The post-pandemic economic strain continues to rattle US consumers – with rising prices, they remain vigilant about their spending. The results of Hub’s semi-annual TV Advertising: Fact vs Fiction survey indicate that although viewers are keeping an eye on streaming price increases, they still consider such services a good value.

Highlights from this ninth wave include:

The majority of viewers are “very concerned” about the economy

Hub has been asking viewers about their economic concerns since autumn 2022.

·  Throughout that time, most viewers have said they are “very concerned” about the state of the economy.

·  But between November 2024 and May 2025, there was a significant increase in the number of consumers who are very concerned about the economy overall, and specifically about the rate of inflation and the possibility of a recession.

TV subscriptions are resilient

 ·  During a time of economic uncertainty, viewers are sensitive to the frequency with which TV subscription prices are going up. Nearly nine in 10 agree that these increases are coming more often than in the past.

·  As a result, many consumers are considering canceling subscriptions or switching to lower cost ad-supported offerings.

·  But when viewers are then asked to consider video subscription costs in the larger context of all entertainment alternatives, TV proves to be more resistant to cost-cutting than other activities.

·  More than half of TV viewers would consider spending more on video subscriptions if it meant they could reduce spending on other entertainment.

The reason viewers are willing to spend more on TV and movie streaming subscriptions is they perceive them to be a better value than all of the other entertainment alternatives considered, apart from vacations.

·  And when asked to specifically consider reducing spending on entertainment sources in the next year, streaming subscriptions are near the bottom of the list to be cut.

·  The entertainment sources most vulnerable to reduced spending tend to be one-off experiences like theme parks, concerts, and restaurant dinners.

Viewers’ tolerance for TV advertising continues to grow

Over the past four years, Hub has observed a gradual decline each survey in the number of people who declare they cannot tolerate ads in TV content.

·  In the latest wave, only 11 per cent described themselves as ad intolerant, down from 17 per cent four years ago.

·  And over the past three study waves, there has been an increase among those who say they can’t tolerate ads expressing preference for saving $4-5 per month on subscriptions with ads over an ad-free service at a higher price.

Service aggregators make it easier to subscribe to new streamers

Service aggregators like Prime Video, Apple TV, Roku and YouTube have become important players within the video marketplace.

·  Half of all viewers use an aggregator to organize their streaming subscriptions, and among viewers age 18-34 that figure rises to six in 10.

·  The importance of aggregators to the streaming video marketplace is obvious. The half of the TV audience that uses a service aggregator have a considerably higher number of TV subscriptions. Nearly six in ten of those using an aggregator have six or more video subscriptions.

·  On the other hand, 43 per ccent of those who do not use an aggregator have three or fewer subscriptions.

YouTube a key contributor to the TV ecosystem

Although more viewers still use YouTube on a mobile phone or tablet, it has evolved to become a formidable competitor on the TV screen.

·  Usage of YouTube services (free, YouTubeTV, YouTube Premium) is almost universal, with just under nine in ten viewers watching or subscribing.

·  That huge audience contributes considerable viewing on big screens, with half of those users regularly viewing the content on a TV.

·  And viewers appreciate YouTube content, especially its free ad-supported offering. It leads not only paid subscription sources like AVoD and SVoD for value delivered, but it also comes out ahead of other free sources like FASTs and over the air broadcast.

Streaming video is more resistant to consumers’ cost-cutting than other entertainment

The post-pandemic years have left most US consumers in a jittery state about the economy. The inflation spike in 2022 has left a lasting impact Hub has been able to measure. And in the current environment, viewers are even more concerned about the reemergence of inflation and the possibility of a recession.

The good news for TV and streaming video providers is that viewers recognise the entertainment value it provides and when asked to consider where they might cut if they need to reduce costs, video subscriptions will be among the last place they will look.

But streaming services shouldn’t take that as permission to raise prices more frequently than they have. Most consumers already think streaming subscription prices are going up more frequently than in the past, and viewers will consider canceling services if they are no longer receiving value.

“Consumers are still feeling aftershocks from the economic disruption of the pandemic, and that anxiety isn’t going away. If anything, recent economic news has made many of them more skittish,” commented Mark Loughney, Senior Consultant at Hub. “Over the past three years though we’ve seen viewers saying TV is better than ever, providing a great deal of value for the cost. So, the positive news for streamers is that even if consumers continue to worry about the economy, video subscriptions will be among the last places they look for savings. If the streaming services are judicious with price increases, they can hold on to subscribers through uncertain economic times.”

These findings are from Hub’s 2025 TV Advertising: Fact vs Fiction report, based on a survey conducted among 3,000 US consumers age 14-74, who watch at least one hour of TV per week. Interviews were conducted in May 2025.

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Categories: Articles, Broadcast, Consumer Behaviour, OTT, Research

Tags: cost of living, FAST, streaming, usa, youtube