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

Franchises have been navigating changing viewing habits, cable and satellite cord-cutting, and utter chaos among many regional sports networks which are a crucial part of teams’ revenue structures. —Tom McMillen, Sportico.com, 16 Aug. 2024

The traditional television business is in big trouble, and has been for a long time, thanks to cord-cutting, streaming and all the other factors hammering the linear pay-TV bundle. —Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 13 Aug. 2024

But now there will be far less pressure to find ways to prop up struggling assets or convince Wall Street that cord-cutting is really not a big problem. —Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 9 Aug. 2024

Covid and the rapid shift to streaming have squeezed the long-lucrative RSN model, which has come under intense pressure due to cord-cutting and shifting consumer habit. —Dade Hayes, Deadline, 29 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1999, in the meaning defined above