Is Cable Still Your ‘First Stop’ to Watch TV?
By Movieguide® Contributor
Cable’s once reliable dominance continues to wane as more consumers turn to streaming platforms before live TV.
A recent study found “that for the first time in five years of tracking, the combined ‘Big 5’ SVODs (Netflix, Prime Video Disney+, Hulu, and Max) are more likely to be the ‘first stop’ for 46% of viewers versus 38% starting with live TV via cable, vMVPD or antenna.”
“In 2018 only 30% started viewing with one of the top five SVOD services versus 62% for live TV,” the outlet continued. “In a landscape of endless viewing choices, the services that viewers turn to first are the ones that consumers engage with most and are least likely to cancel, the researchers said.”
It makes sense, then, that streaming accounts for “38% of all television viewing, compared with 31% for traditional cable,” NBC reported.
So, why is this the case?
“The first stop people turn to watch will always be the one that has the highest loyalty, and favorite shows can deepen those loyalties across streamers,” explained Hub senior consultant Jason Platt Zolov. “While football and the election may help keep cable TV viewers watching this fall, we can expect a quicker abandonment of cable as live sports becomes more easily available online.”
Movieguide® previously reported on the NFL finding a home on Prime Video:
Amazon Prime Video will remain the host for THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL and has also secured the rights to stream an NFL Wild Card playoff game.
Per IndieWire, “The NFL on Wednesday announced its THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL exclusive home, Amazon’s Prime Video service, will be the lucky recipient (read: it paid) of an exclusive NFL Wild Card playoff game for the coming season. We do not yet know for which conference. The AFC and NFC Wild Card rounds take place in January; this past season’s Wild Card round came the weekend of January 13, 2024, so let’s assume the Amazon game will be the weekend of January 11, 2025.”
Another reason people are quitting cable is because even subscribing to multiple streaming services can be cheaper than paying for live TV each month.
CNET broke down the price comparison between cable and streaming:
| Service | Average monthly cost |
|---|---|
| Basic cable TV and internet | $144 |
| Premium cable TV and internet | $217 |
| Basic streaming with ads (no internet) | $33 |
| Premium streaming without ads (no internet) | $71 |
| Live TV streaming and internet | $135 |
| Basic with ads | Premium/ad-free | |
| Netflix | $7 | $15.50, $23 |
| Hulu | $8 | $18 |
| Disney Plus | $8 | $14 |
| Max | $10 | $16, $20 |
“If you want the basic versions of all four services listed above, the total would amount to $33 per month. Getting the basic Disney bundle for $10 a month can save you a total of $6 for Disney Plus and Hulu. But add in the average cost of internet service ($70), and you’d pay $97 or $100 per month. That’s $44 less than the average cost of basic TV and internet ($144 from the table above), excluding cable’s extra fees,” CNET explained.
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