According to the Leichtman Research Group, of U.S. households that currently have a live streaming vMVPD pay TV service (like Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, YouTube TV, or AT&T TV NOW), 44% switched directly from a traditional (cable, satellite or telco) pay TV service, and 26% also have a traditional service. In addition, 18% switched from another vMVPD service, and 12% were most recently non-subscribers to any type of pay TV service. That distribution is similar to last year.
Overall, 18% of adults ages 18-44 currently have a vMVPD service - compared to 9% of ages 45 and above. Ages 18-44 now account for 65% of adults in the United States that have a vMVPD pay TV service.
The findings are based on an online survey of 6,462 households from throughout the United States and are part of a new LRG study, Internet-Delivered Pay TV Services 2020, which is LRG's third annual study focused on the vMVPD category, along with other direct-to-consumer (DTC) streaming video services.
Other related findings indicate:
- 76% of vMVPD subscribers are very satisfied with their service, compared to 69% in 2018.
- 14% are very likely to switch from a vMVPD service in the next six months, compared to 27% in 2018.
- 54% of vMVPD households have three or more TV sets.
- 42% that have both a vMVPD and a traditional pay TV service cite having more choices or options as the reason for getting both; 15% cite serving multiple people or TVs in the household; 14% cite channels or content only available from one type; and 8% cite testing or trialing a service.
- 95% with a vMVPD service also have an SVOD service from Netflix, Amazon Prime, and/or Hulu, compared to 74% of traditional pay TV subscribers and 77% of non-subscribers in TV households.
- 79% of all households have at least one SVOD or DTC streaming video service, and 44% have three or more of these services.
"More than ever, consumers are exploring the trade-offs between traditional and vMVPD pay TV services - along with an increasing number of streaming options - to find the combination of content and cost that best meets their needs," said Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst for LRG. "Younger adults and those with more people and TVs in the household have thus far proven to be most attracted to the lower-cost and lower-channel vMVPD options."