Grading the top pay TV and wireline providers in the first quarter

Now that the first quarter 2016 earnings season is complete, FierceTelecom and FierceCable are taking a look at the results of the top U.S. ILECs and pay-TV operators. The first quarter was a time of great transition and transformation for most of these service providers.

Among wireline providers, some of the highlights were Verizon's (NYSE: VZ) sale of its wireline assets in three states to Frontier Communications and its pending acquisition of XO's fiber assets. Meanwhile, CenturyLink (NYSE: CTL) continues to mull its potential plans for its data center business, including a possible sale or partnership.

For pay-TV, subscriber numbers remained an important indicator. In the first quarter, the top pay-TV providers added a combined 55,000 TV subscribers, well below the 116,000 TV subscribers they added together during the fourth quarter.

Check out FierceTelecom's quarterly report here. and take a look at FierceCable's report here. And stay tuned:  FierceWireless will publish its own list of the top wireless carriers in the first quarter next week.