i’m sure my parents could save thousands with YouTube TV - they have FiOS as a tv + internet provider. they’ve used those DVRs for probably two decades and know the interface and how to navigate it. that’s definitely part of it.

the cable boxes finally got EoL’d, a tech on a service call promised (lying) that the contents would sync to the new boxes, and replaced them. they were empty - my mom was in tears when she realized the DVR contents were gone forever

some of the things recorded had sentimental value (a sibling being listed in the credits of a show, etc) and also that her mental model of what she watched and had in her queue to watch was gone (sports games she had yet to watch, progress through a show)

the stickiness is UI familiarity but also the value of what might not be there with a provider change are both powerful reasons to not make changes