Streaming subscriptions have outpaced pay-TV in the US for the first time

[Shawn Knight]

Streaming video subscriptions in the US have outpaced the number of paid cable and satellite television subscriptions for the first time according to the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), the organization responsible for putting on the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

In a new study called The Changing Landscape for Video and Content, the CTA reveals that the percentage of free or paid streaming video subscribers in the US (68 percent) has finally surpassed the number of paid TV subscribers (at 67 percent).

The report also indicates that the amount of time people spend watching content on actual TV sets (51 percent) is now roughly equal to time spent consuming video content on all other devices such as laptops, smartphones and tablets (49 percent) once the sampling margin of error is factored in.

Thanks to the influx of new media and flexibility in how and when to watch, consumers are viewing more content than ever. Since 2001, consumption has shot up by 32 percent – from 12.7 hours a week back then to 16.8 hours a week as of last year.

That said, the majority of people still rely on old-school methods to learn about new content. Of those polled, 56 percent said they rely on TV commercials to discover new content. Word-of-mouth is still incredibly useful as 54 percent get advice on new content from friends or family.

Steve Koenig, senior director of market research at the CTA, said more and more consumers are embracing the freedom of connectivity – in this case, the anytime / anywhere access to video content. It’s one of the driving trends of our time, he said, adding that advancements in technology deliver “content convenience” that results in cultural changes such as binge watching, second screen behavior, content recommendations and the screens consumers use to consume video.

In the next year or so, Koenig said they expect to see streaming subscribers surpass pay-TV services by a fair margin.

Image courtesy txking, Shutterstock

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https://www.techspot.com/news/68462-streaming-subscriptions-have-outpaced-pay-tv-us-first.html

 

[MoeJoe]

Bam !

Praise be the cord cutters !

 

[psycros]

Bam !

Praise be the cord cutters !

Except their not cutting any cords...the majority of Internet service is still delivered via cable, and multicast transmissions are still many times more efficient than VoD. The streaming outfits like Netflix are getting rich by taking advantage of net neutrality, and that may be going away reeeeal soon. If Comcast had the power to give their own on-demand traffic priority they would do so instantly if they thought their customers who also enjoy Netflix and the like would tolerate it. But its far too late for to put that horse back in the barn. Since nobody involved really wants a turf war I could definitely imagine new agreements that create opportunity for all. Don't be surprised if we start seeing content from Amazon, Netflix and other big-time Internet creators airing on channels owned by the cable providers. We've already got TBD, after all, a channel that shows mostly YouTube videos popular with the Millennial crowd (although the range of content seems more limited than it should be). Its not that much of a leap to imagine people tuning in to the latest episode of Daredevil each week, same cable time, same cable channel.

 

[Uncle Al]

Bam !

Praise be the cord cutters !

Except their not cutting any cords...the majority of Internet service is still delivered via cable, and multicast transmissions are still many times more efficient than VoD. The streaming outfits like Netflix are getting rich by taking advantage of net neutrality, and that may be going away reeeeal soon. If Comcast had the power to give their own on-demand traffic priority they would do so instantly if they thought their customers who also enjoy Netflix and the like would tolerate it. But its far too late for to put that horse back in the barn. Since nobody involved really wants a turf war I could definitely imagine new agreements that create opportunity for all. Don't be surprised if we start seeing content from Amazon, Netflix and other big-time Internet creators airing on channels owned by the cable providers. We've already got TBD, after all, a channel that shows mostly YouTube videos popular with the Millennial crowd (although the range of content seems more limited than it should be). Its not that much of a leap to imagine people tuning in to the latest episode of Daredevil each week, same cable time, same cable channel.

And lets not forget the business models in play. Once the cable companies loose significant revenues from Cable TV, they will no doubt significantly up the prices for Internet access, which will be rubber stamped by our new FCC Chairman that is already attacking net neutrality, and today announced he intends to kill the regulation by which cable companies will have to get your permission to sell your access data without removing individual identity .....

 

[mbrowne5061]

...and today announced he intends to kill the regulation by which cable companies will have to get your permission to sell your access data without removing individual identity .....

The whole reason why I just signed up for a VPN. Not perfect, but at least I know that my cable company won't be able to sell my browsing habits to whomever wants to buy them.