LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) — Cable TV is losing its grip on Michigan households, and the decline isn’t slowing.

Cable subscriptions fell to about 980,000 households statewide in 2025, according to new data from the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC), dropping below the one-million mark for the first time in decades.

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The decline follows steep losses in recent years, but regulators say there’s little evidence the market is stabilizing. Viewers are increasingly choosing streaming platforms that offer on-demand programming and live sports without bundled cable packages.

Streaming now dominates television viewing nationally, while cable continues to lose ground—especially among younger viewers who have never relied on cable as their default option.

To compensate, cable companies are refocusing their business around broadband internet service, seeking federal support to expand high-speed connections in parts of Michigan that remain underserved.

But that shift has consequences for local communities too.

As cable subscriptions fall, so do franchise fees that fund local-access television—used by municipalities to broadcast government meetings, community events, and public programming. Several Michigan communities have already cut staff, reduced programming, or moved operations online to compensate.

“The traditional cable viewership is just going down,” Ryan McAnany, the MPSC’s telecommunications director, said. “It’s kind of like the land line telephone.”