Study: Most Cord-Cutters May Be OTA 'Opt-Ins'

About 21 million homes rely on over-the-air TV, according to the latest data from GfK Media's (Knowledge Networks) Home Technology Monitor report.

That is 17.8% of all TV homes, compared with a consistent 14%-15% over-the-air-only percentage for each year of the study since 2008, according to GfK. Those broadcast-only homes continue to skew lower-income and minority, but also younger households, the study found. And although cord-cutting has been popularly tied to migration from pay TV to online video viewing, GfK media researcher David Tice, in a blog about the data, confesses up front to be a cord-cutter skeptic, at least to the argument that the flight is from pay TV video to online video. He says the research shows that over 70% of those who have cancelled pay TV service said it was due to cost-cutting, with cord-cutting because of online alternatives cited by less than 20%. Tice is not saying that online video options are not an important part of the equation, but said their data does not support suggesting it is a primary driver of cord-cutting.