A 2020 survey conducted in the United States showed that in 2019 the number of TV stations carrying local news was the highest ever recorded. In that year, ** additional stations began airing local news than the previous year, amounting to a total of ***.

What are the most-watched news networks? In November 2023, Fox News was the most watched cable news network in the United States and continues to do well in terms of its primetime audience, with **** million primetime viewers in that period. Fox News viewers in the 25-54 demographic amounted to *** thousand, whilst MSNBC had just *** thousand. When looking at Fox News viewers compared to CNN, the overall average number of primetime viewers was notably different. CNN has been losing viewers in recent years, although during the coronavirus outbreak, tended to pull in a larger audience than usual. Which cable news channel has the most viewers in prime time? Performing well during the mid-evening prime time slot on cable television is the goal of any network that takes its ratings seriously.Cable news networks like Fox, CNN, and MSNBC are engaged in a monthly battle to hit the top spot during primetime and grab the highest cable news ratings during those precious evening hours. Fox News ratings during primetime are generally higher than its two direct competitors, and was the top channel for watching the State of the Union Address in 2020. What is prime time TV? Primetime television is the time at which the audience peaks, and in the United States usually takes place between 8pm and 11pm. TV networks show their most sought after or successful programs during this time, and this slot is where advertisers like to spend their money in order to maximize the number of viewers who will see their products. In fact, many of the most-watched news shows like Hannity or The Rachel Maddow Show which debate news coverage from a particular point of view, draw in massive audiences each month, ultimately contributing to the overall ratings of the network they belong to.

In the final quarter of 2020, CNN averaged 412 thousand total day viewers aged between 25 and 54 years. The cable news network managed to attract a greater amount of viewers from this younger demographic compared to its competitors Fox News and MSNBC. Fox News was the leading network with almost **** million total day viewers in Q4 2020.

In May 2024, the leading cable news program in the United States ranked by number of viewers was "The Five", averaging **** million total viewers. "Jesse Watters Primetime" ranked second with **** million average total viewers that month.

According to estimates, there were *** million TV homes in the United States for the 2023-2024 TV season. Whilst the number of TV households continues to grow, pay TV is becoming less popular – the pay TV penetration rate in the U.S. was pegged at ** percent in 2023, marking a drop of over ** percentage points in just five years. The changing TV landscape The trend of consumers (especially younger generations) cutting the cord and instead moving online to streaming services has meant that many pay TV providers have struggled to keep afloat. In spite of this, television statistics show that watching terrestrial TV is still a popular media activity among U.S. consumers. Television has been a popular pastime for so long that it seems impossible the medium could ever die out – but its traditional form is certainly changing. The advent of ** and smart TV technology, as well as connected TV devices, mean that the ways in which we watch television are changing all the time. User demographics A key factor when considering television consumption in the United States is how a consumer’s age affects their viewing habits and preferences. As of 2022, the average daily time spent watching TV among adults aged 75 years and older amounted to nearly **** hours. ** to **-year-olds spent just around *** hours per day consuming TV content. Moreover, the share of cable TV subscribers was higher among older adults, with half of consumers aged 65 years and older subscribing to a cable TV service, compared to ** percent of ** to **-year-olds at the beginning of 2023.

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US Pay Tv Market Size 2025-2029

The US pay tv market size is forecast to increase by USD 6.45 billion at a CAGR of 1.7% between 2024 and 2029.

The Pay TV market in the US is driven by the high demand for live programming and sports content, which continues to be a significant draw for subscribers. The ease of use offered by cable TV providers, enabling seamless access to a wide range of channels, further bolsters the market's growth. However, the emergence of online streaming platforms poses a notable challenge. These home entertainment platforms, with their flexibility and affordability, are increasingly gaining traction among consumers. As a result, traditional Pay TV providers must adapt to remain competitive, focusing on enhancing their offerings and customer experience to retain subscribers and attract new ones.
Companies in the market can capitalize on this competitive landscape by investing in innovative technologies and strategies to differentiate themselves and cater to evolving consumer preferences.

