A major new survey of consumer video subscriptions offers the TV industry some mixed messages, with data showing ongoing drastic declines in pay TV subscriptions and antenna usage coupled with notable increases in streaming.

The “State of Media, Entertainment, and Tech: Subscriptions 2025” report, from Horowitz Research, found that homes who could access to live TV channels via an antenna declined from 32% in 2020 to 19% in 2025. Even more precipitous declines were recorded for traditional pay TV providers, with the number of homes with MVPD subscriptions falling from 81% in 2020 to 44% in 2025.

Meanwhile, the new Horowitz data showed the share of homes with SVOD subscriptions rose from 70% in 2020 to 81% in 2025, and households with free streaming services jumped from 52% to 70% in the same period.

Virtual multichannel video programming distributors (vMVPDs), like Sling TV and YouTube TV, declined from being in 29% of homes in 2020 to 23% in 2025.

Over the last decade, that has dramatically changed both the mix of video services and the way those services are accessed. In 2015 nearly half of all homes (47%) only had a MVPD subscription and only 7% of all homes were streaming only. In 2025 nearly half of all homes (49%) were streaming only, while only 11% only had a pay TV subscription. About one third (33%) had both MVPD and streaming subscriptions in 2025, down from 40% in 2015. The homes with no video subscriptions stayed virtually flat, rising from 6% in 2015 to 7% in 2025.

In terms of homes with TV antennas, the Horowitz study found that they skewed towards lower income homes and older households. Antenna were used in 26% of homes headed by someone 50 or older compared to 19% for the overall population in 2025. Only 9% of homes with incomes of greater than $100,000 a year had antenna while 26% of those with incomes below $50,000 had antenna. About 28% of all homes without MVPD subscriptions had antennas but only 10% of homes headed by someone 18 to 34 had access to live TV channels via an antenna.

The report also provides detailed information on how much consumers are spending on subscriptions, the most popular streaming services, subscription bunding, broadband subscriptions, opportunities in the area of smart homes and a wide variety of other subjects.

The report is based on a survey of 2,200 consumers 18+ who are decision makers about subscription services in their home. Data have been weighted to ensure results are representative of the overall U.S. population. The survey was conducted in January and February of 2025.

More information is available here.

I started writing RF Technology columns for TV Technology (now TV Tech) 31 years ago and this article represents my 300th column. In the 1980s, before starting my column I did some reviews on equipment such as a Leitch VITS inserter and the Abekas A42 still store. Given the timing, these may have appeared in Radio World magazine, before TV Technology became a publication. 

Those were done on a typewriter, and I have no archive files. My report on building a Townsend CST transmitter from a kit of parts, delivered just as Townsend entered bankruptcy, was likely what prompted the editors of TV Technology to suggest I start a monthly column on RF technology back in 1991. 

I took a look at my 200th column (actually my 201st column since one earlier column was so long the editors had me split it into two columns) to see what I was thinking about then. I noted the decreasing number of viewers using antennas and the demand for spectrum for wireless carriers. I wrote: “I believe the future of over-the-air TV broadcasting will be determined soon, probably within the next two years.” 

What's Changed?
The good news is over-the-air TV broadcasting is still going strong 12 years later, in part helped by money broadcasters received as part of a spectrum auction that resulted in the transfer of 14 UHF-TV channels to wireless carriers and by viewers dropping cable TV. Those funds helped broadcasters upgrade their transmitters and antennas and prepare for the transition to the next-generation digital standard, ATSC 3.0. 

Although I acknowledged then that solid- state transmitters were becoming viable options for UHF-TV transmitters up to 10 kW, I never imagined that only five years later I’d be ordering a 108-kW solid state Rohde and Schwarz transmitter for installation at One World Trade Center. 

The use of Doherty amplifiers allowed solid- state amplifiers to exceed the efficiency of the IOT (inductive output tube) amplifiers and approach or exceed the system efficiency of MSDC (multi-stage depressed collector) IOT amplifiers. The move from tube-based transmitters and the transition from analog signal generation to signals created in the digital domain in FPGA’s and software-defined transmitters was perhaps the most significant technology change since I started writing for TV Technology. 

The Future of Over the Air TV
Twelve years ago, I wondered about the future of over-the-air TV. Based on the number of questions I receive about over-the-air TV reception and the growing number of sales and ads for TV antennas, I see a good future for over-the-air TV. 

