Do Cord Cutters Care About Linear TV

The desire to capture a digital friendly audience begs the question, do they even care about linear TV, either broadcast or cable channels.  Many that are cutting the cord to cable tend to be Millennials that have found that they can watch most of their shows free, without paying a subscription fee.  From clips to full length episodes, consumers can watch on You Tube, Crackle, and many more as well as on a slew of pirated sites.  And those willing to pay a small monthly fee per month have access to tons of shows and movies on Netflix, Hulu, and even Amazon Prime.  Borrow a friend or parent's passcode and you get HBO GO.  For those that don't need to watch shows on a linear network can eventually get these same shows on other sites.  It begs the question, do these cord cutters, these Millennials, even need linear TV?

Sling TV, PlaystationVue, and now Apple TV seems to think that this audience will pay for content offered via their platforms.  That the content can be streamed to any device, saved for future airing, and watched when, where, and how the user wishes may drive a value that isn't currently being offered.  And access to some live programming, like sports and events, that needs to be watched as it airs may be a driver to purchase these OTT platforms.  It is the cost/value proposition that will ultimately determine if the Millennial audience sees value to purchase.