Advanced Television

7% of pay-TV subs ponder cord cut

April 6, 2011

While only 1.4 per cent of US consumers have cut the cord in the last two years, 7 per cent of current pay-television subscribers are considering cancelling their service, according to a Consumer Reports survey.

In addition, for the third year in a row, Verizon FiOS and AT&T U-verse were the highest-rated providers of triple-play TV, Internet and phone bundles on the survey, which polled 70,000 Consumer Reports readers.

Cable operators including Cox, Cablevision and Bright House Networks are the “next best choice for many households” for bundled services, according to the magazine’s survey. Satellite providers DirecTV and Dish Network received above-average survey scores for TV services.

On Internet services, independent cable operator WideOpenWest was top rated across the board, significantly ahead of Verizon FiOS and AT&T U-verse for overall satisfaction. WOW routinely scores well on other customer-satisfaction surveys, including those conducted by J.D. Power & Associates.

Categories: Articles, Broadcast, Cable, Consumer Behaviour, Pay TV, Research