cord-cutting

noun

cord-cut·​ting ˈkȯrd-ˌkə-tiŋ 

variants or less commonly cord cutting

: the act or process of canceling a subscription to cable television or to a landline telephone service

As cable news begins to feel the squeeze from cord-cutting, arch-rivals Fox News and CNN are stepping up efforts to adapt to the trend that poses a long-term threat to their businesses.

—Stephen Battaglio

Although broadband rates don't appear to be rising substantially as a whole, there's a chance that cord cutting could someday lead providers to increase monthly Internet bills to mitigate the loss of cable customers, according to a MoffettNathanson report.

—Makeda Easter

The majority of Americans … now rely solely on wireless telephones. That watershed cord-cutting moment was reached in the last half of 2016, according to the federal government.

—Jan Cottingham

Examples of cord-cutting in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Streaming was losing billions of dollars a year, and traditional TV networks, while still generating cash, were in free fall thanks to cord-cutting. —Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 8 Nov. 2023

Disney’s stock price has recently tumbled, under pressure from ongoing cord-cutting and the high cost of streaming. —Kristin Broughton, WSJ, 6 Nov. 2023

Profits from Disney’s sports segment, home to ESPN, declined 20% in the first nine months of its fiscal year, according to a new filing Wednesday that offers a clearer look at the toll cord-cutting is taking on the business. —Isabella Simonetti, WSJ, 19 Oct. 2023

As cord-cutting has worsened, ESPN has bore the brunt of it for Disney, thanks to its lucrative carriage deals. —Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Oct. 2023

Cable cord-cutting, driven by the audience’s shift to streaming video, is shrinking the number of households regional sports networks can reach. —Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2023

Advertisement The pay-TV business is in decline because of cable cord-cutting and falling TV ratings, which have eroded vital sources of revenue. —Wendy Lee, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2023

That was widely interpreted as a vote of no confidence in the future of the traditional TV business, which is struggling because of cord-cutting and falling ratings. —Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2023

The latter has seen Disney funnel its marquee efforts away from linear TV and that shift has helped accelerate cord-cutting. —Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 7 Sep. 2023

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Word History

First Known Use

1999, in the meaning defined above