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.
