Covid-19’s Economic Fallout Will Accelerate Linear TV's Collapse

Traditional cable subscribers are expected to decline by 27 million over the next 5 years

Traditional television has been on the decline for years, but the continued economic fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic will make cord cutting even more pronounced, according to new research from the firm MoffettNathanson.

By 2024, traditional linear pay TV subscribers are expected to decline by 27 million, down to less than half of all occupied U.S. households, according to the research. U.S. consumer spending on traditional TV is expected to decrease by $23 billion from 2019 to 2014, bringing consumer spending on linear TV down to $76 billion in 2024—a low last seen in the industry during the 2008-2009 financial crisis.

“While

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