J.D. Power has released the latest data on consumer spending on television and streaming services and Internet Services in the United States.
@Freepik
Spending on television and streaming
Consumer spending on television and streaming services continued to climb in early 2025, highlighting ongoing pressure on household budgets from rising subscription costs and evolving entertainment habits.
According to J.D. Power, the average monthly cost of a cable or satellite television bundle reached $187.99 in January 2025, reflecting a $7.69 increase from October 2024 and a $1.66 rise compared to the same month a year earlier. This consistent uptick suggests that traditional pay-TV providers are adjusting pricing — possibly due to higher content acquisition costs, infrastructure upgrades, or reduced subscriber bases that make each customer more costly to serve.
For consumers who opt for unbundled cable/satellite TV services, the average monthly bill was $121.86 in January 2025, a modest increase from $120.93 in October 2024. This segment likely includes customers choosing slimmed-down packages or customizing their channels without paying for large bundles, but even these offerings are not immune to inflationary pressures or the rising cost of premium content.
The streaming landscape, while offering a lower average monthly bill, also saw fluctuations. In January 2025, consumers spent an average of $73.47 per month on streaming subscriptions, which marks a $0.38 increase from October 2024. However, this figure is actually down by $1.05 compared to January 2024. This slight year-over-year decline may reflect increased consumer efforts to manage expenses — such as rotating subscriptions, downgrading to ad-supported tiers, or cancelling underused platforms. It could also point to a plateau in consumer appetite for maintaining multiple concurrent streaming services.
Spending on Internet Services
Spending on internet services in the U.S. saw a mixed trend in early 2025, with modest increases in most bundled service categories, and a slight decline in certain unbundled offerings, particularly in the wireless segment. The findings reflect evolving consumer choices and market adjustments in pricing structures across broadband and wireless internet plans.
Wired Internet: Continued Upward Momentum
JD Power reported that the average monthly cost for a wired internet bundle reached $170.06 in February 2025, reflecting a $0.92 increase from November 2024 and a $7.93 rise year-over-year from February 2024. This continued increase indicates persistent demand for high-speed home internet services, likely driven by the sustained shift to hybrid work, digital learning, and increased usage of streaming and smart home devices.
In the unbundled wired internet segment, which excludes packaged services such as TV or phone lines, the average cost rose slightly to $83.35, up from $82.96 in November 2024, showing stability in standalone broadband pricing. The year-on-year increase from February 2024 also suggests a gradual climb in base service costs amid ongoing infrastructure upgrades and inflationary pressures.
Wireless Internet: Divergent Trends
In contrast, wireless internet bundles experienced a more nuanced pattern. The average monthly cost for wireless internet bundles in February 2025 stood at $145.40, which is $0.19 higher than November 2024, yet significantly down by $12.85 compared to February 2024. This drop on an annual basis may reflect increased competition among mobile internet providers, greater 5G availability, and the bundling of mobile data with other digital services at discounted rates.
Interestingly, the unbundled wireless internet category showed a slight decline in consumer spending over the recent quarter. The average monthly cost fell to $71.53 in February 2025, down from $73.64 in November 2024. This suggests that consumers are either opting for more economical standalone plans or that providers have introduced more competitively priced options to attract budget-conscious users. However, compared to February 2024, the rate is virtually flat, increasing by only $0.08, showing long-term price stability in this segment.
Baburajan Kizhakedath
