Products

EMARKETER delivers leading-edge research to clients in a variety of forms, including full-length reports and data visualizations to equip you with actionable takeaways for better business decisions.
PRO+
New data sets, deeper insights, and flexible data visualizations.
Learn More
Reports
In-depth analysis, benchmarks and shorter spotlights on digital trends.
Learn More
Forecasts
Interactive projections with 10k+ metrics on market trends, & consumer behavior.
Learn More
Charts
Proprietary data and over 3,000 third-party sources about the most important topics.
Learn More
Industry KPIs
Industry benchmarks for the most important KPIs in digital marketing, advertising, retail and ecommerce.
Learn More
Briefings
Client-only email newsletters with analysis and takeaways from the daily news.
Learn More
Analyst Access Program
Exclusive time with the thought leaders who craft our research.
Learn More

About EMARKETER

Our goal is to unlock digital opportunities for our clients with the world’s most trusted forecasts, analysis, and benchmarks. Spanning five core coverage areas and dozens of industries, our research on digital transformation is exhaustive.
Our Story
Learn more about our mission and how EMARKETER came to be.
Learn More
Methodology
Rigorous proprietary data vetting strips biases and produces superior insights.
Learn More
Our People
Take a look into our corporate culture and view our open roles.
Join the Team
Contact Us
Speak to a member of our team to learn more about EMARKETER.
Contact Us
Newsroom
See our latest press releases, news articles or download our press kit.
Learn More
Advertising & Sponsorship Opportunities
Reach an engaged audience of decision-makers.
Learn More
Events
Browse our upcoming and past events, recent podcasts, and other featured resources.
Learn More
Podcasts
Tune in to EMARKETER's daily, weekly, and monthly podcasts.
Learn More

Bundle Up!

Traditional TV Providers Offer OTT Packages to Head Off Subscriber Freeze

Download
Share
About This Report
According to our latest forecast, a record number of US consumers will have pulled the plug on pay TV by the end of this year. In order to slow the viewer exodus, traditional TV providers are teaming up with an unlikely partner: OTT services.
Table of Contents

Executive Summary

Winter is coming for pay TV in the US. As over-the-top (OTT) video services continue to attract viewers with high-quality, original content, traditional TV providers have to find new ways to retain customers. Many have now partnered with once-rival Netflix in an effort to stop—or at least slow—the viewer exodus. We have raised our forecast for US subscription over-the-top (OTT) video service viewers, based on new data that shows stronger-than-expected adoption of every platform we track, including Netflix, Amazon Video and Hulu. The latest forecast also includes our first-ever estimates for HBO Now viewers. This forecast accelerates the rate of decline for US pay TV viewers, based mainly on reported subscriber numbers from major pay TV providers.

How many U.S. consumers use over-the-top (OTT) services and what is the forecast for 2022?

In 2018, we expect more than half (51.7%) of the US population to view content on a subscription OTT service at least once per month. That equates to 170.1 million people. By 2022, users are expected to increase to 197.7 million.

How many US cord-cutters are there in 2018 and what is the forecast through 2022?

The number of cord-cutters in the US – adults who have ever cancelled a pay TV service and continue without it – will rise to 33.0 million in 2018, a 32.8% increase. That’s a significantly higher growth rate than our July 2017 forecast of 22.0%. By the end of 2022, more than one-fifth of the US population, or 55.1 million people, will no longer watch traditional pay TV.

Why are consumers using OTT services?

Viewers are increasingly choosing their TV services based on the programming they offer, and traditional TV networks are struggling to compete with the quality of original content from OTT platforms. The rising popularity of linear OTT services, like SlingTV, could make it more difficult for traditional pay TV providers to retain customers, as they often offer digital access to their programming at a lower cost.

WHAT’S IN THIS REPORT? This report includes our forecasts for US pay TV and subscription over-the-top (OTT) video service users. It also includes our first-ever estimates for HBO Now, Sling TV, linear OTT and over-the-air TV viewers. The projections, which run through 2022, include breakouts by platform. Our data on US pay TV and OTT video viewers, as well as our data on connected TV and smart TV viewers, can be found in this report’s accompanying Excel spreadsheet.

authors

Jasmine Enberg

Contributors

Chris Bendtsen
Senior Forecasting Analyst
Eric Haggstrom
Forecasting Analyst
Already have a subscription?Sign In

Access All Charts and Data

Gain access to reliable data presented in clear and intelligible displays for quick understanding and decision making on the most important topics related to your industry

Become a Client