What will be the size of the US Pay Tv Market during the forecast period?

Explore in-depth regional segment analysis with market size data - historical 2019-2023 and forecasts 2025-2029 - in the full report.
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The Pay TV market in the US is characterized by continuous advancements in technology and consumer preferences. Content moderation and user interface design play crucial roles in ensuring user experience optimization and customer satisfaction. High-definition video quality and live streaming are now standard offerings, requiring substantial network bandwidth. Content partnerships and on-demand content are driving media distribution, with artificial intelligence and machine learning powering content strategy and personalization. Virtual and augmented reality technologies are emerging, enhancing user engagement metrics and media consumption patterns. Media consolidation and system integration are key trends, as companies seek to optimize subscription revenue and advertising revenue through innovative marketing strategies.
Digital marketing and social media marketing are essential components of these strategies, while digital watermarking and content licensing agreements safeguard content monetization and intellectual property. Customer data protection and program guide data are critical for maintaining trust and improving user experience. Emerging technologies, such as 5G networks and advanced audio quality, will further shape the Pay TV landscape.

How is this market segmented?

The market research report provides comprehensive data (region-wise segment analysis), with forecasts and estimates in 'USD billion' for the period 2025-2029, as well as historical data from 2019-2023 for the following segments.

Technology

  Satellite TV
  Cable TV
  IP TV


End-user

  Household
  Commercial


Type

  Postpaid
  Prepaid


Geography

  North America

    US

By Technology Insights

The satellite tv segment is estimated to witness significant growth during the forecast period.

In the dynamic pay TV market of the US, traditional cable TV and satellite providers face intense competition from over-the-top (OTT) platforms and mobile TV services. Content licensing and production costs are significant challenges for cable TV companies, which offer channel packages with hundreds of channels. In contrast, OTT platforms like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video focus on personalized recommendations and data compression to deliver content efficiently over broadband internet. Cable TV companies have responded by offering internet bundles and unique features, as well as adopting business strategies to counteract subscriber churn. Broadcast networks and OTT platforms engage in content creation and distribution, with talent acquisition and customer relationship management playing crucial roles.

Technical support and data encryption are essential for ensuring user experience and protecting intellectual property. Industry regulations, such as antitrust laws and audience measurement, impact the market dynamics. Multi-screen viewing and targeted advertising are popular trends, with wireless networks and edge computing enabling multi-channel television and interactive television experiences. Content delivery networks and smart TVs facilitate content discovery and digital rights management. Content acquisition and aggregation are essential for both cable TV and OTT platforms, with program guides and user interfaces optimized for ease of use. Subscription models and billing systems are critical components of the pay TV ecosystem.

Network infrastructure, network capacity, and data analytics are vital for delivering high-quality content, including 4k resolution and viewership ratings. The convergence of media and technology continues to shape the pay TV market, with fiber optic and cloud computing playing increasingl

