NEWSWIRE: 3/20/21
- The share of Americans who watch TV via cable or satellite has dropped from 76% in 2015 to 56% this year. The decline has been most dramatic among 18- to 29-year-olds, where the share of cable and satellite viewers has been cut in half. (Pew Research Center)
- NH: We have long known that Americans are cutting the cable. The cable and satellite giants know it best of all. That's why they have been so busy acquiring their own networks and streaming services.
- But now comes a Pew survey that breaks down cable-cutting by age.
- Who are the least likely to still have a subscription? Young adults. According to the survey, only 34% of 18- to- 29-year-olds have cable or satellite TV. That’s a 31 percentage point (PP) drop from 2015. Additionally, 61% of young adults without cable have never had it in the first place.
- The declines in subscriptions since 2015 become less dramatic as we move up the age ladder. Among those ages 30-49 there was a -27PP change; 50-64, -14PP; and 65+, -5PP.
- Pew's survey doesn't clearly distinguish between "receiving" cable content and paying for an actual subscription. That makes a difference given the large and growing share of young adults living with their parents or with older relatives. When the question is worded as "receiving," the answers may reflect people who have cable access but don't pay. In that case, the decline among young adults living alone may be significantly higher than the figures shown here.
- The reasons for not receiving cable also differ by age. Young adults are more likely to cite being able to get the content they need online. In contrast, older adults are more likely to cite the cost.
- Back in 2016 I was already writing about cable's troubled future. (See “Is the Cable Industry on Its Deathbed?”) . Now it seems doomed to riding its older subscribers slowly into the sunset. Currently cable’s biggest draw is live events, especially sports. (See “USA Network Now Needs Sports to Survive.”) But even here, as we have reported, younger viewers just aren’t drawn to big pro sporting events as much as older viewers. (See “Youth Reject Traditional Pro Sports.”)
- I suspect Millennials will continue to cut the cord as they age. And again, that's why the industry giants are gradually "transitioning" into other related services like broadband, wireless, streaming, and original content.
Did You Know?
- Pop Song or Therapy? What comes to mind when you think of young female pop singers? In the 1990s, Gen-X idols like Alanis Morissette were labeled “angry.” In the 2000s, early-wave Millennials embraced the bubblegum pop stylings of Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. Later, that morphed into stadium-ready anthems by the likes of Pink, Adele, and Kelly Clarkson. Now, according to The Guardian, pop music is increasingly shifting inward: The biggest stars are releasing emotional ballads brimming with their anxieties and insecurities. The epitome is Olivia Rodrigo’s hit “Driver’s License,” which just spent eight weeks as the #1 song in the country. Among 18-year-old Rodrigo’s musical idols are Taylor Swift, Lorde, and Phoebe Bridgers, all of whom write lyrically-driven songs that openly explore mental health issues. Upbeat songs can certainly still be found on the charts, but as one young songwriter notes, these ballads serve as a much-needed outlet for “smaller, subtler displays of pain.” (See “Soaring Youth Demand for Mental Health Care.”)
| To view and search all NewsWires, reports, videos, and podcasts, visit Demography World. For help making full use of our archives, see this short tutorial. |
