Providing Market Intelligence for 40 Years

In The News

Parks: Nearly Half of U.S. Broadband Homes Have Cut Pay-TV Cord

Parks Associates’ latest data finds that 56 million (46%) of U.S. internet households have severed ties with their premium television provider, underscoring the dominance of streaming video services. Another 12% of U.S. broadband households have never subscribed to any sort of traditional pay-TV.

Parks says service providers are adapting to the secular changes by offering competitive pricing, bundling options, and hybrid monetization strategies. The rise of ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) and free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) services underscores the demand for lower-cost alternatives, and subscription-based platforms continue to experiment with tiered pricing and content exclusivity to retain customers, according to Parks.

“Cord Nevers represent a unique opportunity for streaming providers,” Jennifer Kent, VP of research at Parks, said in a statement. “By definition, this segment of the market has not paid for traditional TV, but streaming services have found a way to monetize a segment that has not previously valued subscription video or has grown up in a streaming-first market, with different conceptions of what subscription video should be.”

Parks reports that 59% of subscriptions across the eight leading SVOD services — Max, Netflix, Disney+, Discovery+, Paramount+, Prime Video, Hulu and Peacock — are basic with ads.

To achieve profitability and strike a balance for consumers, Parks said the most-popular streaming services now operate under a hybrid model, offering both ad-free and ad-supported plans to viewers. Ad-based tiers are cheaper for consumers and more profitable for businesses, making them a win-win for both parties.

“Consumers are worn down from continued spending increases in streaming, while years of high inflation are driving consumers to pare down accordingly,” Kent said in a statement. “This only intensifies the competition among streaming vendors and will fuel more growth of subscription tiers with ads and free ad-based services.”

From the article, "Parks: Nearly Half of U.S. Broadband Homes Have Cut Pay-TV Cord" by Erik Gruenwedel

Previously In The News

Here's The Top Ten Most Popular Streaming Services This Year

Netflix still leads all streaming video services by total subscribers, according to a new report by Parks Associates. That's followed by Amazon Prime, Hulu, MLB.TV, WWE Network, Sling TV, HBO Now, Cru...

Ridesharing Is Making It Harder Than Ever to Commit to a One-Car Relationship

Rising rideshare statistics offer plenty of fodder for utopian predictions of a car-free, community-focused future. But just because we’re using these services doesn’t mean we’re ready to give up on o...

Antennas Get A Good Reception Again

In fact, since 2013, the percentage of broadband households in the nation using only antennas to watch linear TV has jumped from 9 percent to 15 percent, according to data released this month by Parks...

Why TV Antennas Are Making A Comeback

In fact, since 2013, the percentage of broadband households in the nation using only antennas to watch linear TV has jumped from 9 percent to 15 percent, according to data released this month by Parks...