As cable prices soar, more and more people are abandoning traditional pay TV.
The core of PTC’s Cable Choice campaign is opposition to the entertainment industry’s “bundling” regime, under which cable and satellite subscribers are forced to pay for dozens of channels they never watch and don’t want. But with the rise of Internet services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, and others, more and more viewers are “cutting the cord,” and watching programming on their TV screens via internet, rather than satellite or cable.
According to a new
study by Experian Marketing, approximately 7.6 million U.S. households -- 6.5% of all households in the country -- have now cut their pay-TV subscriptions. This is an increase of 44% in just the last three years. The number of “cord-cutters” is especially large among those 18-34, TV’s most desired demographic: “While the term cord-cutter implies that a household had a cable or satellite TV subscription that was canceled, young adults starting out on their own for the first time may never pay for TV service," noted Experian.
As more people find ways to avoid the entertainment industry’s extortionate cable pricing, the industry will come under increasing pressure to change. But with entertainment corporations like Comcast also controlling access to broadband and the internet, it is possible that they will just raise the rates for internet access as well – unless Americans demand their rights.
