Winter is here for cable and satellite TV operators. American consumers are cancelling traditional pay-TV service at a much faster rate than previously expected, according to research firm eMarketer. In 2017, a total of 22.2 million U.S. adults will have cut the cord on cable, satellite or telco TV service to date—up 33 percent from 16.7 million in 2016—the researcher now predicts. (Variety)
It originally anticipated 15.4 million cord cutters. On top of that, there are 34.4 million adults who have never subscribed to pay-TV, a 5.8 percent increase from last year. The bottom line: About 196.3 million adults will be traditional pay-TV viewers this year, down 2.4 percent, the firm forecasts. And by 2021 the number will be down 10 percent. (Deadline)