Nolte: Report Says Quarter of Americans Will Cancel Cable TV in 2021
An incredible “27% of U.S. cable TV subscribers plan to end their subscriptions by the end of 2021, which is nearly double the 15% that did so in 2020 and a big jump from the 3% annual decline [in] 2020,” reports TV Technology.
This is another disaster for left-wing Hollywood and the fake news media, for it is through the cable TV racket that naïve Americans pay a monthly fortune for channels they never watch. And it is this racket that allows failing left-wing outlets like MTV, CNNLOL, and ESPN to hold on.
Yep, whether you watch them or not, all of these left-wing channels receive a piece of your cable bill, and it is this unearned money keeps them afloat.
Streaming TV is a very different thing. Outlets like Netflix and Amazon actually survive on merit. No one forces you to pay for Netflix. Whereas with cable TV, if you want to watch a certain channel, you have to pay for dozens of others. It’s obscene, it’s left-wing affirmative action, and only through canceling your cable (or satellite TV) can you bring this obscenity to an end.
So here’s why people are eager to cancel their cable TV, per this stunning new report…
“[S]treaming consumption now accounts for 68% of TV viewing versus 28% for traditional TV viewing.”
Can you believe that? Do you know how remarkable that is? That kind of massive behavior change in just a short period of time? Wow.
Oh, and then there’s the sports issue… In the past, one of the biggest reasons people held on to their obnoxiously-priced cable TV package was news and sports. Streaming was not so hot when it came to live programming. It’s still not, but it has improved. There are all kinds of live news channels now, if that’s your thing. But sports was the biggest factor in holding people back.
Well, now that sports has become more available via streaming and also has (although the report doesn’t say so, but let’s use our brains) become so politicized and divisive, people are willing to let go…
What is widely seen as the biggest draw for traditional TV, live sports, is seeing its importance waning. The Trade Desk found that only 30% of U.S. consumers cite live sports as a reason to maintain their cable TV subscription; Trade Desk says nine months prior that number was at 60%. Since the pandemic, Trade Desk says that 39% of sports viewers are watching live sports either through Connected TVs or social media.
A drop from 60 percent to just 30 percent. Again, remarkable.
Two other important bullet points. The first one speaks for itself…
“COVID has accelerated cord-cutting trends that were already underway, to a point where less than 50% of U.S. households today have a cable subscription.”
Fewer than 50 percent of households currently pay for cable TV, and if these numbers hold as far as cancellations this year, that number could drop to 40 percent by next year.
Second bullet point… The report says:
[T]there is still a limit to what people are willing to spend on streaming services. Just above half of U.S. consumers (51%) say they would not spend more than $20 on streaming subscriptions. Also, consumers are more than five-times as likely to prefer free or low-cost streaming TV with ads over services with higher monthly subscription fees with no ads (72% vs. 14%), Trade Desk found.
This means a lot less money for Hollywood and the fake news media.
Right now, if you are silly enough to still pay for cable (I canceled five years ago), you are subsidizing pretty much every major media conglomerate out there, because at least some of their channels are forced onto your package. Streaming, on the other hand, means you are only funding those companies that have won your business through merit, by actually having something to offer.
Finally, you are also going to find a lot more free streaming outlets popping up, places like IMDB TV and Pluto, that offer all kinds of TV and movies, and all for free if you are willing to sit through a few commercials (Pluto is great, like a free cable package).
Right now you’re besieged with 20 minutes of ads per hour on cable TV, and you’re paying through the nose for that. These streaming outlets with ads do not have anywhere near that amount of ads, and they are free.
So, honestly, what is stopping you from canceling your cable TV?
Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC. Follow his Facebook Page here.