Key stat: Low price makes up 21% of a TV or streaming service's perceived value among US TV viewers, up from 12% in 2025 and well ahead of live sports at 13%, according to a July report from Hub Research.

Beyond the chart:

• Price doesn't just win viewers, it also loses them. Cost is the top churn driver for 36% of subscribers planning to cancel a plan, and subscribers rank it as the most important differentiator among streaming services, ahead of content selection and exclusivity, according to Simon-Kucher.
• Meanwhile, cancellations are becoming a habit. Some 32% of streaming users have signed up to watch something specific and then canceled or paused three or more times in the past year, up from 22% in 2023, according to CivicScience.

Use this chart: Drop this chart into pricing and packaging reviews to prove viewers now weigh price nearly twice as heavily as a year ago. Use it in ad-tier pitches to show that a cheaper, ad-supported plan keeps price-sensitive viewers on your platform instead of canceling.

Related EMARKETER reports:

• Top Trends to Watch in 2026: August Update (EMARKETER subscription required)
• Digital Video Forecast and Trends Q2 2026 (EMARKETER subscription required)

Methodology: Data is from the July 2026 Hub Research report titled "How to Monetize Video." 1,600 US TV viewers ages 16-74 were surveyed online during June 2026. All respondents have home broadband access and watch at least 1 hour of TV per week. The sample was balanced according to the US census.