Streaming crosses threshold from trend to dominance

Older adults are joining younger adults in watching shows on streaming services, but many continue to subscribe to cable or satellite services, reports Editor & Publisher.

A new survey by the Pew Research Center shows that 83% of adults in the U.S. have watched a streaming service such as Netflix. That’s compared to 35% of all adults who say they subscribe to cable or satellite TV at home. The survey included 9,397 randomly selected U.S. adults. The survey was done between April 14 and April 20 in 2025.

According to E&P, “Americans age 65 and older reported the lowest percentage of age groups who watched streaming platforms at 65%, but that was still one percentage point higher than those in the same age group who said they watched cable or satellite. The largest percentage of any demographic that watched programming on streaming platforms was 92% for those aged 30 to 49.

“The number of those who watch cable or satellite programming dropped with younger audiences, Pew reported. Forty-four percent of adults ages 50-64 still watch cable or satellite programming, while only 23% of those 30 to 49, and 16% of those 18 to 29 continue to watch on the more traditional platforms.

“There is still considerable overlap, as 28% of all adults subscribe to both streaming services and cable or satellite television.

“According to the data from Pew, Netflix stands at the top of the most-watched streaming options. Of all adults surveyed, 72% said they’ve watched Netflix, followed closely by Amazon Prime at 67%. Hulu, at 52%, edged out Disney+ at 48% for third and fourth place, while Paramount+, Peacock and Max all posted between 41 and 44%.”

According to E&P, we have reached the point where streaming has crossed the threshold from trend to dominance.