71% of US TV Households Have a Live Pay-TV Service

Durham, NH, October 26, 2021 — New consumer research from Leichtman Research Group, Inc. (LRG) finds that 71% of TV households nationwide have some form of pay-TV service.  The percentage of TV households that have a live pay-TV service (via cable, satellite, Telco, or Internet-delivered vMVPD) is down from 82% in 2016, 87% in 2011, and 86% in 2006.

Reflecting this decline, in TV households 64% of adults ages 18-44 and 77% of ages 45+ have a pay-TV service.  Comparatively, in 2016, 77% of adults ages 18-44 and 86% of ages 45+ had a pay-TV service.

These findings are based on a survey of 2,000 households from throughout the United States, and are part of a new LRG study, Pay-TV in the U.S. 2021. This is LRG’s nineteenth annual study on this topic.

Other related findings include:

  • 41% of those that moved in the past year do not currently have a pay-TV service – a higher level than in previous years
  • 35% of renters do not have a pay-TV service – compared to 25% of homeowners
  • 30% of pay-TV non-subscribers last had a pay-TV service within the past 3 years, 36% last had a pay-TV service >3 years ago, and 34% never had a pay-TV service
  • 54% of pay-TV non-subscribers that never had a service are ages 18-34 – while 28% of non-subscribers that formerly had pay-TV are in that age range
  • 26% of adults agree that it is OK to use a friend’s log-in passwords to watch live TV, including 40% of ages 18-34
  • 37% of all TV sets in use have a traditional pay-TV providers’ set-top box – compared to 58% in 2016

“The percent of U.S. TV households with a live pay-TV service significantly declined from 82% to 71% over the past five years,” said Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst for Leichtman Research Group, Inc. “The penetration of pay-TV remains lowest among younger adults and the categories that they tend to populate, including movers and renters.”

Leichtman Research Group, Inc. (LRG) specializes in research and analysis on the broadband, media and entertainment industries. LRG combines ongoing consumer research studies with industry tracking and analysis to provide companies with a richer understanding of current market conditions, and the adoption and impact of new products and services. For more information about LRG, please call (603) 397-5400 or visit www.LeichtmanResearch.com.

Pay-TV in the U.S. 2021 is based on a survey of about 2,000 adults age 18+ from throughout the U.S.  The random sample of respondents was distributed and weighted to best reflect the demographic and geographic make-up of the U.S.  The survey, conducted in September-October 2021, included a sample of about 1,200 online and about 800 via telephone (including landline and cell phone calls).  The overall sample has a statistical margin of error of +/- 2.2%.  The online sample used exclusively for some questions has a statistical margin of error of +/- 2.8%.