Survey: Rate Hikes Fuel Pay TV Subscriber Discontent

Only 0.8% of cable, satellite customers have 'cut the cord' in last 12 months, according to poll

By Todd Spangler, Multichannel News -- Broadcasting & Cable, 3/1/2013 11:16:01 AM

While just 0.8% of pay TV subscribers surveyed said they canceled their cable or satellite TV service in the last 12 months, steady price increases are a major factor prompting millions to ponder pulling the plug, according to a new study.

The survey, commissioned by video search and discovery vendor Digitalsmiths, found that about 80% of pay TV customers are satisfied with the value provided by their current provider.

Of the 20% of respondents who were dissatisfied, 68% cited increasing fees as a reason they were unhappy. About 45.5% of all pay TV customers said their cable, satellite or telco TV bills were higher than a year ago; 38.9% pay about the same and 16.6% said their bills had gone down.

Pay TV providers are acutely aware of the issue and are struggling to find ways to address it. Most recently, Cablevision Systems this week sued Viacom, alleging the media company's wholesale bundling violated antitrust laws; Viacom responded that the MSO was trying to use the courts to renegotiate their December 2012 carriage deal.

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