U.S. households like streaming more than twice as much as paid TV

2025 may be remembered as the year when streaming platforms eclipsed their linear TV brethren, and a new report offers some data points that show just how dramatic that shift has been. Parks Associates has shared some findings from its S.O.S. State of Streaming report, and the headlining figure relates to the ubiquitous adoption of subscription-based streaming services. The consulting firm found that 91% of U.S. internet households pay for at least one streaming subscription.

That percentage represents the deep level of penetration streaming services have achieved within the U.S. population. That saturation has been evident ever since Netflix ascended to the top of the entertainment world, and it represents a double-edged sword for streaming services.

On one hand, high subscriber counts open the door for aggressive strategies, such as Netflix’s decision to crack down on password sharing and shift some of those freeloaders onto an ad-supported plan. But at the same time, deep inroads into national populations make it harder to acquire new subscribers, posing a challenge for streaming platforms (especially during earnings season).

No matter what you make of the streaming industry’s complicated relationship with the concept of subscriber growth, one thing’s for sure: When it comes to widespread adoption, streaming services are thoroughly dominating more traditional rivals. Parks Associates found that just 41% of the surveyed households 

are signed up for traditional pay TV — that’s a whopping 50 percentage points behind the rate of streaming adoption.

The average household in the sample pays for six streaming subscriptions, spending about $109 per month to do so. “Streaming is no longer just about content access—it’s about experience, engagement, and profitability,” said Parks VP of Research Jennifer Kent. “The lines between streaming, broadband, and commerce are blurring. The television has become a connected platform—one that unites content, advertising, and transaction opportunities in a single experience.”

At this point, streaming represents the TV-watching experience better than linear networks do. That’s why it soaks up a larger share of ad dollars and has a better reputation than cable among Gen Z consumers. Parks has the numbers to depict that shift in action, and it plans to distribute the full version of the State of Streaming report at its Future of Video: Business of Streaming conference later this month.