NETFLIX NECK AND NECK WITH PAY TV?

What’s more, 27% of those polled this year were pay TV subscribers who admitted to scaling back the amount they paid for services, a group known as “cord-shavers” or “cord-trimmers.”

Meanwhile, 19% of respondents had completely cut the cord, while 8% said they never had a pay TV package in the first place.

PwC also found that 73% of respondents subscribed to Netflix, giving the subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service parity with those paying for traditional TV.

More generally, PwC’s poll found that consumers across all age groups are watching more streaming content. That finding is backed by similar research conducted by Raymond James. The firm recently reported that 31% of internet users polled in November named a streaming service like Netflix or Hulu as their primary method of consuming video content.

But PwC’s survey also found that streaming service users are beginning to feel somewhat overwhelmed by the sheer number of platforms offering content.

On average, respondents said they used a combination of four video content services, including pay TV and digital options. But only about 25% said they could comfortably manage the use of all of those services.

But that might soon become a moot problem, at least within the streaming sector. Disney’s recent acquisition of much of 21st Century Fox has the potential to reshape streaming services in the coming year, since the company will control an even greater swath of popular video content.

There’s a good chance one result of the purchase—if approved by regulators—will be the weeding out of some streaming services unable to compete with Disney’s massive content library.