Cord cutting is at an all-time high and the majority of American households are tuning in with at least one streaming service. With so many people ditching cable TV, is the switch really worth it?
The team at All About Cookies asked 1,000 consumers (who have already moved on from traditional cable) which streaming services they use weekly, how much they’re paying on average, and whether they regret their decision altogether. Here’s what they found in the study:
- Apple TV+ is the platform with the lowest percentage of subscribers and the one that subscribers use least often. Just 18% of people say they currently have an Apple TV+ subscription, and just 57% of those who do subscribe say they watch something on Apple TV every week. (An aside: The Sellers Research Group — that’s me — finds this hard to believe based on other ancillary reports about Apple’s streaming service).
- 60% of people have a Netflix account and more than 4-in-5 tune in weekly
- Less than half (46%) of Americans still use traditional cable or satellite TV services — cord cutting is saving them roughly $25 each month.
- Just 14% of those who cut the cord on traditional TV services have some level of regret.
Why am I dubious that Apple TV+ is little used? Because of these reports:
° In 2021, 2022, and again in 2024, Apple TV+ has been found to have the highest average IMDb score out of all streaming services, according to a study from Self Financial that reviews which streaming services offer the best content for your money.
° Apple TV+’s viewership was up by 42% year-over-year in 2023, in over 100 countries. The service doubled the total hours consumed, in year over year comparison, according to Deadline.
° According to Research and Markets, six U.S.-based platforms (Apple TV+, Amazon rime Video, Disney+, HBO Max, Netflix, and Paramount +) will have 946 million SVOD subscribers by 2029, up from 751 million in 2023. These platforms are predicted to collectively increase their subscriber bases by 196 million.
(All About Cookies describes itself as “an informational website that provides tips, advice, and recommendations to help you with Online Privacy, Identity Theft Prevention, Antivirus Protection, and Digital Security.”)
I’m not dubious of the report. While people may love the content and find themselves watching more shows, the binge factor just isn’t there yet, so if you’re watching 5-6 hours of TV a day you may throw on an AppleTV show, but then watch 5 hours of the Office on Netflix.
What period does the data cover? Apple TV+ initially didn’t have much content, and although it has lots more now, that reputation still follows it. (And I’m sure there are lots of people out there thinking they can only access those shows on Apple devices, even only with the Apple TV set-top box.) So quality of the content doesn’t matter if people don’t believe it’s worth their time to try.
I regularly follow 4-6 shows at a time, both drams and cartoons (some of them back catalog, catching up on things I didn’t watch before). Currently, that’s on Disney, Hulu, and one on Apple, so yeah, I spend about an hour a week on Apple (but I don’t spend more than 30 min a day on any of them).