Pay TV still high in US but cord-cutting is having impact

Despite ongoing trends towards cord-cutting, more than seven in ten US TV households still have some form of pay TV service.

According to Leichtman Research Group 71% of TV households in the US subscribe to pay TV. This total however is down from 82% in 2016, 87% in 2011, and 86% in 2006.

This is reflected in generational trends. In TV households, 64% of adults ages 18-44 and 77% of ages 45+ have a pay-TV service. By contrast, in 2016, 77% of adults ages 18-44 and 86% of ages 45+ had a pay-TV service.

Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst for Leichtman Research Group, said: “The percent of U.S. TV households with a live pay-TV service significantly declined from 82% to 71% over the past five years. The penetration of pay-TV remains lowest among younger adults and the categories that they tend to populate, including movers and renters.”