The number of Americans who watch TV via cable or satellite plunged from 76% in 2015 to 56% this year, said a Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults fielded Jan. 25-Feb. 18. Some 27% are cord-cutters, and 17% have never had a pay-TV subscription, it said. Seventy-one percent of those who don’t use cable or satellite TV services say they can access the content they want online; 69% say the cost of pay-TV is too high; 45% say they don’t watch TV often. The drop in pay-TV subscribers reflects the "changing landscape of connectivity and media," said Pew Wednesday, with internet streaming services like Netflix and Hulu growing in popularity, a trend accelerated by the pandemic. Demographics play a role, Pew noted, with 34% of respondents ages 18-29 getting TV through cable or satellite, down 31 points from 2015. Of the 30-49 age group, 46% get TV that way, a 27-point drop. Among those ages 50-64, 66% are pay-TV subscribers, down 14 points for the period; 81% of Americans 65 and older are pay-TV customers, down 5 points. About 53% of nonsubscribers 18-29 don’t have pay TV at home because they don’t watch TV often; for 30-49-year-olds, it's 47%, a third for 50-plus. Nearly 80% of nonsubscribers 50 and older gave cost as the reason, 72% of the 30-49 group and 57% for ages 18-29.

Comments are due March 26, replies April 2, in docket 21-69 on Cable One's planned buy of Hargray, per an FCC Wireline Bureau public notice in Monday's Daily Digest. Cable One hopes to close on the $2.2 billion transaction in Q2 (see 2102160014).

Cox unveiled a web-based remote control that, when tied into customers' assistive technologies, lets people with disabilities control their TVs with their eyes. It said Thursday its Accessible Web Remote for Contour works with customers' eye gaze hardware and software, switch controls, and "sip-and-puff" systems. Cox said for the past three years it has worked with disability accessibility organizations to ensure accessible design and development of its offerings.

Cord cutting and cord shifting to virtual MVPDs will continue this year, but the price advantage vMVPDs enjoyed has eroded significantly, nScreenMedia analyst Colin Dixon blogged Monday. "Big bundle" vMVPDs like YouTube TV, Hulu Live and fuboTV now cost $65 monthly and could cost more than $70 by year's end, he said. He said the vMVPD industry will likely add 1.5 million new subscribers this year, with cheaper services like Sling TV and Philo gaining share as pay TV likely loses 5 million to 6 million subs.

MVPDs lost 7.2 million subscribers last year, reported Kagan Monday, saying virtual MVPD services “blunted the overall erosion” of consumers with a package of live linear channels, but the 2.7 million new vMVPD subscribers fell far short of offsetting cable, telco and satellite cancellations. MVPD losses slowed in Q4 to 1.5 million, but the full-year decline “underscored that the impacts of the pandemic amplified cord cutting instead of insulating an industry built around home entertainment.” For Q4, the vMVPD segment didn’t hold its momentum, gaining 223,000 subscribers to finish the year with 12.5 million. Some 6.8 million households cut the cord last year, said analyst Tony Lenoir. Fewer than 67% of U.S. households have a traditional pay-TV or vMVPD service with a package of live, linear channels, Kagan said, and fewer than 57% subscribe to traditional pay TV.

Fox News, MSNBC, CNN and ESPN were exempted from the FCC's audio description rules applicable to the top five national nonbroadcast networks (see 2011020043) because they provide less than 50 hours per quarter of prime-time programming that's not live or near-live, per a docket 11-43 Media Bureau order Monday. It said with the granted exemptions, the new list of top five national nonbroadcast networks subject to the audio description requirements will be TLC, HGTV, Hallmark, History and TBS.

ViacomCBS launched its “reimagined” streaming service, Paramount+, Thursday, replacing CBS AllAccess. Consumers can subscribe directly. The $9.99 monthly premium tier has live sports, breaking news and commercial-free, on-demand entertainment including exclusive content and library shows and music with 4K, HDR and Dolby Vision, plus mobile downloads, said ViacomCBS. The ad-supported $5.99 tier, including live CBS programming, is available until June, when new subscribers will be offered an ad-free version for $4.99 minus the live local CBS programming. Viacom CBS told existing subscribers they will be automatically rolled over to Paramount+, and the limited-commercials plan will be discontinued later this year, replaced by the $4.99 service. CBS Sports touted the launch. Roku announced the service, hoping to steer its customers to Paramount+ through its platform. Sixteen original series will be offered this year, said ViacomCBS.

Comcast's peak downstream internet traffic grew 38% last year from 2019 levels, while peak upstream traffic jumped 56%, said the company Tuesday. In the four months spanning lockdowns, Comcast's network had almost two years of traffic growth, it said. Despite a rise in videoconferencing, entertainment dominated network traffic, with video streaming generating 71% of downstream traffic, 70% higher than 2019 levels. Online gaming and related software downloads (10%) and web browsing (8%) were primary drivers of downstream traffic, vs. 5% for videoconferencing. Comcast customers generated more than 1 trillion internet requests daily last year, it said.

Charter Communications will continue in the cable TV business, though its video offerings will go beyond that, CEO Tom Rutledge said at a Morgan Stanley investor conference Tuesday. He said live TV being sold in a linear package will continue "for a significant period," though it's becoming less affordable and streaming products are gaining market traction. He said Charter will sell streaming packages alongside its existing video products. Though TV “is becoming a broadband product,” Charter will have cable TV service “for years," he said. Asked about competition from 5G fixed wireless as that service comes to market, he said 5G "would take an enormous amount of capital" to serve as a substitute for cable broadband and it's "not likely to be deployed rapidly." He said Charter's internet-only customers use around 700 GB monthly, while wireless-only averages around 10-12 GB, so 5G "is not a full replacement for where we're going."

Cable One's financial, technical and managerial resources would enhance Hargray's ability to compete in the telecom market, the cable operator said in an FCC International Bureau application Friday seeking OK of its $2.2 billion purchase of the telecom services provider (see 2102160014). Cable One said the deal will be seamless to customers, with existing Hargray customers still getting service under the Hargray name and all billing and correspondence reflecting the Hargray name for the immediate future.