Research: 66% US homes have live pay-TV
October 24, 2022
Findings from Leichtman Research Group (LRG) indicate that 66 per cent of TV households in the US have some form of pay-TV service. The percentage of TV households that have a live pay-TV service (via cable, satellite, Telco, or Internet-delivered vMVPD) is down from 79 per cent in 2017, 88 per cent in 2012, and 85 per cent in 2007.
Non-subscribers to pay-TV services break into three similar-sized groups based on their prior pay-TV subscription. About 31 per cent of non-subscribers last had a pay-TV service within the past three years, 35 per cent last had a pay-TV service over three years ago, and 34 per cent never had a pay-TV service. Among those that never had a pay-TV service, 52 per cent are ages 18-34, compared to 27 per cent of former pay-TV subscribers.
These findings are based on a survey of 1,850 households from throughout the US, and are part of a new LRG study, Pay-TV in the U.S. 2022. This is LRG’s twentieth annual study on this topic.
Other related findings include:
- 73 per cent of adults ages 45+ have a pay-TV service – compared to 57 per cent of ages 18-44
- 46 per cent of those that moved in the past year do not currently have a pay-TV service – a higher level than in previous years
- 73 per cent of households with three or more TVs have a pay-TV service – compared to 65 per cent with two TVs, and 52 per cent with one TV
- The mean annual household income of pay-TV subscribers is 11 per cent higher than the mean income of non-subscribers
- 13 per cent of pay-TV subscribers are likely to switch from their provider in the next six months – compared to 14 per cent in 2020, and 13 per cent in 2017
“Two-thirds of US TV households now get a live pay-TV service, a significant decrease from 79 per cent five years ago,” said Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst for Leichtman Research Group, Inc. “The decline in pay-TV subscribers is not solely a function of those disconnecting services, but is also related to a slowdown in those entering or re-entering the category. Overall, about 10.5 per cent of TV households last subscribed to a pay-TV service in the past three years, 12 per cent last subscribed over three years ago, and 11.5 per cent never subscribed.”