Though there has been a decline in cable TV subscribers in recent years, it still remains the most popular choice among many households.
There are still more than 75 million subscribers of cable television services in the United States.
This resource will presents cable TV subscribers statistics, trends, demographics, and the market share.
Key Statistics
- The total cable TV subscribers in the United States is 75.5 million.
- The pay TV subscriber decline is expected to drop to 47.8 million by 2027.
- Adults aged 65 and older are the most likely to have cable TV subscriptions.
- 49% of Baby Boomers subscribe to cable TV.
- The European cable TV market is expected to grow.
- Latin America is where cable TV subscriptions are seeing the fastest growth.
- Asia Pacific has the most cable subscribers in the world.
- Africa’s cable TV subscriptions are expected to double by 2024.
- The global cable TV market size in 2022 was valued at $300 billion.
- Cable TV providers are working to adapt to modern consumers.
Top Cable TV Subscribers Statistics in 2025
1. The Total Cable TV Subscribers in The United States Is 75.5 Million.
Variety magazine reported data that says collectively cable, internet TV, and satellite TV providers in the United States lost 2.3 million customers in the first quarter of 2023.
In spite of that fact, there are still 75.5 million cable television subscribers in America.
This figure represents a downturn of about 7% yearly and the lowest numbers of users of any kind of paid TV since 1992.
(Variety)
2. The Pay TV Subscriber Decline Is Expected to Drop to 47.8 Million by 2027.
By the end of 2023, it’s expected that the pay TV subscriber numbers will decrease to 60.5 million adults.
Pay TV is expected to see a continued and gradual decrease between 2023 and 2027.
By 2027, predictions reveal that the decrease will fall to 47.8 million pay TV subscribers.
This is mostly due to the “cord-cutting” movement being seen in America today.
(Statista)
3. Adults Aged 65 and Older Are the Most Likely to Have Cable TV Subscriptions.
American adults aged 65 and older encompass the age group most like to have cable TV subscriptions as per 2023 data.
In contrast, U.S. adults aged 35 to 44 said they have subscribed to cable TV, but they became cord-cutters later.
(Statista²)
4. 49% of Baby Boomers Subscribe to Cable TV.
According to the latest figures, 49% of Baby Boomers subscribe to cable TV and 59% of them watch at least 10 hours of television per day.
In contrast, only 34% of adults in America aged 18 to 29 have cable or satellite TV subscriptions.
So, according to these statistics, cable TV is used most by the older generations.
(tvScientific)
5. The European Cable TV Market Is Expected to Grow.
In Europe, the number of cable TV households is growing across the continent.
For instance, in 2010, there were 25 million households in Europe with cable subscriptions.
By 2019, the number of European cable TV subscribers grew to almost 70 million.
Moreover, it’s forecast that by the end of 2023, there will be 80 million people in Europe with cable television subscriptions.
(CableCompare)
6. Latin America Is Where Cable TV Subscriptions Are Seeing the Fastest Growth.
People in Latin America aren’t cutting the cord like in the United States.
In fact, in Brazil and Mexico, where economic growth is expanding, the whole continent is quickly subscribing to cable TV services.
However, growth has slowed somewhat and is expected to remain overall unchanged in the next few years.
It’s also predicted that other Latin American countries will join the cable TV crowd.
(CableCompare)
7. Asia Pacific Has the Most Cable Subscribers in The World.
The highest number of cable TV subscribers are found in Asia Pacific regions like China and India.
These two Asia-Pacific counties are two of the most highly populated in the world, so it makes sense they would have the most cable TV consumers.
In fact, the Asia-Pacific continent has over 623 million cable TV subscribers.
China alone has a share of 350 million subscribers. India has a share of about 150 million.
(CableCompare)
8. Africa’s Cable TV Subscriptions Are Expected to Double by 2024.
In terms of growing populations, Africa is seeing the fastest growth on the globe.
Recent data shows that there are around 25 million cable television subscribers on the African continent, which is expected to double by 2024 to around 50 million subscribers.
(CableCompare)
9. The Global Cable TV Market Size in 2022 Was Valued at $300 Billion.
The total global broadcasting and cable TV market size in 2022 was valued at $300 billion with projected growth of 3% (CAGR) between 2023 and 2032.
The overarching segments in this market include cable TV, satellite TV, IPTV, and DTT.
The global market sector involves North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and MEA respectively.
(GMI)
10. Cable TV Providers Are Working to Adapt to Modern Consumers.
The downturn in cable TV subscribers, especially in the United States, has prompted cable TV service providers to adapt and take advantage of new technology for the modern consumer.
For instance, cable TV providers are working to integrate their services into smart devices for a more personalized experience that appeals to today’s entertainment consumer.
(Homelinkd)
11. Comcast Cable TV Has Over 17 Million Subscribers.
Comcast is one of America’s leading cable TV providers.
This company lost 2 million cable TV subscribers in 2022, which was an increase over the loss of 1.66 million in 2021.
Still, they have more than 17.1 million subscribers.
Like other popular cable TV service providers, Comcast has also been experiencing losses in subscribers.
It’s a good thing they still have their internet and other services.
(TechJury)
12. Charter Communications Still Has Over 15.4 Million Cable TV Subscribers.
Along with other cable TV providers like Comcast, Charter Communications (Spectrum) has also suffered subscriber losses over the past few years.
