US Cord Cutting Full Year 2018 Streaming Transition Picks Up Pace

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The 20,000 Foot View: Cord cutting is now an established component of the US pay-TV landscape, reinforcing the role of the US as the canary in the mine for the global pay-TV business. Cord cutting accelerated in 2018, highlighting the secular nature of the phenomenon. However, this is not simply a story of decline but instead one of transition, with streaming growing — in a wider sense — the total base of pay-TV subscribers. With ever more overlaps in consumer behaviour and segments across traditional pay-TV and streaming, all signs point to more of the same in 2019.
Key Findings
- US cord totalled million in 2018, up million in 2017, representing a
- Satellite pay-TV lost million subscribers in 2018, largest loss of subscribers and the largest percentage change
- AT&T shed most subscribers of any US provider in 2018 million) of US cord cutters in 2018 were streaming video on demand (SVOD) users, illustrating that cord cutting is part of a technology transition
- SVOD services million subscribers in 2018, pushing combined pay-TV subscriber base to
- Half of pay-TV subscribers in 2018 were SVOD users
- Cord cutters around eight times more likely use HBO Now and CBS Access than overall consumers
- Hulu has highest rate of cord cutting by Amazon and then Netflix
- Binge-watching consumers more likely to become cord making up of cord cutters 2018 of cord shavers regularly watch sports on TV, illustrating that streaming-savvy sports fans are cutting back their pay-TV subscriptions to retain sports coverage
Companies and brands mentioned in this report: Altice, Amazon Prime Video, AT&T, Atlantic Broadband, Cable ONE, Cablevision, CBS All Access, Charter Communications, Comcast, DirecTV, DISH Network, Frontier, HBO Now, Hulu, Mediacom, Netflix, Sling, Suddenlink, U-verse, Verizon Fios, YouTube