U.S. ‘Cord Cutting’ Sets New High. Again.
from the that-thing-you-said-wouldn't-happen-is-clearly-happening dept
Back in 2019, Charter CEO Tom Rutledge proudly declared that the trend of cord cutting — or people ditching traditional cable television and switching to streaming — was finally coming to an end. According to Rutledge, the worst was now behind the cable industry, and the trend was finally slowing down.
Yeah, about that.
According to analysis from Wall Street research firm MoffettNathanson, the U.S. pay TV business had its worst third-quarter in history with roughly 889,000 cable TV subscribers cutting the cord. All told, traditional cable, satellite and telco TV providers lost 11.7% of their total subscribers year over year, and the phenomenon shows absolutely no sign of slowing down.
Live TV, in general, isn’t doing very well, including live streaming services like Sling TV or YouTube TV, which offer a rotating platter of live TV channels via the internet. In fact, MoffettNathanson found that only 21.7% of cord cutters signed up for a live streaming TV service (also known as vMVPDs) in the third quarter, a drop from 31% a share one year earlier.
All told, the idea of traditional, ad-based live television simply doesn’t interest a growing share of Americans, especially the younger ones.
Many users continue to flock to on demand streaming services like Disney+, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, or Max, though there too there’s trouble in paradise. Executive incompetence, mindless consolidation, and the nickel-and-diming of subscribers has many streaming customers reconsidering the value proposition there as well, as the sector starts to look more like the traditional cable sector it disrupted.
That will only drive renewed interest in free video services like YouTube, TikTok, Twitch, and whatever comes next. I’d also suspect it will drive a renewed interest in piracy, something the larger sector will blame on everything and everyone but themselves.
Filed Under: cord cutting, streaming, television, tv, video
Comments on “U.S. ‘Cord Cutting’ Sets New High. Again.”
You don’t really need to even subscribe to a streaming service. Buy a roku. There is a vast amount of free content available through a roku.
Up, up and away...
I’ve gotten 3 Rokus for free with air miles and love ’em.
> >> Back in 2019, Charter CEO Tom Rutledge proudly declared that the trend of cord cutting — or people ditching traditional cable television and switching to streaming — was finally coming to an end.<<<
When they reach zero subscribers the cord cutting trend will effectively come to an end. He is right, he just missed the timeline ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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It that even true? In my view, it could be “finally coming to an end” for the next 50 years. Why not? I mean, this in the “final” decline—it’s not gonna reverse itself for a while before starting a new decline. And until it ends, it’s “coming to an end”, in the same sense that all our lives are coming to an end.
Sure, that makes it a technically correct but meaningless statement, but isn’t that why CEOs are paid the big bucks?
Sports can be a problem
Neither my brother or sister, both cord cutters, could watch the Rosebowl. Had I known, I would have invited them over. However, this is not a deal breaker for me to cut the cord.
Due to Comcrap caps, I am leery of cord cutting. I come close every month & gone over a couple times but weaseled out of paying. Plus I just got the bill lowered again & it’s still very high but just enough to keep me.
What kills me is I can look to my right, out the window, & see the lines that have both AT&T & Verizon fiber on it. But we can’t get either. Verizon offered a great deal but couldn’t deliver. But I threated Compcrap with going to Verizon & it helped lower the bill again.
I’ve spent the past 24 years fighting for a lower bill. Mostly with success but having to fight every year is getting old.
I just texted my brother, he got a 7 day trial of some service so he can watch the championship game tonight.
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Fubo. That’s the service he is using. He took a long time to respond to my text.
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Dude, just use a site like streameast. I watched some football and hockey via them yesterday. Usually for hockey though I go to an iranian site, nhl66.
Just checked and streameast will have the cfb game:
CFB
Washington Huskies – Michigan Wolverines
01.08.2024 07:30 PM
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Thanks. Yeah my son stream (or downloads) everything one way or another. Personally I am under contract with Comcrap so I got no problem.
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👍👍
I’m sure your son and I would get along! lol.
The only content I’ve paid for in the last 2+ years was one ticket to “No Time to Die” and another to see “Top Gun: Maverick” (both worth it for the theater experience, btw). Otherwise, I download or stream (“illegally”) everything.
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Comcast hides it, and it’s not exactly cheap, but there is a way to get unlimited data. I got it during COVID when I was working from home, and I had two boys either attending on line classes or streaming GeforceNow a significant chunk of the day.
I probably don’t need it now, but fucking TDSFiber was supposed to be here 6 months ago….
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As I remember, they had one package that was unlimited & it was more PLUS I had to rent there box so it was another $15 every month. Nope.
The day will come when I can disconnect Comcrap. I plan to host a party & celebrate it properly.
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Buy your own box. So worth it.
IF you go here, it should tell you if you can add it to your existing plan (you’ll need to be logged in):
https://xfinity.com/buy/plan/checkout/XFINUDAT
Though there are some plans, and a bunch of states it doesn’t apply in.
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My Netgear Nighthawk cable modem/router is now 4 years old. I’ve paid for it over & over by not paying Comcrap.
That link for me:
“The product you’re interested in isn’t available for purchase at this time.”
NBD as I am on a contract with the reduced rate for the nest 19 months or so.
Re: Go Online
EVERYTHING is online. Learn how to never pay for ANY sporting event again.
I've finally got gigabit fiber
I’ve finally got gigabit fiber from Ziply Fiber in the condo building I live in. The fiber modem is in the condo’s electrical room and it’s going from gigabit fiber to gigabit DSL. I’m pulling a full gigabit in each direction over phone wiring. Unlimited gigabit data for $60 a month including a no cost gigabit DSL modem to use. Way cheaper than the over priced 1,200MB/40MB Comcast plan I was on.
CEOs continue to be some of the most disconnected, unrealistic people on the planet, news at 11.
Remember the time when CEOs genuinely believed that millennials and zoomers would start un-cutting the cords when they got married and had kids? Considering that they can’t even secure home ownership these days, the idea that any of them are going to be paying for cable TV is laughable.
Re: I own my own home...
…but I don’t have cable TV, just internet. I churn around the platforms 1 at a time and get all the content I want for a cheap price.
Even if you have money, that’s no reason to waste it on useless crap like overpriced cable TV.
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Basically.
If you’re a parent with a child, why the fuck would you pay for cable TV to distract a kid? You’d throw them a non-essential mobile phone or tablet and hook them up with YouTube. Preferably not showing them Logan Paul. And that doesn’t cost you the price of a cable TV subscription. Hell, if you do YouTube and not Netflix, YouTube doesn’t even give a fuck how many people have access to the account.
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Depends, do the kids have fur?
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These days, I fully expect the millennials and zoomers to have fur too. Love wins and all that.
Cord cutter
The quality of programming and the ridiculous pricing, is enough to make me stop watching altogether. I’ve cut the cord since 2004 and don’t regret it. Subpar quality for me anyways. I can’t even imagine how much I’ve saved. Money that they don’t have nor will get. I bet the advertisers are foaming at the mouth at the ads not forced in my face.
0 Subs by 2034
OOF! Just from the graph data they will have to shut down in 10 years.