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

Since 2019, cord-cutting has robbed the Diamond RSNs of as many as 25 million subscribers, and the headlong rush to uncouple from the traditional cable/satellite/telco-TV bundle is only accelerating. —Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 18 Oct. 2024

With the continuation of cord-cutting, political ad dollars for cable television will be the only medium that will be lower than in 2020, by $183 million, totaling $1.1 billion. —Brad Adgate, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024

With the prevalence of cord-cutting among other factors, Diamond Sports Group has been saddled with a large debt load since Sinclair Broadcasting acquired the RSN’s from Disney (via Fox Sports) in 2019. —Brad Adgate, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024

Revenue from cable and satellite subscribers is declining as cord-cutting continues at a steady pace each year. —Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1999, in the meaning defined above