North American Cord-Cutting Slows

The rate of cord-cutting in the U.S. and Canada has slowed, according to Digital TV Research, which projects that the number of pay-TV subs in North America will fall to 74 million in 2026.

The number of pay-TV customers in North America peaked at 116 million in 2010, Digital TV Research says. By 2026, the U.S. will shed 41 million and Canada 2 million, with penetration plummeting from 90.5 percent in 2010 to 53.6 percent.

Between 2010 and 2020, North America lost 27 million pay-TV customers, Digital TV Research says. “The worst of the cord-cutting is over,” notes Simon Murray, principal analyst at the company. “Declines will be lower from 2021, falling by 16 million in total between 2020 and 2026. ‘Only’ 5 million digital cable TV subscribers will be lost. Satellite TV will fall by 7.5 million and IPTV by 3.4 million subscribers.”

Pay-TV revenues, which peaked in 2015 at $111 billion, will fall to $62 billion in 2026.