No matter how much the Cable companies tell everyone that cord cutting is pretty much insignificant, the facts are saying otherwise.
More Canadians considering cutting the cord
As many viewers turn off from paying high bills that offer hundreds of channels of junk, more are heading online and becoming cord cutters. The latest survey from Canada shows that 1 in 7 viewers are likely to quit their paying TV service and opt for cheaper or free TV.
The survey by The Media Technology Monitor spoke to around 4,000 English speaking Canadians in Q4 of 2013, and 16% of those surveyed were seriously considering cutting the cord in favor of free OTA (over-the-air) TV or streaming content.
Most likely to take the plunge and leave the umbilical cord of pay-TV were respondents aged between 34-47, followed by those aged 25-33.
Streaming was popular, and more convenient among respondents with 42% saying they watched internet TV during the last month, an increase of 10% from the previous year.
The survey runs counter to a recent Deloitte survey which showed that Canadians using pay-TV are supplementing it with streaming service such as Netflix rather than cancelling cable.
A big attraction for online streaming is the ability to binge watch an entire season or complete series in one sitting. Half of the survey respondents said they had watched at least three consecutive episodes of a TV show in the previous year.
Binge viewing seems more popular with the youngsters though, in the 18- 34 age bracket, over 60% of respondents said they enjoyed watching back-to-back TV shows, whilst only 25% of the over 65′s enjoyed binge-viewing.
