Cord-cutting isn’t slowing down.
In the US, the trend of cancelling pay-TV packages from traditional cable, satellite, and telecom providers is picking up steam, thanks to countless other video options like Netflix and YouTube, along with streaming-TV bundles from SlingTV and DirecTV Now, and free, over-the-air antenna services.
By 2022, 20% of US adults will have cut the cord, or ditched their old pay-TV services for good, eMarketer forecast today (July 24). The research firm counts cord-cutters as the cumulative number of people aged 18 or over who have ever cancelled a pay-TV service from cable, satellite, and telecom providers and continue without it.
The report from eMarketer projects 33 million people will have ended their access to traditional TV subscription services by the end of 2018, up from its previous forecast for the year of 27.1 million. It predicts satellite services like DirecTV and Dish Network, followed by telecom providers like Verizon, will see the largest losses.
Audiences are turning instead to streaming services like YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Video, and Hulu that are investing heavily in original programming to draw viewers. More affordable live-TV packages from online companies like Sling TV and YouTube TV are also pulling viewers away from traditional TV services.