In the year 2025, traditional TV habits are a thing of the past. Gone are the days when families would rush to their televisions in anticipation of new shows and movies on HBO, Starz, or Showtime. Now, most people watch their favorite shows alone, couped up in their bedrooms, eating takeout.
From new premieres and weekend trips to Blockbuster, to watching an entire season of Stranger Things in one sitting, streaming has completely shifted how we consume content. What once defined the entertainment norm in the ’90s and early 2000s has evolved. Streaming is now the preferred way people engage with both old favorites and the latest releases when it comes to TV and movies.
According to research on entertainment consumption, streaming now accounts for over 36% of all U.S. TV viewing, surpassing cable, which holds 27.9%. Let’s look at the current breakdown of TV usage:
Still in 2025, 68.7 million U.S. households subscribe to cable TV. That might sound like a high number, 69 million, but it’s a far cry from the 105 million households that subscribed back in 2010. According to U.S. cable subscriber statistics, pay TV has lost more than a third of its customer base in just 15 years.
Enter the cord-cutting era.Households cutting the cord have steadily increased over the past decade. Whether subscribing to multiple streaming platforms or sticking with one, the trend is clear: viewers are moving away from cable.
The reasons? Cost, convenience, and content variety. Since 2018, the number of cord-cutting households has more than doubled, from 37.3 million to 77.2 million. In the same timeframe, traditional cable homes declined from 90.3 million to 69 million. Although cable saw a small bump in 2023, likely thanks to bundling deals and live sports, it wasn’t enough to reverse the trend.
Financially, the impact is clear. Between 2020 and 2025, pay TV lost an estimated $10.5 billion in revenue. Zoom out to the last decade, and losses total around $17 billion. According to Evoca, TV revenue dropped from $100.09 billion in 2017 to $84.29 billion in 2024, which is a 16.5% decline in eight years. By 2027, it’s projected to fall further to $81.33 billion.
In addition, Parks Associates reports that 56 million U.S. internet households (46%) are now cord-cutters. Even more striking: the rise of cord-nevers, people who have never subscribed to traditional cable or satellite. That number now represents 12% of U.S. internet households.
Demographics also play a huge role in how viewership of traditional formats has changed. As the population gets older, it’s clear that younger generations either don’t care about cable television or have chosen not to watch it at all.
Here’s a quick look at the demographic landscape from older to younger generations, illustrating this major shift:
This transformation is being driven by:
Why Millennials and Gen Z Have Shifted Away from Cable TV:
Trend/Behavior
Viewing Flexibility
Content Access
Cost & Commitment
Ad Experience
Personalization
Device Compatibility
Social Integration
Cultural Relevance
Speaking of money. Another major reason for the shift in streaming vs cable is cost. As mentioned in the charts above, cost and savings play a huge part in how customers spend their money. But let’s take a deeper dive into that.
According to a 2025 survey conducted by Cord Cutters News, cable customers now pay double what cord cutters pay in 2025. With multiple services like Netflix, Hulu, and Max typically pay $70 or less per month, while cable customers average $147 monthly—with some paying over $200. Those who subscribe to just three services pay $48/month, or $16 per service.
This cost disparity comes as no surprise amid broader media trends. Just 28.3% of Americans still use DVDs and Blu-rays, according to a Cord Cutters poll, while 71.7% now rely on streaming. Free services like The Roku Channel, which ranked at 28.2% in a best-free-service survey.
Cable’s challenges are clear. About 19.4% of subscribers pay more than $200 each month, based on an April 1 Cord Cutters News survey, with regional sports networks and taxes inflating bills by an average of 24%. Additionally, cable costs vary significantly worldwide.Cord-cutters, on the other hand, can handpick the services they actually use, which helps them save significantly.
When all of this is factored in, cord-cutters save an average of $730 per year compared to cable TV subscribers.
One of the biggest drivers of cable’s decline? The lack of original content. A decade ago, basic cable delivered 186 scripted shows in a year. Today? That number is nearly zero.
Networks have pulled back on cable-exclusive programming, instead shifting to their own streaming platforms or partnering with digital-first studios. Even live sports are making the move. From NFL on Prime Video and UFC on ESPN+ to the Olympics streaming on Peacock, cable’s grip on premium sports is slipping.
By the end of 2025, only about one-third of U.S. homes are expected to still have cable. Meanwhile, major cable providers like Charter and Comcast are losing ground rapidly.
Case in point: the Charter-Cox merger, a $34.5 billion deal that proves how serious the shift has become. First reported by AP News, this isn’t just a partnership, Charter (which owns Spectrum) is acquiring Cox Communications, creating a telecom giant with over 38 million customers.
First reported by AP News, this isn’t just a partnership. Charter, the company behind Spectrum, is acquiring Cox Communications, forming a telecom giant with over 38 million customers nationwide.
Why now? One word: survival. With both companies hemorrhaging subscribers, and even broadband growth slowing, the merger allows them to:
Streaming isn’t just growing, it’s dominating. According to eMarketer,, over 260 million Americans (77% of the population) are expected to stream content in 2025. That includes platforms like YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, and free ad-supported services like Tubi and Roku Channel.
Add to that bundled streaming packages like Hulu + Disney+ + Max, and the writing is on the wall for cable giants.
To put things into perspective, check out this graphic that describe the current entertainment landscape:
Here are some of the most asked questions when it comes to streaming vs cable:
Bottom line? Streaming is now the default for many. Cord-nevers are rising. Cable is shrinking. Mergers are happening just to survive.
But which is right for you?
And while we can’t predict exactly how this transition will unfold, the best decision to make an educated decision is to compare offers in your area and make the best decision for your household.
