We have entered the Golden Age of Streaming

We recently completed our annual survey to gain more insights into TV streaming in the U.S. and how it has accelerated over the past year. Four in five consumers surveyed are TV streamers, and more than half of consumers say they’re going to watch as much TV as they did during the pandemic, even as restrictions loosen. Of those who say they will watch as much or more TV, one in two say it’s because they simply love TV. Of course we at Roku love TV, too! Read on for more insights from this year’s report, ‘The Streaming Decade.’ *

TV Streaming: saving more, watching more

Our study found that 1 in 4 consumers is a cord cutter, and on average they pay less than half of what traditional pay TV viewers do: $49 versus $121. But cutting the cord doesn’t mean watching less. On average, cord cutters spend 3 more hours per week streaming than traditional pay TV viewers spend watching: 22 hours versus 19 hours.

The water cooler disappeared, but the conversation has not

TV streaming is what people are talking about. According to our survey results, people watch TV streaming when they want to be in on the shows that are driving today’s conversations. In fact, people are three times more likely to choose TV streaming over traditional pay TV when they want to watch something everyone is talking about: 66% of people chose TV streaming versus 22% who said they would turn to traditional pay TV (cable/satellite/telco).

OK, Boomer

It’s not just young people who are using streaming services to stay in the conversation. Social currency is also a reason that Boomers choose streaming: 54% of Boomers chose TV streaming versus 25% of Boomers who said they would turn to traditional pay TV.

And streaming services are continuing to expand their audiences overall. While TV streaming is nearly universal among younger generations (98% of Gen Z and 95% of Millennials), the majority of Boomers are streaming too, and getting even more involved:

• 71% of Boomers stream.
• Nearly 1 in 4 Boomers cut the cord in the past year—and are just as likely as younger generations to be cord cutters (Gen Z = 25%; Boomers = 23%).
• 51% of streaming Boomers added more streaming subscriptions.
• 9 in 10 Boomers who stream say TV streaming devices are easy to use.

A whole new ballgame

Not so long ago, the only way sports fans could watch live sports was on cable, or in the stands. Today’s viewers are increasingly comfortable watching live sports on TV streaming, which is catching up to the traditional pay TV audience: 42% watch sports via TV streaming versus 62% who watch via traditional pay TV. And importantly, both types of viewers are very satisfied with their experiences and are going to continue watching.

As even more people adopt TV streaming, they’re spending less money, getting access to more content, and staying current with the most popular shows and events of today (and tomorrow).

Download our 2021 streaming report to learn more about why TV streaming has passed a tipping point.

* Methodology: Between July 24 and July 30, 2021, on behalf of Roku, Inc. NRG surveyed online n=2,852 18-70 year olds in the U.S. who watch at least 5 hours of TV per week via traditional pay TV (i.e. cable, satellite, or telco service) or a streaming service.