Report: youth leading TV switch from cable to broadband

The latest version of Deloitte's State of the Media Democracy Survey, Sixth Edition, details what many have long suspected: that young people are severing the cable TV cord and watching television streamed through the Internet.

The report was based on a fall, 2011 survey conducted among some 2000 consumers who were classified into on four generations and five distinct age groups. It examined "how consumers between the ages of 14 and 75 interact with media, entertainment, advertising and information--and what their preferences might be in the future."

Among the survey's findings, Deloitte noted that while Americans say they value cable TV above all other services, 42 percent of Americans have streamed movies to their computers or Internet-connected TVs - up from 28 percent two years ago. And, "Nine percent of respondents have already canceled their cable subscriptions, with another 11 percent saying they are considering doing so."

And that move is being led, not surprisingly, by young people. "Nineteen percent of "leading Millennials" -- those aged 23 to 28 -- said they were considering canceling cable, with 13 percent of Gen Xers saying they were thinking about doing so." Other Americans are not so enthusiastic about switching. "Of baby boomers, only 7 percent said they would consider cutting the cord, and older respondents were even less likely to do so, at just 5 percent."

At this point, though, it's difficult to say whether young people are leading a wholesale abandonment of cable TV, or whether Internet-connected TV is simple a better choice for the less-settled, more mobile young. Time will tell.

State of the Media Democracy Survey, Sixth Edition (Deloitte's Annual, Jan. 4, 2012)

Accessibility Driving Demand for Content According to Deloitte's "State of the Media Democracy" Survey (Deloitte, press release, Jan. 4, 2012)

Deloitte: 9% have cut cable, another 11% are considering it (Gigaom.com, Jan. 4, 2012)