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1 Million Pay TV Users Cut Cord in 2011
Cord Cutters Very Real, Growing Slowly but Consistently

Despite cable executive insistence that "cord cutters" are akin to unicorn and yeti, a series of new reports by the Convergence Consulting Group notes that 2.65 million American multichannel subscribers cut the cord between 2008-2011 and switched to "over the top" video options. According to their report, The Battle for the American Couch Potato (pdf), the pay TV industry added just 112,000 net cable, satellite and telco TV customers last year, significantly less than other recent estimates.

As with previous Convergence reports we've covered, the firm is clear to point out that any video revolution continues to be very slow in coming. Still, they also make it clear that with 1 million users cutting pay TV services in 2011, those who insist cord cutting isn't real are in very stark denial. The group predicts that total cord cutters (since 2008) will reach 3.58 million year end 2012.

Part of the problem is that cable operators and the broadcast industry absolutely refuse to compete on price. That belief's justified by the fact that despite bi-annual rate hikes, a dead housing market and a recession, users keep ponying up the cash for cable TV. Still, more than a few analysts, stock jocks and ratings houses have been warning that the price hikes can't continue indefinitely, and that the bite felt from cord cutters will progressively be far more noticeable.

Most recommended from 78 comments


Albert71292
join:2004-10-31
West Monroe, LA

2 recommendations

Albert71292

Member

Cut the cord (Dish) in November

I finally dropped Dish service in November. Most evenings there'd be nothing I wanted to watch on, even with 250 channels. Probably because of things like Discovery no longer showing documentaries, History no longer showing history, MTV/VH1 no longer playing music, Science turning into the "How It's Made" channel, AMC going commercial and no longer showing classic movies, IFC going commercial and no longer showing independent films, Game Show Network no longer airing old classic game shows, TV Land not airing NEAR the classic TV they used to, Discovery Health getting hijacked by Oprah, etc...

Don't have anything like Netflix either, because the quality is TERRIBLE on my DSL connection, near unwatchable.

Surprisingly, I find MORE than enough to watch on the 16 local OTA channels I get for free with the antenna on my roof!

AnonPerson
join:2000-08-26
Lexington, KY

2 recommendations

AnonPerson

Member

Lets face it

TV is too expensive and too littered with commercials. Who still wants to pay for that garbage?