Cord-cutting stopped being a trend a while ago. It's now simply how America watches TV — and 2026 is the year the numbers got impossible to ignore.
The state of the exodus
- Pay TV (cable, satellite and live-TV streaming bundles) is now in fewer than half of U.S. households: about 66.7 million of 113 million, by Madison and Wall analyst Brian Wieser's Q4 2025 estimate (The Desk).
- Streaming hit a record 47.5% of all TV viewing in December 2025, more than broadcast and cable combined (Nielsen’s The Gauge).
- Among adults 18 to 29, only 16% subscribe to cable or satellite TV (Pew Research Center, April 2025 survey).
It's the bill
For most households it comes down to price. Major cable and satellite TV services average $101.11 a month before internet (Reviews.org, 2025), and box rentals, broadcast fees, regional sports fees and the year-two price jump stack on top of the advertised rate.
Compare that to the streaming route: fiber internet plus one live-TV service typically lands between $148–155 total — for faster internet than the cable bundle included, with no contract on either piece.
"But I'll lose my channels" — no, you won't
This is the myth that keeps people writing checks. Modern live-TV streaming services carry local stations, news, and sports:
- YouTube TV — 100+ channels, unlimited DVR, the cleanest cable replacement.
- Fubo — 185+ channels and the strongest regional sports coverage.
- Hulu + Live TV — 95+ channels with Disney+ and a huge on-demand library built in.
We compared all three — prices, DVR, streams, sports — on our Cut the Cord page.
The one requirement nobody should skip
Streaming households live on their internet connection. When live TV, gaming, and video calls all ride the same line, you want bandwidth, low latency, and no data caps — which is precisely the fiber profile. Do the internet first, then cancel cable. Start with your address.