• by Wayne Friedman , October 16, 2018

Cable cord-cutting is slowly growing -- but not as rapidly as people expect. One report attributes this to consumers' preference for live TV.

Forty-two percent of respondents who responded to a survey from video management companies Telaria and Adobe Advertising Cloud say they keep cable due to live news, sports and events. Another 34% say they “like to have a lot of cable channels,” with 32% saying they fear a “loss of favorite networks.”

When asked whether they would cut the cord if there was live streaming from a paid service, 30% said “yes” and 40% said “maybe.”

Those who watch a lot of live TV -- particular live sports -- are moving to more streamed content: 46% of live sports viewers are watching more streamed content then they did two years ago and 40% of overall “cable-keepers” watch more streamed content than two years ago.

When looking at cable TV subscribers’ viewing, the research says 43% of viewing comes from live cable content, 34% from time-shifted viewing, and 23% from on-demand.

Research results come from an online survey conducted April 26 through May 9, 2018 with a total sample of 750 people ages 21-54.