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Cord-cutting catches on: 60 million Americans now rely on free over-the-air TV

Published Jun 27th, 2013 12:30AM EDT
Cord Cutting Study Analysis

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Cash-strapped Americans looking to save some money on their monthly bills are increasingly ditching pay television and relying on free over-the-air television instead. GigaOM points us to a new study from GfK Media & Entertainment showing that 19.3% of all American households now rely on free over-the-air broadcasts as their primary source for television, which translates to around 22.4 million households encompassing 59.7 million viewers. As GigaOM reports, this marks a significant increase in cord cutting since 2010, when just 14% of American households relied on over-the-air broadcasts. The growth in over-the-air-only households is strongest among “younger households, lower-income families and minorities,” GigaOM notes.

Brad Reed
Brad Reed Staff Writer

Brad Reed has written about technology for over eight years at BGR.com and Network World. Prior to that, he wrote freelance stories for political publications such as AlterNet and the American Prospect. He has a Master's Degree in Business and Economics Journalism from Boston University.