More than 20% of Canadians plan to cut the cord: study

One in seven Canadians have transitioned from linear TV to online and OTT services and one in five intend to do so over the next year.

tvinternetA new study by the Media Technology Monitor could prove concerning for the Canadian TV industry. The study took a look at cord-cutting across Canada and found one in seven respondents has pulled the plug, and more plan to follow suit.

In a survey of roughly 4,175 Canadians, MTM found those who have previously paid for a TV service like satellite, cable or fibre optic, but no longer do, are likely between the ages of 35 and 49. And, the number is growing as more than 20% reported they are likely to disconnect in the next 12 months, particularly among the 18 to 34-year-old demo.

Younger subscribers, those aged 18 to 49 are more likely to start the transition as cord-shavers, reducing the number of linear TV channels they may have in a package. They are are more likely to come from affluent households. Roughly 23% of 18 to 34-year-olds have never had a TV subscription, nor have 22% of new Canadians.

Still, approximately 74% of Canadians are still paying for some sort of TV subscription service. Four in five cord cutters now watch TV online with 74% subscribing to OTT services, 70% of whom choose Netflix, followed by Amazon Prime Video. Two-thirds of what MTM calls “TV My Way” Canadians (those who don’t pay for a TV service but use OTT services) formerly had TV subscriptions. Two-thirds of them have a TV connected to the internet. And, common among them is the preferred use of cell phones, for this group has also scrapped landlines.

Cord-cutting differs between English and French-speaking Canadians. More than 81% of traditional TV subscribers are Francophones, as opposed to 74% of Anglophones. Francophones are less likely to adopt online or OTT methods of watching television; Anglophones are 20% more likely to start with cord shaving.

This story originally appears in Media in Canada