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C2HR Compensation Surveys Reveal Industry Pay Trends

C2HR’s Annual Compensation Surveys revealed that 2025 pay at content developers climbed again, with bonuses driving much of the escalation. Among connectivity providers, compensation growth was moderate. Base salary raises were modest, but equity incentives speared pay, especially for management and salaried workers.

The 2025 C2HR Compensation Surveys also found that content developers remunerated sought-after workers in prediting and media relations with larger-than-average base salary increases. In contrast, job-specific base pay at connectivity companies remained relatively flat, with only human resources experiencing above average growth.

“Ongoing mergers, acquisitions and organizational restructurings continue to churn the labor market, creating real headwinds for compensation planning as employers balance cost controls with workforce stability,” said Parthavi Das, C2HR’s Executive Director.

“Even so, C2HR’s 2025 data show that media industry companies remain committed to talent investment. Despite these pressures, pay increases in 2025 outpaced inflation, underscoring the competitive realities of today’s labor market and the enduring need to attract and retain critical talent.”

Steady Growth for Content Employees

2025 compensation growth was steady across most content jobs. For executives, average total direct compensation (TDC), which comprises base salary, bonus and equity, climbed 5.8%, compared to 8.9% in 2024. Much of this year’s growth came in the form of bonuses, unlike in 2024 when equity played an outsized role. Executive base pay also increased 3.3%. (See Figure 1)

In 2025, content middle management accrued 3.1% base salary raises (the same as in 2024). Bonuses further escalated compensation for middle managers, growing TDC to 5.0% compared to 4% in 2024. Individual contributors (ICs) (professional employees in nonmanagerial roles) fared less well in 2025; base salaries rose 1.8% (compared to 3.2% in 2024), while TDC topped out at  2.4%. Employees in content support accrued 4.9% TDC, which included an average 4.1% increase in base salary.

Thirty-four content developers, employing 35,762 workers, with 933 positions and representing a mix of cable programmers; television, satellite and radio broadcasters; and digital content creators participated in C2HR’s 2025 Compensation Surveys. (See list at end)

Moderate Raises for Connectivity Workers

The C2HR Compensation Surveys also revealed continued wage growth among connectivity providers. Equity drove compensation higher for both management and salaried employees. In 2025, TDC climbed 5.2% for management (versus 4.5% in 2024). Meanwhile, salaried workers averaged 6.4% TDC boosts (versus 4.4% in 2024).

However, base salary increases were modest. Management scored 2.1% higher base pay while salaried employees snared a tad more — 2.2% average increase in base. Hourly personnel averaged 1.9% increases in base and 2.8% base plus bonus. (See Figure 2)

“As a connectivity participant, the most significant thing to me was that there were no surprises,” said Ann McGlennen Chief Human Resources Officer for Midco. “For our top job families — field techs  — our experience is aligned with the industry regarding bonus eligibility, pay transparency and equity as well as merit.”

Eleven connectivity companies with 613 positions participated in the survey, including multiple system operators, satellite cable providers and security companies. Together, they represent 102,461 employees. (See list at end.)

Bonus Payouts Mixed

Content and connectivity employers have a long history of offering workers bonuses. 2025 was no exception. Among C2HR Compensation Survey participants, 100% of connectivity providers offered short-term cash awards, as did 88% of content developers. Bonuses continued to reach deep into the organizations: 55% of connectivity support employees and 40% of content support workers were eligible for bonuses.

What changed this year was the payout of cash awards. In 2025, bonuses at connectivity participants averaged 4% under target, while payouts averaged 5% above target among content participants. (See Figure 3)

“In 2025, we saw more bonus volatility,” explained Hali Croner, President and CEO of The Croner Company, the research and compensation consulting firm that conducted the surveys for C2HR. “Employers adjusted bonuses based on business results. They did not reward everyone, rather they used bonus pools strategically.”

Steady Salary Adjustment Budgets

The 2025 C2HR Compensation Surveys also revealed that media industry employers continued their multiyear trend of increasing salaries for all worker segments. 2025 merit increases, which are part of company salary adjustment budgets, averaged 3.1% for broadband connectivity employers (slightly less than last year’s 3.3%). Among content creators, 2025 merit increases for employees averaged 3.3%, a tad higher than last year’s 3.2%. (See Figure 4) The inflation rate for the same time period was 2.7% meaning that employees netted positive salary growth.

