Although cord cutting is still on the rise in the US, over 7 in 10 consumers have no plans to give up their existing cable, satellite, or telco TV service, according to research from GfK MRI. There has been a 6 percentage point decline in US adults wanting to keep their traditional pay-TV service since 2015, from 77 percent to 71 percent, with the proportion of those aged 18 to 34 falling 9 points over the same period, from 67 percent to 58 percent. In addition, 69 percent of consumers aged 35 to 49 are planning to keep their pay-TV packages, rising to 80 percent for those aged 50-plus.
Reliability and comfort remain the main reasons that cited by viewers for sticking with their cords. Among adults ages 18 to 64, the number 1 reason for keeping pay-TV is that they are “used to it,” followed by “it's convenient to have everything in one place” and “I need it to watch the shows I want to watch.” Young adults aged 18 to 34, however, are more likely to cite channel surfing and access to live content as reasons why they are sticking with their cords.
The report adds that large numbers of pay-TV subscribers are adding to their cord services rather than replacing them. Over half (55%) of pay-TV loyalists are “stacking” other services – such as subscription streaming video – on top of cable or satellite access. Among 18-to-34 loyalists, the proportion of “stackers” rises to 76 percent.
