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One-third of cord cutters say they’ll never go back to cable

Updated Dec 19th, 2018 8:28PM EST
BGR

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It seems that a good number of people who have unsubscribed from cable or satellite television services never want to go back. According to a new survey released Tuesday by deal-aggregation website TechBargains.com, 33% of cable and satellite subscribers who have cut the cord say they will never go back even if service providers “drastically” reduce their prices. The survey also found that 83% of people who have ditched cable or satellite have done so due to high cost, while 17% of people who ditched their service did so because they were unhappy with the service or content provided. In all, 52% of the people surveyed were current cable subscribers, 19% were current digital satellite subscribers and 29% were former subscribers of cable or satellite. Hit the jump for the full release.

One Out of Three People Who Have Cut the Cord on Cable Said They Would Not Return Regardless of Price

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) June 26, 2012

TechBargains.com, a deal aggregation website for electronic products, released its Cutting the Cord survey results revealing that 33% of people who have cut the cord on cable/satellite services said they would not re-install services even if the cost of cable was drastically reduced. Half of respondents (52%) are cable subscribers, 19% subscribe to digital satellite and 29% have cut the cord. The results indicate that 83% of people cut the cord because of the high cost, followed by 17% of people that discontinued cable/satellite services because it did not provide the best quality and variety of content. The survey also reveals people who have disconnected their landline are two times more likely to eliminate their cable/satellite subscription than those who have not disconnected their home telephone.

“While not everyone has cut the cord on cable or satellite, a significant number of consumers are actively looking for alternatives,” said Yung Trang, President and Editor in Chief of TechBargains.com. “Today, people are streaming their favorite shows and movies on their device of choice — at significantly lower costs. This gives consumers more choice and undoubtedly has serious future implications for the cable and satellite industry.”

How/What Consumers Stream:
Televisions

  • 75% of people stream video on their televisions while 25% do not. 57% of those who stream content from their TV use a gaming console, 43% use a streaming media player, 23% use a Smart TV and 32% use a different device (e.g. Blu-Ray player, PC).
  • The majority (74%) of people watch Netflix when streaming content on TVs.

Cell Phones

  • 53% of people said they do not stream content on their cell phone while 47 % said they do stream content on their cell phone.
  • The majority (80%) of people watch YouTube when streaming content on cell phones.

Tablets

  • 72% of people use their tablets to stream video content while 28% do not stream content on their tablets.
  • The majority (74%) of people watch YouTube when streaming content on tablets.

Laptops

  • 77% of people stream content on their laptops and 23% do not stream on their laptops.
  • The majority (78%) of people watch YouTube when streaming content on laptops.

Desktops (Who Knew These Were Still So Popular?)

  • 70% of people stream content on their desktops while 30% of people do not stream on their desktops.
  • The majority (80%) of people watch YouTube when streaming content on desktops.

Cutting the Cord: Landlines and Cable

The survey found that 60% of people no longer have a landline telephone, not a surprising trend as mobile devices continue to gain popularity. The results also revealed that 57% of people that still have a landline do not plan to disconnect their landline in the next year. However, of those who have gotten rid of their landline, 36% of people have also discontinued their cable/satellite service. Finally, of those who still have their landlines, 19% have cut the cable cord.

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.