For years, seismic changes in consumer viewing habits have seen an increasing number of Americans ditching traditional cable television service in exchange for streaming alternatives such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime and Disney+, a disruption similar to readers’ decade-plus migration from print news publications to digital outlets.
According to new data from performance marketing company What If Media Group, the COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated the cord-cutting phenomenon, creating a potential boon for streaming providers in 2021 while leaving the cable business on shaky ground.
 |
| Nearly a third of Americans said they now watch television solely via digital streaming services. |
What If’s report found that nearly a third of Americans (31 percent) reported that they’re now cord cutters, or viewers who watch TV content without paying for traditional cable service. Additionally, 41 percent of those respondents claimed that they’d made the move to cancel their cable service within the past year.
While traditional cable remains Americans’ primary medium for accessing TV content, the survey found that less than half (47 percent) of current cable customers said they’re planning to keep their cable service. Instead, more than half (52 percent) of cable customers reported that they’re currently considering getting rid of their cable service, with nearly a third of those respondents (30 percent) planning to cut the cord “imminently,” or sometime this year.
More than a third (37 percent) of Americans surveyed said they currently have one streaming service in their household. Slightly less than a third (29 percent) said they subscribe to two streaming services. 17 percent said claimed to subscribe to three streaming services, six percent cited four and 11 percent claimed five.
Netflix remains the dominant player in the streaming content market, with 41 percent of consumers citing it their “most-watched” service, with Hulu coming in at a distant second, at 21 percent.
When it comes to our news consumption habits, however, Americans seemed less enthusiastic about paying for written content. The What If report found that 84 percent of respondents said they’re not willing to pay a subscription to access the type of content that they like to read most. Instead, 79 percent said they’d rather access free written content that’s supported by ads.
On the other hand, 71 percent admitted that they’re willing to pay up to $10 per month to read certain online content.
What If Media Group’s report, “Cord-Cutting, Pandemics & Privacy Concerns,” was based on two surveys that polled approx. 30,000 randomly-selected U.S. adults online in December.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is being bought by the Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism, a nonprofit that is the parent organization of the Baltimore Banner... The British Broadcasting Corporation is axing approximately 2,000 jobs, about 10 percent of its work force... Snap, the company behind Snapchat, is also succumbing to layoff fever, announcing plans to lay off 16 percent of its employees, about 1,000 people.
CBS News Radio will go off the air on May 22, part of the axe-swinging managerial plan put into play by CBS editor-in-chief Bari Weiss... The Economist, which was first published in 1843, is changing hands. Canadian billionaire Stephen Smith has agreed to acquire a 26.9 percent stake in the publication from Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild, her family and family foundation... Nexstar Media Group says it has closed its acquisition of TEGNA, the broadcast, digital media and marketing services company that was formed in 2015, when the Gannett Company split into two publicly traded companies.
USA TODAY brings on Jamie Stockwell as VP of news, effective March 30. Stockwell was most recently deputy managing editor of news for the Washington Post... YouTube expands its likeness detection capabilities to a pilot group of government officials, journalists and political candidates... The AP Fund for Journalism adds 50 news organizations to its local news program, bringing the total number of participating newsrooms to 100. 
Versant Media Group, the NBCUniversal cable TV spin-off, today reported its first financial results as 2025 revenues dipped 5.3 percent to $6.7B and standalone EBITDA dropped 9.1 percent to $2.2B.
Trump Media & Technology Group is discussing a spin-off of the Truth Social platform following the expected closing of its $6B merger deal with TAE Technologies... Condé Nast sells off Them, the digital LGBTQ-focused platform it launched in 2017, to Equalpride, publisher of Out, The Advocate, Out Traveler, Health PLUS Wellness and Pride.com... CBS News has parted ways with longevity influencer Peter Attia, one of the 19 contributors that editor-in-chief Bari Weiss brought on as part of her plan to present a wider variety of voices on the platform. 
