Young Americans' relative
distaste for cable has long been a pain point for TV service providers. Now, that distaste might be spreading.
Internet users of all age groups are now more likely to use streaming video than cable, new research shows.
Research company eMarketer flagged a May study from Fluent LLC that asked internet users about their cable and TV habits. Across age groups, 67 percent of people reported using some sort of video streaming service, such as Hulu, Netflix (NFLX) or Amazon (AMZN) Prime video. Only 61 percent said they had a cable subscription at home.
But the difference was most stark among the 18-to-35 set, which showed a 20-point difference between those who had cable and those who used streaming video (57 percent vs. 77 percent).
© Fluent LLC via eMarketer
Younger internet users generally reported more streaming service use, with the exception of Amazon Prime, which was used equally across age groups. Netflix, one of the first to offer paid streaming video, is the undisputed king in the arena: Nearly half of all internet users say they've used it.
Streaming services have been nipping at cable's heels for years, as the number of pay-TV subscribers drops.
Some 1.5 million Americans stopped their cable subscriptions last year, according to Variety, bringing the number of households that pay for TV down to 99.4 million. (That's about 85 percent of all U.S. households.)
© Fluent LLC via eMarketer
The Fluent figures don't exactly sound the death knell for cable -- they count just the people who enjoy an internet connection, leaving out a portion of Americans. But they highlight a trend that, barring FCC action or a major market upset, is likely to only accelerate.
Comment: While it would be nice to report that most individuals are cutting the cord of cable due to realizing the monopoly cable and entertainment companies have on what the American people view and that individuals are seeking alternatives for a better representation of reality in terms of making sense of a world gone mad, for the most part individuals are switching to streaming due to the ability to watch a wider variety of entertainment. Even if this is the case, some of the shows available via streaming, such as House of Cards, provide a different perspective not found on cable and the potential is there to break the social control and the dominant narrative mainstream media has instituted for years via the ability to view new alternatives, such as Russia Today.
Comment: While it would be nice to report that most individuals are cutting the cord of cable due to realizing the monopoly cable and entertainment companies have on what the American people view and that individuals are seeking alternatives for a better representation of reality in terms of making sense of a world gone mad, for the most part individuals are switching to streaming due to the ability to watch a wider variety of entertainment. Even if this is the case, some of the shows available via streaming, such as House of Cards, provide a different perspective not found on cable and the potential is there to break the social control and the dominant narrative mainstream media has instituted for years via the ability to view new alternatives, such as Russia Today.