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Cutting the cord: 59% of Americans have canceled cable TV, signaling the dominance of streaming giants Netflix, Hulu and Amazon

• Nearly 60 percent of Americans have canceled their cable TV subscription and another 29 percent are considering doing the same, according to a new survey
• Just 12 percent of Americans say they are sticking with a cable TV subscription 
• Idaho had the highest proportion of cord cutters, at 72 percent canceling their TV subscription, while New Jersey had the lowest proportion, at 36%

DailyMail.Co.UK

PUBLISHED: 14:00 EST, 29 January 2019 | UPDATED: 14:06 EST, 29 January 2019

Nearly 60 percent of Americans have canceled their cable television subscription – and just 12 percent said they are committed to sticking with their cable package, according to a new survey.

An additional 29 percent of Americans are considering cutting the cord on their traditional cable subscription.

It's a sign of the times, as streaming giants Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime continue to draw viewers to their services with a collective $48 billion worth of content, according to the survey of 5,027 Americans aged 18-69 by Waterstone Management Group.

It's good news for the streaming giants – which have made their mark at Hollywood award ceremonies through nominations and wins for their original content in recent years, including Hulu's 'The Handmaid's Tale' and Amazon's 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.'

Waterstone, a Chicago-based consulting firm, polled people in all 50 states, however seven states did not have enough respondents to be included in the final state-by-state breakdown: Alaska, Louisiana, Montana, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wyoming.

Idaho had the highest proportion of cord cutters, at 72 percent, followed by Kentucky (70 percent), Tennessee, Wisconsin, Nevada and Arizona (69 percent each).

New Jersey had the least, with just 36 percent reporting they had cancelled their cable. Mississippi was the second-lowest (47 percent), followed by Connecticut, Hawaii and Pennsylvania (49 percent each).

The survey follows news that Netflix is increasing its monthly

subscriptions fees by $1 - $2 a month, depending on how many screens viewers want to use. Subscriptions start at $8.99 and range up to $15.99.

Netflix is also preparing to crackdown on illegal account sharing via new artificial intelligence software, which will be able to analyze which users are logged in and then flag shared accounts. 

The move is expected to recoup major money for the video streaming service: a separate report from Parks Associates found that by 2021, credentials sharing will account for $9.9 billion of losses in pay-TV revenues and $1.2 billion of over-the-top (OTT) revenues.

Hulu's plans start at $5.99 a month, with a $39.99 option for access to live TV, while Amazon offers streaming video through a $119 annual prime membership, or $12.99 a month.

Traditional television networks are doing their best to keep up, with NBCUniversal recently announcing they plan to enter the streaming market in 2020, and CBS All Access offering a $5.99 month subscription deal ($9.99 if you want to avoid commercials).

Netflix is the most popular streaming platform, with 92 percent of respondents saying they use the service, according to a separate survey of 1,127 people by CordCutting.com.

Amazon was the second most popular, overall (59 percent), followed by Hulu (47 percent).

[SeaMaiden]

Wow! 59%?  That might be good for the 51% still using cable as far as price deals. I will NEVER give up my cable.

[on the bay]

Yea! Take that cable companies!!

[Peaches McPhee]

I predict that traditional cable will go the way of the VCR, in the not-too-distant future.

[Kachina624]

I got rid of my satellite service in November 2017, and can say I haven't missed it a bit.  I haven plenty to watch with Netflix, Amazon Video and a Sling subscription plus antenna TV.

[proudlyfromNJ]

I didn’t read the first post. So if you get rid of cable, how do you watch those shows?

[Mz iMac]

59%???? 

"New Jersey had the least, with just 36 percent reporting they had cancelled their cable."

No one contacted me!  If this was a phone survey, FIOS reported the call as "SPAM."

[pdlinda]

@by the bay

 This couldn't come at a more apropos time.  CoxCable essentially raised my monthly "bundle" (hi-speed internet + cable with DVR) $20/month and, regardless of how I tried to "negotiate" with the CS rep she was powerless to make any changes. 

Therefore, I am DETERMINED to find alternatives.

I have 1 year to come up with a plan.

I thought I'd write up exactly what I need in service and then go to a place like Best Buy to have them guide me through the various ways I can achieve what I need.

I've been with Cox for almost 20 years but the constant deception regarding their "promotions" and "discounts" to essentially explode their rates has gotten old and I'm sick of dealing with them every year.  ENOUGH!!

[ValuSkr]

I've cut cable and enjoy free TV, but am surprised by the 59% number.

In the end, I'm not sure this is entirely good news.  As the number of cable subscribers goes down, and the number of people using streaming services goes up, cable companies will simply charge more for internet service.  In fact, they already are.  I wish there was a way to meter internet usage, so heavy users would be charged more.

[GCR18]

I'm not there yet.