The rise of cord-cutting: why consumers are cancelling subscriptions to traditional pay-TV services

Pay-TV data from GSMA Intelligence shows that half the 36 major countries it tracks worldwide saw a fall in the number of traditional pay-TV connections between 2020 and 2022, with the US leading. In most of the 18 countries that saw a decline, cord-cutting (consumers cancelling their subscription to traditional pay-TV services) is on the rise, reflected in a higher volume of cancellations in 2022 than in 2021.

GSMA Intelligence leveraged its global consumer survey across eight major countries – China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, the UK and US – to examine the factors driving this cord-cutting trend. The results shine light on the implications for providers of traditional pay-TV services.