The surveys also projected that salary increases in 2026 will remain consistent — 3.1% for connectivity companies and 3.2% for content creators. These rates are consistent with pre-pandemic budgets, which trended about 3%.

When awarding merit increases, Croner recommended that companies be intentional with their compensation budgets. “This is not the time to spread increases evenly — differentiated rewards are critical to keeping your top people,” she said.

Pay Transparency and Retention Pressing Issues

C2HR’s Compensation Surveys also ask participants about what issues they expect to be most important in the year ahead.  Survey results uncovered that two issues ranked highly across both content and connectivity companies. Pay transparency emerged as a leading concern for both groups, cited by 75% of connectivity respondents and 68% of content participants. Pay equity also ranked near the top for each survey, with 63% of connectivity organizations and an even higher 79% of content developers identifying it as a key issue.

For connectivity providers, talent pressures remain acute, with retention cited by 63% of respondents and recruiting by 75%, underscoring the continued importance of competitive and well-communicated pay strategies in attracting and keeping talent. The surveys’ role-based compensation benchmarks provide essential data needed to keep pay competitive.

“Many of the roles that rely heavily on this dataset are populated by our longer term employees,” said Mariana Rivera, Vice President of Human Resources for Comcast Business. “These positions tend to be very specialized to telecom, so the survey data helps ensure an accurate salary range, which helps to keep key people happy in their roles.”

Midco’s McGlennen concurred. “We use the C2HR survey as another data point when considering making compensation adjustments for job families. It provides some reassurance that we are not missing anything or are way off the mark,” she said. 

Value of Survey Data

C2HR’s Compensation Surveys are unique in not only the breadth of the positions they cover (1,546) but also the specificity of job titles and families, providing crucial compensation intelligence.

“For industry-specific roles, there’s no better source of compensation data in the market,” said Rivera.

“General surveys don’t include headend roles. Also, while general surveys report on field technicians, C2HR’s survey helps to show industry differences between our field positions and the broader market,” she explained.

Rivera also finds reporting on sales positions valuable. “As we evaluate our various sales roles, the MDU [multiple dwelling unit] and direct sales data provide us industry-specific insights that we simply cannot get anywhere else,” she noted.

“When examining sales roles in which total cash might be similar, the pay mix for us versus our direct competitors might be very different,” Rivera added. “C2HR’s survey helps provide that insight.”

Midco’s McGlennen agrees with Rivera on the survey’s value. “The most useful data for Midco is related to the field, primarily techs, as that is our largest job family,” she said. “However, the insights cleaned from other areas and from content providers is also useful.”

To prepare for expected compensation volatility in 2026, Croner suggested that the 29-year history of C2HR’s Compensation Surveys data may provide insights to aid companies in developing compensation philosophies, salary ranges and benchmarking metrics.

“Take time to dig in, look at past surveys and identify longer trends. Such analysis may help you determine how market will settle,” explained Croner.

She also advised that compensation leaders maintain a clear, consistent narrative regarding their company’s compensation philosophy. “The more clearly you articulate why and how you pay, the more credibility and trust you build with employees,” she noted.

“Our compensation teams and leaders are challenged by the dropping budgets. They don’t have large compensation levers to pull,” noted Croner. “It is critical to develop additional ways to connect with people to make them feel valued and rewarded.”

Methodology

C2HR’s 2025 Compensation Surveys included 45 participants — 11 connectivity providers and 34 content developers (see the attached 2025 participant list). The survey results are industry-specific, providing an in-depth analysis of pay practices for roughly 102,461 connectivity employees and 35,762 content workers, including both exempt and nonexempt positions ranging from technicians to top executives. The participants submitted data reflecting 2025 budgets, base compensation figures, bonuses and incentives. For additional information on the survey’s methodology or to participate in C2HR’s 2026 Compensation Surveys, please contact Laurie Krashanoff, or call 415.485.5521.

2025 C2HR Content Developers Survey Participants

Thank You, 2026 Sponsors!

If your company would like to further C2HR’s efforts in 2026, please contact 
Parthavi Das at parthavi@frontlineco.com or visit C2hr.org/events/event-sponsorships.

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