly acquisition accounting, not organic momentum. Actual revenue rose 9.1% because Cox contributed part of the quarter, but pro forma revenue declined 1.5%; internet revenue fell 3.7%, video revenue fell 9.8%, and residential revenue fell 4.1%. The one clear growth engine remains mobile, with 508,000 pro forma net additions and 17.3% service-revenue growth, but that is not yet offsetting broadband pressure.
Management is responding with a substantial reset rather than merely defending the quarter. Charter introduced a new operating model targeting $2 billion of annualized run-rate operating-expense savings over 18 months, on top of more than $1 billion of anticipated Cox synergies. That is meaningful relative to the current cost base, but it is a forward target—not realized savings—and the filing gives no detailed implementation schedule or incremental earnings bridge.
Cash generation is the immediate constraint. Actual free cash flow fell to $674 million from $1.6 billion, while total principal debt stood at $108.6 billion after the Cox financing and debt exchanges. The company did achieve roughly $1.5 billion of deleveraging through the note exchange, but weaker cash flow means the promised savings must first stabilize the business before they can materially improve financial flexibility.
Bottom line: The filing is a mixed reset: Charter has finally put a concrete cost-reduction plan behind the Cox integration, but the underlying broadband and pro forma profitability trends are moving in the wrong direction. The savings target matters, yet execution—not the announcement—now determines whether the larger footprint becomes an advantage or simply a bigger declining base.
Q4 results and initial savings-progress update
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