How do consumers feel about streaming services vs. cable? | SurveyMonkey (2024)

Last week, our main monkey, Dave Goldberg, traveled to Sun Valley, Idaho for this year’s Sun Valley Conference. He also took a little time out beforehand to chat with Jon Erlichman of Bloomberg TV for this month’s SurveyMonkey Shakedown. For our latest installment, we wanted to learn about consumers’ TV viewing habits–do cable/satellite services still hold as much power over the living room now that streaming services like Netflix and Apple TV are in the TV-viewing game?

We surveyed over 500 Americans using SurveyMonkey Audience, a powerful product designed to get insights from a specific target audience, to find out. Check out our survey results below.

Related: Study on how parents and teens feel about Fortnite.

Cable still rules. Most watch only via cable TV (Comcast, Time Warner, etc.)

  • Half of respondents who report watching cable TV only are 60 years and older.
  • Over a quarter (22%) watch a combination of cable TV and streaming services and 31% of 18-29 year olds say they watch both.
  • 16% prefer to watch satellite TV (Dish Network, DirecTV, etc).
  • A little over 10% of people use streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, iTunes, Hulu.
  • Age makes a difference! Over a quarter of 18-29 year olds say they prefer streaming services (27%).
  • 60% of those that use both cable or satellite AND streaming services say they’re thinking of dumping cable/satellite in next 12 months.
  • Major change since nearly three quarters of bundlers use cable/satellite more often than their streaming services, however over half of 18-29 year-olds who bundle say they stream more often.

Original content is a strong streaming draw.

  • Viewers who use cable/satellite and streaming primarily use streaming to watch original shows not available on cable or satellite (24%).
  • A quarter of respondents say they watch older TV programs that are no longer airing current episodes.
  • Only 17% surveyed say they watch current new release movies.

On-demand is out the window for cable/satellite usage.

  • Only 5% of bundlers say they primarily use cable/satellite for on-demand TV programs and nobody uses cable/satellite for on-demand movies.
  • Most (28%) primarily use their cable or satellite TV service for watching non-network TV programs (shows on Discovery, AMC, etc.) and over a quarter of respondents use it for network TV programs.
  • Live sports and news are not big draws with only 8% saying they use on-demand for watching live sports. 5% watch their local news and only 5% for the national news.

Those using ONLY cable TV to watch television love their Internet service.

  • Nearly half of respondents say they don’t use streaming services because they have the same provider for cable TV and Internet services and don’t want to unbundle.
  • 29% cited the fact that not all of the programs they watch are available via streaming services.
  • A quarter of people said that quality is the reason they don’t use streaming services. Avoiding skips, delays or lower resolution while watching streaming TV is important to them.
  • Large chunk of viewers are no longer streaming: 40% have used streaming services and have since stopped.

Cable-only users may cancel service in the next year.

  • A third of respondents are considering cutting off their service within the next 12 months.
  • 27% say they’re “moderately to slightly likely” to cancel and only 4% say they’re “very or extremely likely”.
  • #1 reason why? Save money. Less than a quarter of people are thinking of switching to satellite TV for cost-saving reasons and 16% are considering switching to streaming.

Streamers watch less tube than those tied to cable or satellite–they’re also fans of frugality and convenience.

  • Of those that only use streaming services, more than two-thirds (67.8%) say they watch two hours of TV or less per day.
  • Nearly the same amount (63%) of those who watch only via cable or satellite watch 2 hours of TV or MORE per day.
  • Almost a third of these same folks cancelled their cable/satellite TV service in the past 12 months with the primary reason being cost.
  • Cost and convenience cited as the top two reasons people use streaming services.
  • More than half (58.5%) indicate that streaming services are cheaper than cable/satellite and a third say that streaming is more convenient for on-demand programming than cable/satellite services.

23% have free streaming services bundled into their cable or satellite TV package.

  • Majority of folks (34%) rarely watchtheir free streaming services with 6% sharing that they never watch.
  • 20% are “extremely likely” to keep their cable or satellite service for the purposes of accessing free streaming services and 22% saying they’re “not at all likely”.

To see the entire survey and results, head over to our Slideshare page.

How do consumers feel about streaming services vs. cable? | SurveyMonkey (2024)

FAQs

How do consumers feel about streaming services vs. cable? | SurveyMonkey? ›

More than half (58.5%) indicate that streaming services are cheaper than cable/satellite and a third say that streaming is more convenient for on-demand programming than cable/satellite services.

Why do people choose streaming services over cable? ›

While streaming prices continue to increase, there are no taxes or hidden costs. You also don't have to worry about fees for leasing equipment, contracts (unless you do an annual plan) or waiting (or paying) for the cable guy to come out for repairs or installation.

