According to forecasts by SNL Kagan, declines of traditional multichannel subscriptions will accelerate to 82.3 million, down 10.8 million households over five years.
The emergence of virtual services from a niche pioneered by SlingTV and Playstation Vue to a mainstream option that accounts for nearly 11 million households.
The growth of households relying solely on over-the-top delivery of self-aggregated online content to reach nearly 18 million or 14% of occupied households.
The increasing loss of traditional multichannel subscribers in the US is further splintering a video landscape in which streamed bundles, online subscription services, self-aggregation and over-the-air delivery are playing more prominent roles, according to findings from Kagan.
“Changing viewing habits point to mounting losses for traditional video services, and challengers are lining up to capitalize,” said Ian Olgeirson, Research Director, S&P Global Market Intelligence.
“However, the operators are not without significant fortifications enabling expectations for preserving a majority share in the five-year outlook.”
The transformation has amplified the conditions for change and instability in the market, according to the latest segmentation of video delivery options among US households. While households with a traditional multichannel subscription are positioned to remain in the solid majority in the five-year outlook, upward momentum lies firmly with alternative services; the combined account for a non-multichannel tally is on pace to exceed one quarter of occupied households in 2017 and peak one third by 2021.
