Digital TV Research: U.S. Pay-TV Penetration to Fall Below 50 Percent

Traditional pay-TV penetration in the U.S. is forecast to slip below 50 percent of TV households in 2026, down from 91 percent in 2010 and 60 percent in 2021, according to Digital TV Research.

Digital TV Research forecasts 60 million pay-TV subscribers by 2027, declining from 105 million in the peak year of 2010.

The number of households without a pay-TV subscription is predicted to surge from 11.34 million in 2010 to 72.86 million in 2027, due mainly to cord-cutting.

Pay-TV revenues peaked in 2014, at $101 billion, according to Digital TV Research. A decline of $48 billion is forecast between 2014 and 2027, halving the total to $53 billion.

Simon Murray, principal analyst at Digital TV Research, said: “The U.S. lost 6 million pay-TV subscribers each year from 2019 to 2021. Losses will decrease from now on, but the 2027 total will be 12 million lower than 2021.”