Michigan TV Viewers Continue To Cut The Cord In Record Numbers

Ditching cable and cutting the cord isn't just a fad in Michigan, it's a trend. In 2023, cable companies in our our state lost another 190,000 TV customers.

Cable Customers Cutting the Cord

According to an annual report issued earlier this month by the Michigan Public Service Commission, Michigan now has about 1.29 million cable TV subscribers, which means roughly one million people have cut the cord since 2015 when the number of subscribers peaked at 2.35 million.

The 13% drop in 2023 is second to 2019 when cable companies saw a 31% customer drop, according to Bridge Michigan.

Streaming Overtakes Cable

Much like cable TV's numbers topped over-the-air broadcast numbers decades ago, streaming has overtaken cable as of late.

In December of 2023, more people were watching TV through streaming services than those that got their programming via cable. Cable TV had an audience share of 28.2% compared to streaming's 35.9% of the pie, according to Nielsen.

Michigan families who are cutting the cord are turning to internet-based alternatives like Peacock, Netflix, Hulu, and putting up antennas in order to grab over-the-air digital broadcast from local stations.

I'm a Cord Cutter

About six years ago, we got fed up with our cable bill and made the decision to sever ties with traditional cable services, and we haven't regretted it. While a cable connection still exists within our household, its sole purpose is to deliver Internet access - a move that has significantly reduced our expenses. While our monthly cable bill topped $170 a few years ago, it's now about $80.

(In the interest of full disclosure, putting up a digital TV antenna was an investment of several hundred dollars - but we recouped that investment in just a few months.)

The thing that surprised me was the improved picture and sound quality we receive using an antenna. Over-the-air broadcast quality is noticeably better than what we were used to with cable.