Decline in Homes Equipped with TV Antennas Down to 19% as Per Survey
Streaming Soars, Pay TV Plummets: Horowitz Research Unveils 2025 Subscription Report
Stay tuned, folks! The latest survey on consumer video subscriptions, courtesy of Horowitz Research, brings both good and bad news to the TV industry. The future of pay TV ain't pretty, with drops in traditional subscriptions and antenna usage. Buckle up, it's gonna be a streaming binge ride!
The "State of Media, Entertainment, and Tech: Subscriptions 2025" report shows households relying on antennas plummeting from 32% in 2020 to a mere 19% in 2025. Wowza, that's a whopper! The pain doesn't stop there, with conventional pay TV providers losing grip too, as the number of homes with MVPD subscriptions plunges from 81% in 2020 to a chilling 44% by 2025.
But guess what, streaming ain't showing any signs of slowing down. In fact, the Horowitz data shows streaming service subscriptions soaring from 70% in 2020 to an impressive 81% in 2025, and free streaming services jumping even higher, from 52% to a whopping 70% in the same time frame.
"What about nasty old cable? Nah, it's hopeless!" I hear you cry. You got it, virtual multichannel video programming distributors (vMVPDs) like Sling TV and YouTube TV are taking a nose-dive too, dropping from 29% of homes in 2020 to 23% in 2025.
The last decade has been a game changer for video services and access methods. In 2015, a scant 7% of all homes were streaming only, now it's nearly half of all homes in 2025! Only 11% still live in a pay TV-only cave by 2025, while 33% of homes have both MVPD and streaming subscriptions (plenty, but not as many as the 40% back in 2015). And yep, the no-subscription crowd has grown a bit too, from 6% in 2015 to 7% in 2025.
Curious about the folks clinging to their antennas? Younger households and wealthier ones are the least likely to adopt this tech. For instance, antennas are still used in 26% of homes headed by folks age 50 or older, but a mere 9% of those with hefty annual incomes of over $100k utilize this old-school tech. On the flip side, 28% of homes without MVPD subscriptions have antennas, while a meager 10% of young households (18-34) do.
Now, the Horowitz study doesn't skimp on the details. It offers insights on subscription costs, the popularity of streaming services, subscription bundling, broadband subscriptions, the smart home market and lots more.
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[1] Data on smart device adoption, market evolution, multicultural marketing, and consumer behavior are based on enrichment research and may not be included in the report itself.
Learn more by traipsing here (link hidden for brevity).
- By 2025, the report predicts a shift in video consumption, with streaming services subscriptions increasing from 70% in 2020 to an impressive 81%, outpacing traditional pay TV subscriptions.
- The technology domain is transforming the lifestyle of consumers, as more households abandon pay TV in favor of streaming services, with free streaming services also seeing a significant rise from 52% to 70% in the same time frame.
- The Horowitz report reveals intriguing insights about the future of media and entertainment, delving into various aspects such as subscription costs, the popularity of streaming services, subscription bundling, broadband subscriptions, the smart home market, and more.
