Cable, Sat TV Lose Another 1M Customers

Younger viewers are fleeing TV at an accelerated pace.

According to USAToday, the trend should surprise no one who has seen the rise of Netflix, a resurgence of video games and a shift to digital. But new Nielsen data show a widening gap in viewing behavior among young and old that's alarming some network executives. 

For the four weeks ending Oct. 28, coinciding with the start of the official TV season, the number of people ages 18 to 34 using TV has plunged 15% and is down 36% from 2014. The drop-off among teens – 18% from last year and 48% since 2014 – is even more pronounced.

"It looks like a big, daunting number," says Peter Katsingris, senior VP of audience insights at Nielsen, and marks a sharp contrast with the mere 2% drop from 2017 among folks 55 and older, the most loyal viewers.  But he says it reflects the new millennial mindset.

"Younger generations are growing up with more choices at their fingertips," he says. "They don't know that you had to watch at  3 o'clock on a Wednesday if you wanted to see a show." For them, dependency on a network schedule is "like looking at a typewriter."

In fact, the very definition of TV watching has changed. A broader measure of television usage that includes streaming through any device connected to a TV – but not websites or mobile apps – shows a less worrisome 5% yearly drop.

And, as often happens, executives question the reliability of Nielsen data, suggesting it could prove another statistical blip. But all signs point to contrary evidence: For the three months  ending Sept. 30, cable and satellite systems reported the loss of another 1 million customers, the largest quarterly drop yet. (About 40% of homes led by millennials don't subscribe to cable or satellite services.)