Despite its name, cord cutting does not refer to the actual cutting of cords. Cord cutting is a term that refers to the decline of cable television and the rise of streaming television and internet content. This phenomenon has grown increasingly popular over the years, including this one."According to new research from eMarketer, the cable, satellite and telecom TV industry is on track to lose the most subscribers ever. This year, over 6 million U.S. households will cut the cord with pay TV, bringing the total number of cord-cutter households to 31.2 million." These numbers were provided by an article posted on techcrunch.com by Sarah Perez, titled "Pandemic accelerated cord cutting, making 2020 the worst-ever year to pay for TV." This phenomenon has grown so much that there is now tons of communities of "cord cutters" that have started in person groups, Facebook page groups, and even websites on how to cord cut effectively. cordcuttersnews.com is a perfect example of these websites. They give articles on streaming guides, payment deals, and reviews of varying services.
There is also a community of people called cord nevers. These are people that have never owned cable television and have only gotten their content online or from streaming services. The in between of the cord cutters and the people who only have cable are the cord shavers. These people cut down their cable costs by switching to cheaper packages and purchasing a few streaming services.
So, why is cord cutting happening? One of the major factors is the increasing prices of cable television packages. It also might have to do with the limited reaches of the cable networks. In response to these problems, there are cheaper, more accessible streaming services available. Also, with the invention of smart TVs, it is easier to access the subscription services in gathering places like the living room. Along with the more accessibility of streaming, these services have created original content and even offer free trials, which is an extremely high selling point.
How do you know if you should make the switch and join the community of cord cutters? It is not as big of a step that most people expect. One of the biggest signs of switching is if you already own most of the subscription services. It also helps if you already have cheap prices on your internet and good internet connection. In some cases, cord cutters have complained about paying more in total for internet and each subscription. Another big sign is if you have multiple people in your home watching TV, it gets pricey to have multiple cable boxes, yet many of the streaming services allow multiple people to watch different things at once. Lastly, one of the biggest signs is if your favorite content to watch is streaming only content or content you can access through those services.
Sources: https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/
https://www.consumerreports.org/streaming-media/how-to-decide-if-cord-cutting-is-right-for-you/
https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/the-beginners-guide-to-cord-cutting-2020/?source=home
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