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US Pay-TV Subscribers Becoming Increasingly Dissatisfied

Research from Parks Associates reveals that 20% of US pay-TV subscribers are dissatisfied with their service, and this represents a 100% increase since early2013.

The research also indicates that only a third of pay-TV subscribers are very satisfied, which is a drop from 57% in 2013.

Other research by Parks Associates, reveals that 5% of US broadband households have never subscribed to a pay-TV service. It also shows that adoption declines when heads of the household are young, and since 2014, the average age of pay-TV subscribers is increasing.

According to Brett Sappington, senior director of research at Parks Associates, the pay-TV industry continues to experience worldwide growth, but the North American market is experiencing a decline in penetration. Factors, such as high monthly fees and a wide selection of OTT services, are pushing consumers away from traditional pay-TV. Research shows that promotional options, including free or subsidised CPE, could entice potential cord cutters or cord shavers to keep their services.

More than 63 million US broadband households subscribe to an OTT video service, and 36% of broadband households have at least one streaming media player.

Parks Associates research shows that the top 10 OTT video services at the end of 2016 were Netflix, Amazon Video (Amazon Prime), Hulu, MLB.TV, WWE Network, Sling TV, HBO Now, Crunchyroll, Showtime, and CBS All Access.