That isn’t to say there aren’t risks. Viewers are dropping their cable TV subscriptions in favor of streaming video over the internet. Since local TV stations are not available for free online, this leads viewers to install antennas if they value local TV. If TV station owners decide to allow free streaming of their over-the-air programming, this could slow the adoption of antennas. 

At some point, the number of viewers could drop to the point where maintaining a strong over-the-air signal or even dealing with the responsibilities the FCC places on TV licensees might not make sense if most of the audience was watching via the internet. 

One thing broadcasters can do to preserve over-the-air broadcasting is to make it easy to receive. The move from analog to digital helped as most viewers now get a perfect picture and a huge number of programs, often with something as simple as a $20 indoor antenna. 

The transition to ATSC 3.0, with its more robust transmission options (including single frequency networks) should make reception easier. Broadcasting a compatible 5G signal could open access to cellphones and tablets. The ATSC 3.0 standard would allow transmitting a signal in the ATSC 3.0 A/322 format to TV sets along with a 5G physical layer to cell phones and tablets using time domain or frequency domain multiplexing. 

Qualcomm is developing chips that will allow reception of 5G broadcasts on UHF-TV spectrum in cellphones. While it may be difficult to convince wireless carriers to allow this in devices they sell, broadcasting is still the most efficient way to deliver content to a huge number of viewers—there may be ways to encourage coverage through sharing ads and viewer data. 

I strongly believe the success of ATSC 3.0 will depend on how easy it is to receive on the largest number of devices. If broadcasters make it too difficult for manufacturers to build ATSC 3.0 receivers or require viewers to go through extra steps to receive the signals, it will be tough to make the transition from ATSC 1.0 to ATSC 3.0. It is great to see companies like VBox and SiliconDust offering low-cost ATSC 3.0 receivers that will work with existing TV sets. 

I’m still waiting for a low-cost ATSC 3.0 USB dongle and wonder if they will work with open-source software when they do become available. I follow open-source DTV software and device driver development on the linux-media mailing list and there is now little activity for ATSC 1.0 and none related to ATSC 3.0.  

One of the challenges broadcasters face with ATSC 3.0 is the need to protect content from unauthorized distribution without hurting adoption of ATSC 3.0. Without this protection, program providers may be reluctant to offer their best content to broadcasters. Managing digital rights will be important. It shouldn’t be too difficult for manufacturers and software developers to have their devices and programs certified. Fortunately, since ATSC 3.0 is IP-based, the same protections viewers have gotten used to when viewing Netflix, Peacock, Hulu, Amazon Prime or other streaming services should work with ATSC 3.0. 

If authentication and decryption can be handled in an existing browser or browser plug-in, it should be easy to build and distribute low-cost ATSC 3.0 tuners that work with a qualified browser for displaying content. If broadcasters can match the experience people have with protected streaming content, content protection should not hinder ATSC 3.0 adoption on devices beyond TV sets. Even with content protection, I would expect most content to be available for free with minimal, if any, user registration requirements. 

The Future of RF Tech
I’ll be describing developments with ATSC 3.0 and other RF technology topics in future columns. 

The audience, and as a result, the content, of my columns has changed over the past thirty years. Past columns described simple, easy-to-build remote controls using off-the-shelf computer modules that when attached to a dial-up modem, allowed a simple way to monitor remote sites, particularly low-power and translator sites. I had tips on doing calormetric RF power measurements, the best way to aim microwave dishes, and tuning external cavity klystrons. 

I covered path-loss calculations for microwave systems, RF exposure calculations, and coverage predictions using open-source software. As the ATSC 3.0 standard was being developed, I wrote several articles on how the ATSC 3.0 physical layer works and how it differs from ATSC 1.0. 

In recent years I found there is more interest in receiving over-the-air TV, measuring signals, optimizing coverage and practical tips. This is partly due to the simplification of the transmission path. It is no longer necessary to spend hours optimizing a transmitter’s analog exciter and solid-state transmitters don’t require tuning. With regards to tutorials, in the past 299 columns I’ve covered so many topics I have to be careful about repeating myself! Some are available by Googling “Doug Lung” and the topic. 

Many of the best ideas come from readers. I welcome your questions, comments and experiences. Let me know what you would like to see in future columns. Which topics have you found most useful? Would you like to see more in-depth technical topics, less technical practical tips, basic tutorials like my last column, or “build-it” projects (both hardware and software)? Email me at
dlung@transmitter.com.

