The Increasing Slow Death of Linear TV

Since the conception of that box that sits in your living room where your family would gather around to watch programming – be it a comedy, a sports event, a thrilling drama or your choice of specials like award shows or variety programs – viewership in the millions has always been the goal of the once leading titans of the world of television.

But since streaming became mainstream in the early 2000s, the major networks – ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC (sorry CW, you weren’t included in the core source of the details) – have been experiencing a slow death where viewership is concerned. And that slow death has been increasing over the last 5 years, at least according to an article at Cord Cutters as well as research conducted by the folks over at Variety (more on that shortly).

Each of these networks have “experienced significant drops in viewership” since 2020. Sure, the pandemic changed the landscape of nearly every aspect of our lives – not just TV viewership (but that’s a story for another time). For the topic at hand, each network has seen “its average audience (shrink by) hundreds of thousands” specifically because of how people have come to watch TV content.

As Cord Cutter stated, “this trend underscores the challenges traditional broadcasters face in retaining audiences amid the rise of on-demand platforms, fragmented viewing habits and competition from tech giants.”

By looking at the “Viewership Comparison Table” provided by Cord Cutters, you can look at the total number of viewers from 2020 versus 2025.  It is clear that while linear TV was still somewhat dominant there were “signs of erosion” especially when you look at the shift in numbers during that five-year span.

Here is the Cord Cutters Viewership Comparison Table (2020 vs. 2025):

You can also look at the viewership numbers for 2020 via Variety here and Variety’s viewership numbers for 2025 here.

As you can clearly see by the chart, each of the four major networks has experienced a drop in viewership. It may not be a major drop, but the drop is still significant enough. In fact, “this erosion has forced broadcasters to rethink their strategies, investing heavily in hybrid models that blend traditional programming with digital extensions.”

Need an example? The folks at Cord Cutters shared the following: “Live events such as sports and award shows, which once bolstered ratings, have seen diluted audiences as viewers opt for highlight reels on social media or ad-free streams. Reality programming and procedural dramas, long staples of network schedules, have also lost ground to binge-worthy series on platforms like Netflix and Hulu.”

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While older audiences make up the majority of linear TV viewers as of right now, those under 35 have “largely abandoned” watching TV in this way opting to watch “short-form videos on apps like TikTok and YouTube” instead. But that doesn’t mean that older viewers are only watching linear TV as many more are “migrating to streaming” services as these outlets are improving “accessiblity and content variety,” and I might add these outlets are starting to make their services easier to navigate for older audiences who are not necessarily comfortable with tech.

Just like the world of print media, much of which has gone digital, the world of television is shifting into a much different world, causing the major networks to pursue “mergers and partnerships to stem the tide.” And, all of that affects overall viewership.

How does your family watch TV now? Do you still all sit around in the living room together and watch the same programming or is each family member on their own phone, iPad, laptop or TV in their own rooms or offices watching their preferred programming. Are those family members under 35 even really watching a TV set or are they watching on their phones?

While it is unclear if linear TV will suffer a full-on death; quite frankly, I cannot imagine a time where people won’t have a TV somewhere in their homes, the fact still remains that overall viewership is decreasing and it is increasingly falling each year. And, if the major networks don’t continue to pivot and change with the times, they will be left behind by TV viewers especially as the younger generations grow older but still have no interest, just like now, in watching linear TV.

What is your opinion of the drop in TV viewership? How often do you watch linear TV or have you cut the cord all together and watch by alternate means?

You can read the whole article for which I quoted from Cord Cutters here.

[Featured Image Photo Credit: Shutterstock – 1646339677]