GfK: U.S. Millennials Opting Out of Pay-TV Subscriptions

NEW YORK: A new survey from GfK finds that millennials account for nearly half of the U.S. “cordless” population, as those 18 to 34 turn to streaming for TV and video instead of a pay-TV subscription.

According to GfK MRI’s Survey of the American Consumer, 43 percent of the “cordless” population—those who have never had cable, satellite or fiber optic TV service and those who have “cut the cord”—are between the ages of 18 and 34. That is by far the largest generational subsection of the cord-free group. Almost one-third (30 percent) of all U.S. millennials are cordless, compared to just 16 percent of baby boomers.

Instead, millennials are looking to streaming for TV and video, spending two-thirds (65 percent) of their viewing time streaming via a TV set or other device. That is almost double the proportion for cordless boomers (36 percent), who instead spend the majority (56 percent) of their viewing time watching live TV on a TV set over the air.