Leichtman Research Group has found that 42% of renters do not have a Pay TV service – compared to 33% of homeowners. 64% of TV households in the U.S. have some form of Pay TV service but that figure (covering cable, satellite, telco, or Internet-delivered vMVPD services) is down from 78% in 2018, 86% in 2013, and 87% in 2008.

The survey found that 30% of U.S. households have never had a Pay TV service. The mean age of traditional Pay TV subscribers is 49.3 – compared to 42.5 among non-subscribers and 40.8 for those in households with vMVPD-only (virtual Multichannel Video Programming Distributor – or Pay TV Lite).

The findings are based on a survey of 1,769 households from across the United States, and can be found in the new LRG study called ‘Pay-TV in the U.S. 2023’. This is LRG’s 21st annual study on this topic.

Other findings include:

• In TV households, 70% of adults ages 45+ have a Pay TV service. This figure was 88% in 2013.

• 33% of non-subscribers last had a Pay TV service within the past three years, while 37% of them last had a Pay TV service over three years ago, and 30% have never had a Pay TV service.

• Among those that have never had a Pay TV service, 63% are ages 18-34.

• Among all Pay TV subscribers, the mean reported spending per month is $112.70 – 5% higher than the mean monthly spending in 2018.

“The percentage of U.S. TV households with a live Pay TV service waned over the past decade, with a more precipitous decline over the past five years,” observes Bruce Leichtman, President and Principal Analyst for Leichtman Research Group, Inc. “The penetration of Pay TV remains lowest among younger adults and the categories that they tend to populate, including movers and renters. Today, 56% of ages 18-44 have a Pay TV service, compared to 83% a decade ago.”


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