Within a month of canceling pay TV, 31% of Cord Cutters sign-up for a new streaming service, according to Antenna estimates. In fact, Cord Cutters sign-up for streaming services at 5x the normal sign-up rate during that first month post cancellation, making them an important consumer segment for media companies.
The industry overall has had a particularly difficult time understanding Traditional Cord Cutters in the U.S. — those leaving a traditional pay-TV provider (MVPD) — because no single vantage point could see the full journey. Cable operators know who left, streamers know who joined, but connecting the two has remained a black box. Thanks to data from Antenna’s new Cord Cutter Insights, it’s now possible to see the path these valuable consumers take.
For the most part, Traditional Cord Cutters are not completely unfamiliar with streaming services. Antenna estimates that prior to cancellation 72% of Traditional Cord Cutters in the U.S. — those leaving a traditional pay-TV provider (MVPD) — have at least one Premium SVOD subscription. For Digital Cord Cutters — those leaving a virtual pay-TV service (vMVPD) like YouTube TV or Sling TV — the share of those with a Premium SVOD subscription jumps to 84%.
But once they do cancel, where do these Traditional Cord Cutters end up?
According to Antenna estimates, in Q1’26, about 14% of Traditional Cord Cutters held the ad-free Paramount+ Premium plan in the first month following cancellation, the highest penetration plan for the segment, followed by Netflix Premium (11.5%), Peacock Premium (9.5%) and Netflix Standard (9.5%). It’s worth noting that among the Premium SVOD services with the highest penetration of Traditional Cord Cutters, the top 4 were for ad-free plans, with ad-free plans accounting for 6 out of top 10 highest penetration plans in the first month following pay TV cancellation.
The reflexive assumption is that Cord Cutters in general are motivated by price sensitivity and, thus, have lower-income households. But that isn’t borne out in the data. According to Antenna estimates, the share of individuals with household incomes of $100K or less who canceled an MVPD between January 2024 and March 2026 is 61%, the same as the share of the general population.
Antenna's Cord Cutter Insights tracks where these consumers go, how fast they get there, and which plans they choose. Understanding Cord Cutters behaviors and demographics is valuable input when developing acquisition strategies to reach consumers exactly when they are making their choices. If you’re interested in learning more, we’d love to chat.
'For more detailed information on Antenna's methodology and definitions of core metrics, please visit antenna.live/methodology.
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