A narrow majority of U.S. internet households — 51 percent — would prefer a video subscription that combines live television with their favorite streaming services, according to a new Parks Associates report.
Of those households, 27 percent wanted a traditional live-TV bundle paired with on-demand streaming, while 24 percent favored a skinny bundle combined with streaming services.
A skinny bundle is a limited-channel pay-TV or streaming package, often grouped by genre such as entertainment, sports or news, and priced below full traditional lineups. Among current streaming pay-TV subscribers — including users of YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo and DIRECTV Stream — 68 percent found the skinny-bundle idea appealing.
The findings indicate consumers still want live TV but are rethinking how it is packaged. Combining smaller channel lineups with streaming services could serve as a middle ground between traditional pay TV and streaming-only plans, the Plano, Texas, research firm said.
Parks Associates Director of Entertainment Research Michael Goodman said many viewers are not choosing between live TV and streaming; they want both. Smaller channel packages paired with streaming could give providers more flexibility and simpler access to preferred content, he said, and could also function as a retention tool by giving existing subscribers another option before they cancel.