The days of cable TV dominance seem to be behind us. As time progresses, there are fewer people using cable as their primary source of television.
To be a bit more specific, cable is only responsible for 26.7% of TV viewing in the United States, according to Nielsen. Streaming is currently holding 41.4% of viewers, with broadcast TV standing at 20.3%.
July 2024 saw a slight increase for cable, at 2.3%. During this time, the summer olympics also took place, which could be a major reason as to why the numbers increased. A good number of people still resort to cable in order to watch live sports.
In this day and age, the ease and price of streaming in comparsion to cable is hard to ignore. A streaming device can be set up within minutes, with no need to wait for somebody to come and install anything.
However, aside from sports, many stick to their cable device as a source of comfort and nostalgia, perhaps not understanding how easy it can be to switch to streaming.
The rise of a streaming service such as Netflix allowed many to realise the ease of streaming, and Netflix’s success has led to many other companies following their footsteps, leaving a wide range of options for the public.
Another huge benefit of streaming would be the lack of ties to any contract. You usually pay one price for a streaming device or service, and there are no other hidden fees. In regards to cable, you’re usually on a contract and tied for that for a fixed period of time, making it difficult to move away if you want to.
Overall, the benefits of streaming make it clear as to why the numbers are increasing, in comparsion to cable TV numbers dropping. There are clearly some reasons why some choose to stick to cable, but that number of people remains very low.