Even with the losses, Charter (Spectrum) still has over 15.4 million cable TV subscribers.
Customers are also bundling services that include cable TV, phone, and internet services.
(TechJury)
13. Comcast Experienced the Biggest Cable TV Subscriber Loss in The Q2 of 2023.
As we mentioned, Comcast is one of America’s most popular cable TV providers.
As of the second quarter of 2023, this company suffered the biggest loss in cable TV subscriptions at 543,000 cancellations.
Charter experienced a loss of 200,000 subscribers in this same period.
(Hollywood Reporter)
14. Of All Pay-TV Providers, YouTube TV Enjoyed an Increase in Subscribers.
While cable companies like Comcast and Charter, satellite TV companies like DirecTV and Dish TV, and even some streaming live TV services like Hulu + Live TV and Sling TV were experiencing subscriber losses, YouTube TV was gaining new subscribers.
In fact, YouTube gained around 200,000 new subscribers during the Q2 of 2023.
It’s the only major pay-TV provider that didn’t lose subscribers, but instead gained several.
(Hollywood Reporter)
15. Verizon Fios TV Subscribers Have Been on The Decline Since 2016.
Verizon is known for its cellphone services, but it also has the Fios TV division that recently lost over 76,000 subscribers during the first quarter of 2023.
Its current subscriber base of about 3.16 million is about half of its former subscriber base a mere few years ago.
Verizon’s Fios TV subscriptions have been on the decline since the fourth quarter of 2016.
(Comparitech)
16. In 2018, 27% of The American Population Cancelled Their Cable TV Subscriptions.
This statistic reveals that cord cutting isn’t anything new and has been going on for several years.
For example, ion 2018 alone, 27% of American households cancelled their cable TV subscriptions.
That’s more than a quarter of lost subscriptions across cable TV providers.
(ZipDo)
17. U.S. Cable TV Generated $56.4 Billion in Ad Revenues in 2020.
The cable TV market in the United States in 2020 generated $56.4 billion (USD) just in ad revenue.
This data comes from a period after the mass cord cutting movement began in 2018.
It shows that cable TV providers rely on multiple sources of income besides subscribers.
So, as long as cable TV has viewers, ad revenue will continue to flow.
(ZipDo)
18. Between 2020 and 2022, Fox News Was the Most Watched Cable TV Network.
Fox Network is categorized as a cable TV channel.
Between 2020 and 2022, Fox News channel (part of the total Fox cable network) was the number one most watched cable TV network across cable channels.
In 2022, Fox News had an estimated 2.4 million viewers.
(CableCompare, Statista³)
19. The Streaming Service Market Has Outpaced the Cable TV Market.
Today, the streaming service market for television viewing has outpaced the cable TV market.
As of June 2023, only 34.4% of Americans are paying for cable TV.
Most of them are now streaming via internet television services rather than via cable TV providers.
The live streaming market is valued at over $59 billion (USD) as of 2022.
(TechJury)
20. Sports Help to Maintain Cable TV Viewership for The Time Being.
Sports viewing on cable TV saw an increase of 22% as of January 2023 according to Nielsen.
The ESPN channel specifically saw an uptake of 14% in 2022, an increase over 11% in 2021.
While cable TV holds on to its Sports viewing among affluent Americans who pay over $20 billion (USD) in sports consumption, we can’t guess at how long that will remain.
Remember, YouTube TV now has NFL Sunday Ticket which could change the landscape.
(tvScientific)
FAQs
What Is Cable TV?
Cable TV is television service that is delivered through coaxial cables that transmit signals to subscribers.
You can choose from a wide range of channels like local broadcast channels, cable channels, and premium channels.
How Much Does Cable TV Cost?
The cost of cable TV varies depending on the provider, the package you select, and if you have other services in a bundle.
For instance, some cable providers offer bundles for internet, VoiP phone, and cable TV.
Cable TV providers offer a wide variety of packages from which to choose that fit your needs and budget.
What Are Some Cable TV Benefits?
Despite the downturn in cable TV subscriber in recent years, cable TV offers many benefits such as:
• Wide range of channels
• High-quality audio and video
• DVR recording
• On-demand programming
• Parental controls
• HD and 4K channels
What Are Some Challenges of Cable TV?
Just like streaming services, cable TV comes with some drawbacks like the following:
• Expensive, especially if you want a lot of channels
• Contractual commitment for a certain amount of time
• Early cancellation fees
Can You Watch Cable TV via Streaming Devices?
Yes. It’s becoming very common to watch cable TV through streaming devices.
Here are some streaming services that offer cable TV channels:
• YouTube TV
• Hulu + Live TV
• Sling TV
• fubo TV
• DirecTV Stream
• Philo
Each of these offer a wide range of channels options at a variety of price levels for almost any budget.
Conclusion
What we can surmise from these statistics is that cable TV is experiencing losses to some of the newer streaming services available today.
YouTube TV is leading the way for all pay-TV services right now in the wake of cord cutting.
Cable TV may be on the decline in subscriber numbers, but don’t count them out just yet.
Cable TV is still quite popular in North America and continents like Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin Ameria, and Africa.
We also know that sports viewing is about the only thing keeping cable TV companies relevant in today’s world.
However, the future of cable is uncertain.
We hope these cable TV subscribers statistics have made you feel more informed about this form of entertainment and its future.
You can also learn more about cable TV from the FAQs below.