Is it worth streaming instead of cable? ›

If you're looking purely at the quality of channels offered, cable provides better packages than live TV streaming services. You'll get more channels in total and the option to save by bundling with an internet plan. Streaming also comes with several benefits you won't get from cable.

Do more people watch cable or streaming? ›

According to Nielsen's The Gauge, a monthly report on TV viewing behavior in the United States, streaming services surpassed cable TV for the first time in July 2022, when it accounted for 34.8 percent of daily TV consumption, versus 34.4 percent for cable and 21.6 percent for broadcast.

What do consumers look for in a streaming service? ›

Amdocs' "The New Streamer 2024” report recently found that original content (72%) is the top feature consumers believe makes a subscription worth the investment, followed by ew content every few weeks (59%), access to older titles (55%) and the ability to watch content anywhere (49%).

What are the downsides of streaming services? ›

Some services have the feature to download and store content on the device, but even so, the content lasts for a limited time. You need an internet connection to access streaming services. In addition, having poor internet causes buffering and other streaming problems, which means an overall poor viewing experience.

Are streaming services killing cable? ›

Streaming has surpassed cable as America's most-watched viewing platform. Amid the first combined work stoppage involving writers and actors represented by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA, some streaming platforms still scored some wins.

How do people feel about streaming services? ›

A quarter of people said that quality is the reason they don't use streaming services. Avoiding skips, delays or lower resolution while watching streaming TV is important to them. Large chunk of viewers are no longer streaming: 40% have used streaming services and have since stopped.

Why do people still pay for cable? ›

Watching live sports on cable was the main reason that has kept Americans from getting rid of cable as of 2022, according to 19.5 percent of respondents to a survey. Second common factor was watching live entertainment events, such as the award shows, with around 11.7 percent of people interviewed.

Can I watch TV without cable or streaming? ›

Use An HD Antenna To Watch Over-The-Air TV

To get started, select an indoor antenna compatible with your area and powerful enough to deliver the local channels you want. Next, connect the TV antenna using a coaxial cable or converter box for older TVs. Then use your TV's menu system to scan for available channels.

What is the number one streaming service? ›

Netflix is the biggest streaming service in the world. The company reported 269.6 million global paid memberships as of March 31, 2024. That number was up 3.6% from the previous quarter, and up 16% year-over-year.

Why should I switch from cable to streaming? ›

Watch Your Favorite Shows Whenever & Wherever You Want

Besides the ease of set-up and potential cost savings, streaming's portability means you'll never have to worry about missing your favorite programs or waiting around to watch them.

What equipment do I need to get rid of cable TV? ›

To cut the cord and start streaming TV over the internet you'll need:
  1. A modem and WiFi router;
  2. A WiFi extender (for larger homes);
  3. A streaming video service;
  4. A streaming device for your TV;

Why are people switching to streaming? ›

Cable has been dying out, and streaming is becoming the new norm. That's not a surprise to any college students, given it's significantly more convenient to watch shows and movies from our devices compared to buying them individually for a larger price.

How much does the average household spend on streaming services? ›

(CNN)– Netflix, Disney, Hulu, Max, if you subscribe to any of those or more, you are not alone. Deloitte insights' new 'digital media trends' report found U.S. households subscribing to video-streaming services spend $61 a month on average for four services. That's a $13 increase from last year's survey.

Are streaming services losing money? ›

No wonder: Paramount, the media empire controlled by Shari Redstone, lost $1.6 billion on streaming last year. Comcast lost $2.7 billion on its Peaco*ck streaming service. Disney lost about $2.6 billion on its services, which include Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+.

Is streaming better than having cable? ›

Streaming vs.

To sum it up, while cable provides a stable, comprehensive, and often localized experience, streaming offers flexibility, personalized content, and the freedom of commitment-free viewing.

Why do people leave streaming services? ›

It's getting a lot harder for streaming services to hold on to their customers. Crystal Revis, a mother of six in Lynn Haven, Fla., recently canceled her subscriptions to Disney+ and Paramount+, among others, because of their swelling price tags and the rising cost of living.

Why streaming services are struggling? ›

One reason is that video streaming services have done a terrible job at keeping subscribers. In the last four years, the weighted average churn rate for U.S. streamers has almost tripled to 5.5%, according to a new report from the streaming analytics firm Antenna.

Why choose streaming services? ›

Cost Savings

While traditional cable or satellite subscriptions can be expensive, streaming services often offer more affordable alternatives. Firstly, streaming platforms typically have different subscription plans to choose from, allowing you to select the one that fits your budget and preferences.

Is streaming just becoming cable again? ›

Seventeen years after Netflix and Hulu kicked off a streaming revolution, it's looking more like cable than ever. By Alex Cranz, deputy editor and co-host of The Vergecast. She oversaw consumer tech coverage at Gizmodo for five years.

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