Cable nostalgia lives on as streaming gets more expensive, fragmented

As streaming services continue to dominate the entertainment landscape, an unexpected trend is emerging: some former cord cutters are returning to traditional cable TV. This phenomenon, often referred to as 'cord reviving,' involves individuals who once abandoned cable in favor of streaming options now opting to resubscribe to pay-TV services. The latest findings from TiVo's Q2 2025 Video Trends Report: North America highlight this intriguing shift. According to the report, the percentage of respondents who previously disconnected from traditional TV but have since returned to cable has risen by approximately 10 percent, reaching 31.9 percent in the latest quarter. This data is derived from a survey of 4,510 adults aged 18 and older in the US and Canada, which categorizes traditional TV services as pay-TV platforms providing linear television via cable, satellite, or managed IPTV. It is essential to recognize that TiVo, the source of this report, has vested interests in promoting such trends, as its parent company, Xperi, collaborates with cable and pay-TV providers. Nonetheless, the notion of viewers returning to cable is not entirely new. Previous surveys conducted by CouponCabin in 2013 and 2025 revealed that approximately 22 percent of individuals who transitioned from cable to streaming have reverted to cable, while an additional 6 percent are contemplating a similar switch. A spokesperson from TiVo commented that the reasons behind cord reviving are multifaceted, with rising internet bundle costs, ease of use, and local content availability—such as live sports and news—being key factors. They suggested that many returning customers are likely to maintain some streaming subscriptions alongside their cable services. Additionally, TiVo’s representative indicated that users may be discontinuing certain streaming services where programming overlaps with what traditional TV offers. In a broader context, Nielsen's data from May indicates that streaming viewership on televisions surpassed that of cable and broadcast combined for the first time, with streaming accounting for 44.8 percent of the total viewership, compared to 24.1 percent for cable and 20.1 percent for broadcast. This shift in viewing habits underscores the evolving dynamics of media consumption in the digital age.