Cord Cutting: More Than Half of Americans Cut Cable or Streaming Services in 2025 Due to Rising Costs

Cable and satellite TV costs have been on the rise for decades, which means people spend hundreds of dollars annually for packages that include dozens of channels they don’t watch. Subsequently, more and more people are “cutting the cord” every year and turning to alternatives like streaming services to watch their favorite shows and movies.

But does this always turn out well? Are streaming subscribers still paying for more than they use? To get a greater understanding of cord-cutting and how people consume content after removing traditional TV services from their lives, we surveyed 1,000 consumers and discovered how many have already cut the cord, how they feel about that decision, and what life is like on the other side.

Key findings

• Less than a third (30%) of Americans still use traditional cable or satellite TV services.
  • This includes just 21% of Gen Z viewers.
• Nearly two-thirds (64%) of cord-cutters dropped a streaming service in the past year due to rising costs or switched to a cheaper or ad-supported plan.
• Only 5% of cord-cutters regret the switch from cable.
• Americans subscribe to 3.4 streaming services on average, and over a quarter (27%) subscribe to five or more. The average amount people spend on streaming subscriptions is $48.13 per month.

More Americans are cutting the cord than ever before, according to the latest data

So how are Americans watching TV at home? Before taking a deeper dive into the specifics of cord-cutting, we wanted to understand exactly how people are watching TV.

Of those we surveyed, less than a third (30%) said they watch TV through traditional cable or satellite services. Comparatively, three times as many respondents (90%) said they watch shows through paid streaming services and nearly twice as many (58%) said they utilize free streaming platforms. Taken together, this shows how important streaming platforms are for media consumption.

The percentage of consumers who say they use both paid and free streaming services increased significantly year-over-year, while the opposite was true for cable and satellite services. Last year three-quarters of respondents said they used paid streaming services, and this year that number jumped to 90%, a 14 point increase over the course of the year. The use of free streaming services saw an even greater increase, increasing by 16 points year-over-year (42% to 58%), the exact amount that cable and satellite usage decreased (46% to 30%).

Only 30% of Americans still have cable, with younger generations even less

On a generational level, trends in the data suggest that younger people are less and less likely to rely on traditional cable or satellite services. In fact, there’s a significant drop in viewership among Gen Z consumers — roughly half as many said they pay for cable compared to older Americans.

Nearly 40% of Baby Boomers say they still use traditional cable or satellite TV services, the highest rate of any generation. Usage of these kinds of television services gradually decreases across generations, with just 21% of Gen Z respondents saying they still have a cable or satellite subscription, the lowest rate of any age group.

Overwhelmingly, cord cutters don’t regret cancelling cable

Getting rid of traditional TV services can be an appealing option when the cable bill comes, but how satisfied are people who actually do cut the cord?

Almost no one who has cut the cord on cable and satellite subscriptions regret it, as an astounding 95% of cord cutters are happy with their decision to move away from traditional TV services while only 5% regret it. That is even higher than last year, when 86% said they were happy while 14% regretted the move.

On average, Americans pay for 3.4 streaming services, with $48 in monthly costs to watch TV

Rising cable costs and the thousands of options for shows and movies on various streaming services have been key factors in the popularity of cord-cutting. As long as streaming subscriptions are more affordable than cable for the average household, it makes sense to move away from cable.

By asking respondents which popular streaming services they currently subscribe to, we found that the average person has subscriptions for 3.4 popular streaming services, and users pay a little more than $48 per month on average for those subscriptions. That’s $35 less than the average amount that people pay for cable ($83).

The streaming services with the biggest subscriber base

With so many big-name streaming services available to consumers, which ones are people the most and least likely to subscribe to?

For many, Netflix is the service that introduced them to the idea of streaming video content. Launched in 2007, Netflix got in early and made itself a household name — one that appears to have staying power. 69% of people currently pay for a Netflix subscription, the most of any streaming platform. That 69% subscription rate is 9 points higher than last year, when Netflix was still the top-ranked streaming platform with 60% of respondents subscribing.

The only other streaming service remotely close to Netflix in terms of subscriber rate is Amazon Prime Video, which two-third of people (66%) have an account for. Prime Video’s performance comes with a bit of an asterisk, however, as many people get their access as part of a larger Amazon Prime subscription that also gives them benefits such as free shipping on products purchased from the online retail giant, access to Prime Music and Gaming services, and more. Hulu is the only other streaming service that more than half of respondents say they subscribe to.

On the other end of the spectrum, just 15% of people say they subscribe to Apple TV+, the lowest rate of any traditional streaming service. The only platform included in the survey with a lower subscription rate was YouTube TV, which is more expensive and acts largely as a substitute for traditional cable, giving users access to hundreds of channels. Just 12% of people say they subscribe to YouTube TV, which is half as many as last year, when nearly a quarter of respondents (24%) said they used the service. 

55% of Americans have cancelled streaming services in the last year due to rising costs

While streaming services offer consumers an alternative to costly cable and satellite TV, regular and widespread price hikes have made some reconsider or change the number and level of their active subscriptions.  

In the last year, more than half of people, 55%, say they have cancelled a streaming service altogether because of increased costs. Additionally, nearly half of respondents (48%) say they moved their subscription to a lower subscription tier, which typically comes with drawbacks such as ads, lower video quality, increased restrictions on usage, etc. All told, nearly two-thirds of people, 64%, have taken at least one of these actions to combat rising streaming costs. 

Advice from the experts

While our study gave good insight on how many people are making the switch from streaming to cable and which platforms are the most popular, we also had our own questions about cord cutting. To find out, we asked a panel of experts to weigh in.

Are there any security risks to users' PII (personally identifiable information) when switching from cable to streaming?

Do you foresee any long-term limitations with live streaming? (e.g., bandwidth issues, internet connection speeds, and geo-blocking)

Is cord cutting starting to lose its appeal as streaming subscriptions are getting that much more expensive?

^{Some responses may have been slightly edited for clarity and brevity.}

Tired of cable TV? Follow these best practices if you’re looking to cut the cord

• Don't miss out on your favorite TV. Hulu + Live TV lets you stream your favorite channels, without all the hassles that cable companies give you.

• Access even more content with a VPN. Virtual private networks (VPNs) are a recommended tool to safely access your favorite shows and movies, while also giving you access to even more content on services like Netflix. Be sure to read up on the best VPNs for streaming, like NordVPN.

• Enhance your password security. Another important step for online safety is to install a password manager to protect your confidential information, especially if you watch unofficial streaming content or out-of-market games.  
  

Methodology

To collect the data for this survey, our team at All About Cookies surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults in November 2025 via Prolific. All respondents were U.S. citizens over the age of 18 and remained anonymous.