A data report recently released by Leichtman Research Group, reveals that 71% of TV households have acquired some form of pay-TV service. The ratio of homes that have acquired such services has declined from 82% in 2016, 87% in 2011, and 86% in 2006.
A total of 64% of adults have a pay-tv service, including 86% of the population over the age of 45. The findings are based on a survey of 2,000 households from throughout the United States, and form part of a new LRG study, Pay-TV in the U.S. 2021. “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.
Other related findings state that 41% of those that moved in the past year do not currently have a pay-TV service, an acclerated figure compared to recent years. Approximately 35% of renters do not have a pay-TV service, compared to a quarter 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.
An average of 28% of non-subscribers that formerly had pay-TV are in that age range, while 26% of adults agree that it is acceptable 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% five years ago. “The penetration of pay-TV remains lowest among younger adults and the categories that they tend to populate, including movers and renters," Leichtman said.
