More than a third of viewers canceled streaming services over poor UX

Streaming app frustrations led 36% of viewers to cancel a subscription, according to new research from CTAM and Hub Entertainment Research.

The figure increased to 43% among viewers younger than 25. Respondents cited the user experience as the sole reason for canceling rather than price or content quality, the organizations said.

The report, “Value by Design: Building a Better Streaming UX and Discovery Experience,” examined how app design and content discovery affected customer satisfaction and retention.

Although 90% of respondents said they were very or somewhat satisfied with their streaming experience, 72% had encountered at least one problem they considered “extremely frustrating.” Eighty percent said they experienced at least one problem “all the time.”

The study tested 20 user experience problems and 13 potential design solutions. The most damaging navigation issues involved common features that were difficult to find, including “Continue Watching” sections placed too far down a page and hard-to-find watch lists.

A pinned “Continue Watching” feature was favored by 46% of respondents, while 63% said they would use it. Forty-two percent said it would make a subscription more valuable and 48% said it would make them more likely to retain the service.

A pinned watch list was favored by 39% of respondents, while 56% said they would use it. Thirty-six percent said it would increase a subscription’s value and 43% said it would make them more likely to keep the service.

The findings also indicated that viewers compared television apps with applications in other categories. Sixty-eight percent said they made at least some viewing decisions outside dedicated TV apps, including on social platforms such as Instagram and TikTok.

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Younger viewers reported greater dissatisfaction with recommendations. Fifty-nine percent of respondents ages 13 to 24 said TV recommendations did not feel designed for them, compared with 45% of older viewers.

Among viewers ages 13 to 24, 43% said they decided what to watch before turning on the TV, compared with 35% of older respondents. Forty-eight percent of younger viewers said they heard about programs and movies through trailers on social platforms, compared with 38% of older viewers.

“This latest research highlights the pivotal role CTAM plays to give our members a big picture perspective on industry-wide challenges,” Vicki Lins, president and CEO of CTAM, said. “Consumers by and large are satisfied with streaming apps, but a negative user experience can be a silent killer, quietly eroding loyalty while price and content grab the headlines. The full report for CTAM members reveals the extent of the threat posed by poor user experience, and how the industry can give consumers more clarity and control.”

“This research underscores the extent to which TV apps are compared not just to other TV apps, but to all of the apps consumers use across categories,” Jon Giegengack, founder of Hub Entertainment Research and one of the report’s authors, said. “Viewers have high expectations, and even small moments of friction can quickly accumulate to cause frustration and abandonment. The findings are clear that improving even seemingly small frustrations can have a big impact on satisfaction, engagement and churn.”

The research included an online survey of 3,000 U.S. consumers ages 13 to 64 and 24 in-depth interviews with pay-TV subscribers, cord-cutters and people who had never subscribed to traditional pay TV. The study was conducted in April 2026.