In the television business all the buzz today is around OTT and streaming, but one major station group has decided to bring old technology to the forefront in a bid to increase awareness of free over-the-air TV. 

EW Scripps has launched TheFreeTVProject.org, a website that promotes antenna TV, providing tips and information on what are the best types of TV antennas, available programming and even a chatbot. 

On a page titled “An antenna is the key to Free TV!” visitors can enter their zip code to find available free over the air channels in their area, (CTA has offered a similar service that helps consumers pick the best type of antenna on antennaweb.org for years).

Based in Cincinnati, Scripps owns 61 TV stations and has been active in the rollout of ATSC 3.0 (aka NextGen TV), which the website also promotes. It also has a robust “diginet” (DTV auxiliary channels) portfolio, as well as its “Newsy”  24 hour news channel. The station group is spending $20 million on its campaign which also includes 30 second spots on its O&O as well as promotions on social media and streaming services. 

Although many station groups are reluctant to promote free over-the-air TV because of the lucrative retrans fees they receive from pay-TV, Scripps President Adam Symson thinks that the current TV environment, with the increasing rate of cord-cutting is putting consumers in charge and that broadcasters need to keep customers informed of their choices. 

“Many companies are concerned about talking about broadcast too much for fear of it negatively impacting the pay TV eco-system,” Symson was quoted in the Los Angeles Times. “But I believe the consumer is in control at this point and what we have to do is insure the relevance of our product and our reach on into the future.”

Los Angeles Times has the rest of the story. 

JOHNSTON, IOWA— There is a bit of a renaissance taking place in the broadcast television industry—the return of the television antenna. Television antennas became relegated to use only by the TV in bedroom for watching the nightly news or to the TV on the kitchen counter providing background content while preparing a meal. 

However, with the rising costs of traditional cable and satellite services, the increased availability of over-the-top streaming services and the expanded channel selections over traditional broadcast have exposed digital generations to the technology and reminded the pre-digital generations of how they used to be entertained in their homes. A recent study from Horowitz Research shows that antenna penetration nationwide grew 38% year-over-year between 2020 and 2021 and now reaches 40% of all TV content viewers 18+.

As this rediscovery is taking place, the underlying technology of traditional over-the-air broadcast television is undergoing a metamorphosis that will enable improved traditional television and a whole lot more. Higher-quality pictures and immersive audio are just the tip of the iceberg of improvements. 

NextGen TV, as it has been dubbed by the Consumer Technology Association will enable interactivity with the content, user-specific personalization and recommendations, higher resolution, a vast improvement in accessibility and alerting features, and a raft of other capabilities beyond what television can and has traditionally done or even considered.

The Path Forward
While it may seem irrelevant to talk about the original NTSC standard and analog broadcasting, it is important to understand how the past has influenced the present ATSC 1.0 DTV broadcasting service and continues to influence the rollout of ATSC 3.0. One of the obvious influences is a TV’s station’s over-the-air coverage. While television can trace it roots back to the early 1900’s, it was after World War II that the explosive growth started. which required the establishment of the interference limited coverage contours that we are all familiar with. While over-the-air service protection changed to noise-limited contours, the assumption was that the receiver was stationary and attached to an antenna that was mounted outside of the home and 30 feet above the ground.

The introduction of digital television (DTV) 25 years ago was a game changer when it came to the quality and quantity of live streaming content that is still the mainstay of over-the-air broadcasting. It also expanded ancillary services which we often refer to as “datacasting,” which, in essence, started with the introduction of closed captioning as a digital service carried on line 21. There have been numerous experiments and deployments of other ancillary digital services encoded into the analog services with limited success. 

ATSC 3.0 was the next logical step in the development of television and pretty much follows the path of all things digital. As the underlying physical technology improves, software developers create code to take advantage of the improvements which then pushes the physical technology, and the cycle continues.

Global Goal
Unlike what was done in the past, the goal this time was to create a standard that could be adopted worldwide. A global community of technical experts is involved in creating the use cases and suite of standards that is ATSC 3.0 as well as in its testing, refinement and deployment. 

