In 2015, online video was becoming a regular, cross-device alternative to television: original digital programming attracted a sizable U.S. audience, subscription viewers watched heavily and on demand, and YouTube gained viewing time among adults aged 18–49. But the evidence describes a changing mix of viewing—not the disappearance of cable, nor a worldwide shift measured by one survey.
Original digital programming found a substantial audience
The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) reported that 24% of American adults—an estimated 59 million people—watched original digital video programming at least monthly in 2015. The estimate was 13% above the prior year’s 52 million. IAB fielded its survey April 7–14, 2015; it completed 856 interviews with U.S. monthly online-video viewers aged 18 or older after screening more than 1,900 adults. This is a U.S. survey result, not a global audience count. IAB’s 2015 findings described original digital programming as “attracting a growing audience.”
The audience included people with different relationships to pay television. IAB found that cord cutters and cord-nevers aged 18–34 were about twice as likely as other adults to watch original digital video. Among surveyed cord cutters, 53% said this programming mattered somewhat or very much to their decision not to have pay TV; among cord-nevers, 63% said so. Those answers show that digital originals were part of the appeal for some respondents, not that they alone caused people to leave or avoid cable.
Viewing moved between computers, TVs, and phones
Online video was not simply something people watched at a desk. Among IAB’s surveyed original digital video streamers, 72% used computers, 56% used connected TVs, 56% used smartphones, and 48% used tablets. These overlapping device-use measures are not shares that add up to 100%; respondents could use more than one device. IAB also reported that connected-TV, smartphone, and tablet use for this programming was more than twice as frequent as two years earlier. The IAB report provides the survey context.
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A separate GfK report found a similar expansion in where regular U.S. Netflix users watched, but it measured a different group and behavior. Monthly TV viewing among those regular users rose from 36% to 47% over three years, while mobile viewing rose from 10% to 24%. These figures should not be merged with IAB’s device percentages as if they were a single time series. GfK’s October 2015 release reports its Netflix measures.
On-demand subscriptions supported frequent and binge viewing
For regular U.S. Netflix users in GfK’s 2015 report, the service was a substantial weekly habit: they watched an average of 10 television shows and four movies a week on Netflix. A quarter of those regular users said they often or always binge-watched three or more programs in one sitting. Twenty-four percent had watched Netflix on a mobile device in the previous month. These measures apply to regular Netflix users, not all U.S. viewers or all streaming subscribers. GfK’s report quoted its media and entertainment executive David Tice describing Netflix as “an established force in the total TV marketplace.”
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The broader over-the-top (OTT) landscape was not just subscription libraries. GfK’s account also named Amazon Prime and Hulu, delivery devices such as Roku and Apple TV, and TV Everywhere services offered by cable and satellite companies. The available figures do not establish comparable prices, catalogs, or video quality across these services, so they do not support ranking them against one another.
Cord cutting was real, but pay TV remained common
Pew Research Center’s national telephone survey of 2,001 U.S. adults, conducted June 10–July 12, 2015, found that 76% reported cable or satellite service at home. Another 15% said they had once subscribed but no longer did, while 9% had never subscribed. Among adults aged 18–29, 19% were former subscribers and 16% had never subscribed. The figures describe U.S. adults and Pew’s definitions; they do not show that most households had abandoned pay TV. See Pew’s Home Broadband 2015 report.
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Cost and access to alternatives both mattered to people without cable or satellite. Pew found that 71% of these adults said pay-TV service cost too much, and 64% said they could get the content they wanted elsewhere through an antenna, the internet, or streaming. These were reasons respondents gave; they are not evidence that streaming alone caused every cancellation. Pew’s report discusses both reasons.
YouTube competed for television attention
Nielsen’s September 2015 case study compared December 2013 with December 2014 among U.S. adults aged 18–49. Over that period, time spent watching TV fell almost 10%, while YouTube viewing time rose 44%. Nielsen selected December because it is traditionally a high-TV-viewing month. This is a comparison for one U.S. age group and two December periods, not proof that television viewing fell by the same amount for everyone or that YouTube caused the change. Nielsen’s case study sets out the comparison.
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Word of mouth and social media helped viewers discover video
For the U.S. audience IAB surveyed about original digital programming, word of mouth was the most common discovery route, cited by 53%; social-media sites were cited by 42%, up from 24% in 2013. IAB also found that 55% of regular viewers of made-for-digital programming said they had more social-media interactions than when watching traditional TV. These findings concern that surveyed audience, rather than all online-video viewers. IAB’s report details discovery and social activity.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What these trends meant for viewers
- More choice in where to watch: connected TVs and mobile devices were meaningful parts of digital viewing alongside computers.
- More control over timing: subscription viewing and binge sessions offered an alternative to waiting for scheduled broadcasts.
- A mixed path away from pay TV: respondents cited both price and access to desired programming through antennas, internet services, and streaming.
- Discovery was social as well as platform-based: word of mouth and social networks helped audiences find made-for-digital shows.
Together, the IAB, Pew, GfK, and Nielsen findings point to a television market in transition during 2015. They are separate studies with different populations, questions, and periods, so their percentages should be read on their own terms rather than combined into one universal measure.
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