With more and more video customers turning to streaming options, EPB's video is dropping as a percentage of overall fiber customers.
But that's fine with EPB management, knowing that all that video streaming needs a wide fiber pipeline to go through. EPB is positioned with the best "gig" service.
Greg Eaves, chief financial officer, said 65 percent of EPB fiber customers now have EPB video.
In contrast, 92 percent of the EPB fiber customers subscribe to its Internet offering.
In June 2010, video was at 88 percent and Internet at 76 percent.
David Wade, president, noted that video (TV) "is sort of a loss leader for us. We just break even." That is because of the increasingly high cost EPB has to pay for such video content as the sports channels.
In contrast, EPB regularly makes millions off the Internet side.
EPB had a tidy $2.5 million fiber profit for December, for example.
Mr. Wade said in 10 years EPB "might be looking at whether we will continue to offer video."
He said a number of customers are moving to such services as Hulu and Net Flix and others use Roku devices that let them pick and choose video content that they want to pay for.
UTube TV is being launched in 40 cities, including Chattanooga. Mr. Wade noted that, unlike most prior streaming options, it include the three major networks and their local affiliates.
EPB has 95,000 fiber optic customers, including 87,600 residential and 7,400 business.
There are just 876 customers with land line phones only.
There are 21,024 Triple Play customers getting TV, phone and Internet from EPB.
Just 3,504 are video only and 2,628 are video and phone.
EPB has 27,156 data only customers.
There are 29,784 who are video and data.