Media streaming, social networks and other content providers have faced challenges during the period as demand for airtime and advertising expenditures wavered. In addition, the number of cable TV subscriptions has fallen significantly, as increased subscription costs combined with better, cheaper alternatives have driven consumers to stream over traditional cable and TV. These hindrances have been offset by a boom in online video streaming and a surge in demand for media content. The online streaming boom has offset the lag in traditional media channels, helping industry-wide revenue inch forward at a CAGR of 0.1% to $211.1 billion over the past five years, including an incline of 0.2% in 2025, when profit will reach 16.3%. During this period, significant consolidation has occurred, especially among the top companies in the industry. Large traditional cable and TV providers have looked to expand into the streaming realm and have done this mainly by acquiring streaming platforms to integrate into their business. Disney acquired Fox and Hulu, expanding their presence in the streaming field. Around the same time, Viacom and CBS announced a massive merger to create Viacom CBS, making this new merger another massive player across the industry. Similarly, Discovery Inc. merged with AT&T's Warner Media, which led to the emergence of their streaming service HBO Max. Vigorous acquisition activity has led to an overall reduction in the number of enterprises operating in the industry. With more consumers choosing streaming over traditional cable, companies have been pressured to diversify their offerings. Disney’s bundling strategy with ESPN+ and Hulu and Paramount+'s significant subscriber uptick highlights the aggressive pursuit of market share. However, the emergence of ad-supported streaming services aimed at price-conscious consumers has introduced a new revenue stream that bridges the gap between advertisers and viewers. While many providers are poised to intensify their shift into the rapidly growing field of media streaming, falling cable television subscriptions will continue to weigh down the industry. Providers will look to secure further growth by acquiring or merging with additional companies and continuing industry-wide consolidation trends. Overall, the foray into digital streaming is undoubtedly a bright spot for the industry and will continue to motivate industry growth. Technological innovations like AI-driven personalized recommendations and higher-quality content delivery will enhance user experience and targeted advertising, improving revenue streams. However, regulatory scrutiny, most notably from the FTC concerning data privacy and antitrust issues, could impact future mergers and content licensing strategies. The industry will also experience a shift towards hybrid models that blend live and on-demand streaming, meeting diverse consumer needs. Over the next five years, revenue is forecast to propel forward at a CAGR of 1.2% to $224.2 billion, with profit inching upward to 16.8% in 2030.

In 2024, CBS was the leading ad-supported television network in the United States, with an average viewership of **** million, surpassing the viewership number of NBC. The latter recorded **** people watching the TV channel. Spotlight on CBS CBS is among the oldest and most popular commercial broadcast television and radio networks in the United States. Founded in 1927, the company now operates as a subsidiary of Paramount, with all of its original programming available on the Paramount+ streaming platform. A closer look at the network's recent performance reveals that it ranked fourth among the leading television networks among U.S. adults in 2023. CBS reported an average of *** thousand viewers between the ages of 18 to 49 that year and was only outperformed by NBC, Fox, and ABC. So what are audiences watching? Popular television shows According to the latest data, NFL Sunday Night Football was the most watched TV program in the United States during the ********* season. The sports broadcast, which aired on NBC, scored a respective ***** million viewers during that period. The three most popular fictional programs to make it into the top five were "Yellowstone", "NCIS," and "FBI" broadcast on Paramount Network and CBS.

Data revealed that the number of traditional pay TV households in the United States stood at around ** million in 2023. This figure will likely drop further over the next few years and amount to less than ** million by 2028. Meanwhile, digital pay TV is becoming increasingly popular. Pay TV is fighting an uphill battle The United States is one of the largest pay TV markets worldwide based on penetration. But even though millions of viewers frequently tune in to watch their favorite shows, news broadcasts, and sports events on the small screen, the U.S. pay TV industry is facing enormous challenges. More viewers are canceling their cable or satellite subscriptions than ever, be it because of mounting prices, limited content offerings, or the proliferation of over-the-top (OTT) video services and streaming platforms. Based on the latest data, over half of TV households in the country are currently without a telco, cable, or satellite TV provider. Can cable companies combat subscriber loss? The cord-cutting movement and other recent changes in consumer behavior have had a substantial impact on the pay TV landscape and its players. In 2023, U.S. pay TV providers suffered a combined net subscriber loss of around **** million viewers. This downward trend also extends to the largest pay TV providers in the U.S., such as Charter and Comcast. However, they have recently ventured into the world of streaming to offset subscriber losses, but whether this expansion will be enough to effectively combat churn remains to be seen.

The statistic shows the number of TV stations originating local news in the United States from 2013 to 2018. According to the source, *** TV stations originated local news in the United States in 2018.

In the second quarter of 2020, Fox News channel had an advertising revenue of ***** million U.S. dollars. This figure represents an increase of ** percent compared to the same period in 2019. Fox was the only channel that recoded positive growth during the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. CNN and MSNBC saw declines of ** and ** percent, respectively.

