2020 Cord Cutting Predictions – AT&T TV NOW Merging, NFL Becoming Cord Cutting Friendly, & More


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man cutting cable cord2019 was a great year for cord cutting. New streaming services like Frndly TV, Vidgo, STIRR, and others launched. Pluto TV merged with Viacom helping push the growth of free streaming services.

Now 2020 is almost here, so let’s take a look at some cord cutting predictions from Luke and Jess.

3 Realistic Predictions

#1 More Streaming Services Will Fail

In 2019, we learned that PlayStation will shut down joining other failed streaming services. In 2020, there will be over 100 streaming services in the United States with more on the way. The question now is which will shut down next. With new services like HBO MAX and Peacock launching, something will have to give and cord cutters should expect some services to fail.

Services shutting down should not be seen as a failure of cord cutting but the simple fact that the market is becoming overcrowded.

#2 NFL Sunday Ticket Streaming Online

We already know the NFL is in talks to pull their rights back from AT&T for NFL Sunday Ticket this spring. According to reports, NFL owners are looking at launching their own streaming service without DIRECTV. Even if they decide to launch the service, it won’t go live in 2020 but we will learn about it in 2020.

#3 Roku & the Fire TV Will Dominate 2020

For years the fight for your living room has been a four-way battle among Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, and Android TV. Increasingly the fight has become a two-way battle between Roku and Amazon’s Fire TV. In 2020 it is likely that Roku and Amazon’s Fire TV will continue the skirmish.

In 2020, we predict that Roku and Amazon will continue to pull away from their competition to the point of no return. Unless something drastic happens, Apple TV and Android TV run a serious risk of being left behind.

3 Way Out-There Predictions

#1 À La Carte TV Will Become a Reality

In 2020, we will see the start of à la carte TV become a reality. The dream of cord cutting has been the ability to pay just for the channels you want. While it is unlikely that dream will be fully realized in 2020 it is possible that it will be partly realized.

Look for services launching that will offer more à la carte access to TV. It is possible that this will start with smaller channels and build up to more popular channels.

#2 Walmart Will Buy Roku

For years now there has been talk of Roku being for sale if the price is right. I want to make a prediction that Walmart will buy Roku. Walmart has the money and the desire to get into streaming as a way to fight back against Amazon. Buying Roku will give them a streaming player to build their new streaming service with.

Roku and Walmart also have a tight relationship that would make it a natural fit.

#3 Roku Will Cut Back on Selling Streaming Players to Focus on Smart TVs

Roku has a huge collection of streaming players. In 2020, look for Roku to release fewer Roku player models and focus on Roku TVs.

Jess’s 2020 Cord Cutting Predictions

A Focus on Free, Ad-Supported Services

With the growth of Pluto TV after being bought by Viacom, it’s hard to deny that cord cutters are looking for free (and legal!) content. With ads and channels dedicated to promoting paid content, other companies are likely to find the value in investing in free services.

Short-Form Video Will Find Its Place

There’s been a lot of talk about short-form video with the launch of Quibi. While I don’t see a major shift toward audiences preferring content under five minutes over full length episodes, I do see short series being picked up by other streaming services and sticking around one way or another.

AT&T TV NOW Will Merge into HBO MAX

We’ve been talking about this for a while, and it’s a move that would make sense for AT&T. Rather than having a collection of streaming services offering different content at various price points, AT&T will combine them all and offer a tiered pricing system for live and on-demand only.

And a couple of not so serious predictions…

Cable Companies Becoming Cord Cutters

Cable companies, finally realizing that streaming is the future of TV, will ditch the contracts and added fees, see the light, and switch completely to streaming-only services.

PlayStation Vue Coming Back from the Dead

We’ll call it Zombie Vue. People will still think you need a PlayStation to watch.

What cord cutting 2020 predictions would you add to this list? Leave us a comment and let us know.

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