7/19/13
More than four in 10 U.S. adults (45%) believe cable TV service is a waste of money, although most have not cut the cord, according to CouponCabin.com. More than eight in 10 (81%) currently subscribe to either cable or satellite TV service, while 11% previously subscribed but have canceled their service. Another 8% have never subscribed to a pay-TV service; among those ages 18-34, 15% have never subscribed.
Almost a third of pay-TV subscribers (32%) have switched to different providers because of poor service (including both customer service and technical issues). Some 15% of current TV subscribers say they’d never consider canceling their service. More than four in 10 TV subscribers (43%) say they are keeping their service because they want to retain access to live sports programming. Some 14% say they’d cancel their service if there were an alternative way to access live sports broadcasts.
Among the 91% of 18-to-34-year-olds who have broadband Internet, 13% watch TV solely online (via TV sets, computers, and/or mobile devices), according to research by Beagle Insight and Miner & Co. Studio for Pivot. This represents 12% of the total population ages 18-34. More than eight in 10 18-to-34-year-olds (88%) are “cross-platformers”-those who have broadband Internet and subscribe to TV service (via cable, satellite, or telecommunications company). More than a quarter of adults this age (27%) subscribe to a TV service but are thinking of canceling it.
More than half of pay-TV subscribers ages 18-34 who plan to keep their subscriptions (55%) say it’s because they like watching live TV shows. More than four in 10 (44%) stay because they’d miss their favorite shows if they canceled, and 32% would miss live sports.
Online-only viewers who want to resubscribe to multichannel TV service cite missing their favorite shows (44%), wanting to be able to watch the current season of favorite shows (38%), and improved finances as the top reasons.
Three-quarters of online-only viewers who do not plan to subscribe to multichannel service consider pay TV to be too expensive or not a good value (75%), and 52% say they can’t afford it. Almost half say it’s easy to find the shows they want to watch through websites, apps, or services (47%), and 46% say they can get what they want from free streaming.
Netflix is the streaming service most widely used by 18-to-34-year-olds. Half (50%) turn to it first, and it’s almost equally popular among cross-platform viewers (49%) and online-only viewers (53%).
Cross-platform viewers 18-34 (who have both broadband and multichannel TV service) watch an average of 24.6 hours per week, compared to 17 hours per week among those who watch TV only online.
Those who watch TV online only are more likely than cross-platform viewers to be female and less likely to be employed full-time. They also have lower average incomes than cross-platform viewers.
SOURCES: “Broadbanders 2013, Spotlight: Adults 18-34,” June 2013, Pivot, Karen Ramspacher, SVP Research & Insights, 331 Foothill Rd., 3rd Fl., Beverly Hills, CA 90210; 310-550-5100; info@participantproductions.com; www.pivot.tv. Price: Available online at no charge.
CouponCabin.com, June 2013, Jackie Warrick, Senior Savings Adviser, 1319 119th St., 2nd Fl., Whiting, IN 46394; 866-732-9566; bizdev@couponcabin.com; www.couponcabin.com. Price: Contact for information.
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