Average Pay-TV Bill Is Up 3% From Last Year To $73.35 Monthly: Leichtman

Multichannel video subscribers in the U.S. pay a mean average of $73.35 per month, up 3% from last year, while the 87% of households nationwide that subscribe to cable, satellite or telco TV is leveling off, according to a consumer survey fielded this spring by Leichtman Research Group.

High-income consumers are most likely to subscribe to a multichannel video service. Just 8% with annual household incomes over $75,000 do not subscribe to a multichannel video service, compared with 14% with incomes of $30,000 to $75,000 and 20% with incomes under $30,000. As for so-called "cord cutters," LRG said the percentage of people who dropped pay-TV service in the past 12 months is "fairly consistent" with previous years. About 9% of multichannel video subscribers with household incomes under $30,000 said they're likely to cancel TV service in the next six months compared with 2% of those with incomes over $50,000. LRG also found that 12% of non-subscribers paid to subscribe to a TV service in the past year. Among current subscribers, 9% of cable TV customers, 8% of satellite TV customers and 6% of telco TV customers are likely to switch from their current provider in the next six months.