From R. Michael Brown [@rmikebrown] — I’ve been a cord cutter since 2004. I found as a writer and video producer that the standard cable and satellite content was following a usual formula [like disparaging heterosexual men – network TV’s favorite punching bag] and more and more outrageous for no other reason other than a never-ending quest to get more eyeballs.
I didn’t want my kids watching any of it. Books and Internet content was more entertaining and informative, and I had more control over it, so I cut the cord.
Cord-Cutting Keeps Churning: U.S. Pay-TV Cancelers to Hit 33 Million in 2018 (Study)
By Todd Spangler [@xpangler] (Variety)
Have you recently pulled the plug on cable or satellite TV? You’re not alone: Millions of Americans have already scrapped traditional pay-TV service, and the exodus is expected to continue apace in 2018 — even faster than previously expected.
This year, the number of cord-cutters in the U.S. — consumers who have ever cancelled traditional pay-TV service and do not resubscribe — will climb 32.8%, to 33.0 million adults, according to new estimates from research firm eMarketer. That’s compared with a total of 24.9 million cord-cutters as of the end of 2017, which was up 43.6% year over year (and an upward revision from eMarketer’s previous 22 million estimate).
That said, even as the traditional pay-TV universe shrinks, the number of viewers accessing over-the-top, internet-delivered video services keeps growing. About 147.5 million people in the U.S. watch Netflix at least once per month, according to eMarketer’s July 2018 estimates. That’s followed by Amazon Prime Video (88.7 million), Hulu (55 million), HBO Now (17.1 million) and Dish’s Sling TV (6.8 million).
Brownie Bytes 