According to the most recently available data, **** percent of surveyed non-satellite TV stations in the United States reported that they were showing profit in 2022, with *** percent showing a loss. The percentages of respondents who said their newsrooms were profitable in 2021 and 2022 were the lowest recorded since before 2015.

In April 2025, the news website with the most monthly visits in the United States was nytimes.com, with a total of ***** million monthly visits in that month. In second place was cnn.com with just over *** million visits, followed by foxnews.com with almost a ****** of a million. Online news consumption in the U.S. Americans get their news in a variety of ways, but social media is an increasingly popular option. A survey on social media news consumption revealed that ** percent of Twitter users regularly used the site for news, and Facebook and Reddit were also popular for news among their users. Interestingly though, social media is the least trusted news sources in the United States. News and trust Trust in news sources has become increasingly important to the American news consumer amidst the spread of fake news, and the public are more vocal about whether or not they have faith in a source to report news correctly. Ongoing discussions about the credibility, accuracy and bias of news networks, anchors, TV show hosts, and news media professionals mean that those looking to keep up to date tend to be more cautious than ever before. In general, news audiences are skeptical. In 2020, just **** percent of respondents to a survey investigating the perceived objectivity of the mass media reported having a great deal of trust in the media to report news fully, accurately, and fairly.

According to data gathered and published in February 2025, the vMVPD service with the most channels available in the United States was YouTube TV with 78, followed by Hulu with live TV with 75 channels. Both platforms offer major channels ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC, to name only a few, as well as Syfy, Telemundo, and Discovery Channel.

As of August 2024, Plex had the most channels on its free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) service in the United States, with 577 channels. Second and third came Freevee and Roku Channel, with over 400 channels each. In contrast, the number of channels on ViX+ was just 80.

Social media was by far the most popular news platform among 18 to 34-year-olds in the United States, with 47 percent of respondents to a survey held in August 2022 saying that they used social networks for news on a daily basis. By comparison, adults over 65 years old mostly used network news to keep up to date.

The decline of newspapers In the past, the reasons to regularly go out and purchase a print newspaper were many. Used not only for news but also apartment hunting, entertainment, and job searches (among other things), newspapers once served multiple purposes. This is no longer the case, with first television and then the internet taking care of consumer needs once covered by printed papers. Indeed, the paid circulation of daily weekday newspapers in the United States has fallen dramatically since the 1980s with no sign of future improvement.

News consumption habits

A survey on news consumption by gender found that 50 percent of women use either online-only news sites or social media for news each day, and 51 percent of male respondents said the same. Social media was by far the most used daily news platform among U.S. Millennials, and the same was true of Gen Z. One appeal of online news is that it often comes at no cost to the consumer. Paying for news found via digital outlets is not yet commonplace in the United States, with only 21 percent of U.S. consumers responding to a study held in early 2021 reporting having paid for online news content in the last year.

Estimates showed that by the end of 2024, the number of pay TV households in the U.S. would amount to ** million. By comparison, the number of broadband-only households is forecast to be ** million, and the number of over-the-air TV households is estimated to be even lower. However, while the broadband-only and over-the-air household count will probably increase between 2024 and 2028, pay TV households will decline by *** percent.

In 2021, there were 9,552 privately owned establishments in the U.S. broadcasting industry, showing a slight increase from 9,324 in the previous year (2020). In 2019, there were 9,440 such establishments, indicating a modest growth trend over the past two years.

In 2024, ** of the most watched U.S. television programs were attributed to NFL games, demonstrating the great importance of sports content and football, in particular, with the population. However, this marked a decline of over ** broadcasts between 2023 and 2024. Meanwhile, with the presidential elections taking place in 2024, news and politics programming became increasingly popular, with ** broadcasts being in the top 100 that year.

This statistic illustrates the share of Fox News TV viewers in the United States as of 2018. The results were sorted by age. In 2018, ***** percent of respondents aged 18 to 29 years stated they watch Fox News. The Statista Global Consumer Survey offers a global perspective on consumption and media usage, covering the offline und online world of the consumer.