Cord-Cutting from Satellite/Cable TV to Streaming Services

Reading time: 3 minutes, revision: Oct 2025

Author: Kettlewell

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Introduction

People are "cutting the cord" and moving from traditional Satellite and Cable TV to subscribe to streaming services. Should you follow suit?

Your favorite TV shows, films, sports, podcasts, videos, and channels are available from many providers. The internet has enabled streaming, which has superseded the days of channel consolidation and delivery over a dedicated cable or satellite link to a single TV located in a home.

Answer yes to some of the above, and Cord-Cutting might be right for you.

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Some History

In 2008, Roku introduced the first dedicated device for streaming video to a TV, and, around the same time, Samsung began making TVs with streaming capability. By the end of 2017, most new televisions had Internet capability, allowing access to paid and free services without needing a special set-top box. This contributed to the cord-cutting trend. In 2022, cord-cutting became the majority when the share of satellite and cable subscribers dropped to 48 percent in the USA.

Fragmentation

Some critics have argued that the fragmentation of the market has defeated the purpose of cord-cutting, as consumers are now required to spend money on multiple different services to access their desired content. Consumers have adopted service rotation to reduce costs by switching around providers.

Reviews

Check out our Roku Ultra Streaming Player review.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is cord-cutting?

The practice of canceling a cable or satellite television subscription in favor of an internet-based service.

Is cord-cutting really cheaper?

It depends! If you know which channels you need and which are nice-to-have, you can pick streaming services that will cost less than your cable subscription.

Who are cord-cutters and cord-nevers?

In 2011, a report by Credit Suisse media analyst Stefan Anninger said that young people who grew up accustomed to watching shows online would be less likely to subscribe to pay television services, terming these people "cord-nevers".

What is service rotation?

Service rotation is signing up for a streaming service for a few months only, catching up on the shows they have in their catalog, switching providers, and then repeating. Many streaming services offer introductory or returning customer offers that you can take advantage of to reduce costs. By rotating around several streaming services, you can get access to the shows you want to see without subscribing to them all simultaneously.

What is virtual reality (VR) streaming?

Some virtual reality headsets allow you to view streaming content like your favorite videos, films, and TV shows.

Streaming Market Information

Digital TV Streaming Providers
Streaming Channels
Digital TV Streaming Devices/Players
Smart TVs with Streaming Hubs, Android TV, or Google TV
STB with Streaming Capability
Virtual Reality Devices
Streaming Gaming Systems

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cord-cutting

https://www.roku.com/about/history-of-roku

https://news.samsung.com/global/infographic-history-of-samsung-smart-tv

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