Currently, in the U.S., more than 60 markets have deployed NextGen TV with station groups working together to launch ATSC 3.0 while maintaining ATSC 1.0. South Korea deployed ATSC 3.0 a few years ago and there are also other countries that are looking at their next upgrade in terrestrial DTV and considering adopting all or portions of ATSC 3.0. This could be good news as it could prompt a deeper consideration of adding ATSC 3.0 receivers in handheld devices.

Probably the most frequent question I hear when discussing the move to NextGen TV is: Why do it at all? The transition to DTV  was easier because it was federally mandated, but the FCC’s approach to ATSC 3.0 is to put the decisions and timeline mostly in the hands of station owners, with some guidance from the commission on protecting traditional digital broadcasts.

To answer the “why” question requires that we examine how the advances offered by ATSC 3.0 resonate with decisionmakers as well as the general public. It also requires that we understand not only the content creation side of the equation but content reception as well. Take immersive technology for example—creating this type of content will not only require additional skills and resources from the creators, it will also require the consumer to have the technology to receive it. 

Consumer Adoption
I often get the chance to talk about NextGen TV with industry groups as well as the general  public and I usually start off with a few questions to the audience to get an understanding of their technical expertise and field of interest. 

The first thing I like to talk about is the improved reception thanks to the changes to the physical layer modulation scheme and the addition of elliptical or circular polarization to the transmitted signal. 

Just as important, there’s also the advantage of being able to configure independent physical layer pipes to improve specific stream reception in the face of more challenging conditions. Using an indoor antenna is not only a fact of life but also the dominant methodology for viewers who expect reliable service regardless of location. 

Explaining the benefits of ATSC 3.0 over ATSC 1.0 to consumers is significantly more challenging. Where the DTV explanation got complex was the difference between SD and HD. Talking pixel count and resolution is fairly easy and the audience is sort of conditioned to understand that the bigger number is always better.

The problem with ATSC 3.0 is that the benefits of UHD over HD are much more subtle. This is especially true given that most broadcasters don’t see the benefit of using a significant amount of their channel capacity to carry content at a resolution that will not be perceived by a significant majority of viewers.

The areas that I like to focus on regarding content enhancement are things like color gamut, dynamic range and immersive audio. I bypass the 1080p vs. 1080i debate and instead, show an SDR and HDR high definition picture side by side that clearly illustrates the value proposition.

When it comes to audio, the early enhancements used to be a lot harder to explain, but inexpensive sound bar systems have made 5.1 immersive audio a fairly simple and affordable audio enhancement.

I am also careful when bringing up the potential for personalization and interactivity, primarily because most of the development happening in that space is geared towards enhancing advertisers’ ability to better target their audiences. However, I’m not sure that telling viewers that they’ll see more meaningful commercials adds a lot to the value proposition.

Public Service
Perhaps ATSC 3.0’s strongest tool in the toolbox is its ability to provide a much more robust and meaningful emergency alerting services—a  topic that resonates well with everyone. The idea of waking up a receiver to provide alerts during an emergency is a very compelling. 

I live in an area of tornadic activity and high-wind events that happen on very short notice. Weather radios are pretty common and while they wake you up and provide an audio alert, most of us will turn on the TV to see what is happening. ATSC 3.0 can wake people up and provide video and audio and offers a faster and more complete, yet simpler method of gathering the necessary emergency information from different sources. 

My colleagues at PBS North Carolina have even worked with emergency services within their state to use ATSC 3.0 as a closed alert system for first responders providing basic data in a few seconds that currently takes minutes using their current technology. The envisioned system can also supply a wealth of additional information such as maps, floor plans and situational data so that the first responders arrive better informed.

Closed-circuit services are not necessarily limited to first responders. The pandemic lockdown in many cases crippled educational institutions and many students lost an entire year or more of learning. A number of ATSC 3.0 pilot projects were demonstrated providing secure, curated content to deliver remote learning to homes that don’t have access to traditional broadband. The lack of connectivity may be due to rurality or economics, but regardless of the root cause, these pilot projects represent vital public services.

Fleet Updates
These types of ancillary services are just the tip of the iceberg—one to many broadcast distribution of data services have applications well beyond the traditional broadcast space.

With the annual ATSC Meeting being held in Detroit for the first time this month, we are seeing real interest from automakers—in particular, car rental companies—who are considering using ATSC 3.0 to provide software updates to their fleet. These companies have stated that the number one reason many of their cars are out of service is due to the lack of software updates, so being able to use ATSC 3.0 to update their fleet of vehicles while they are parked rather than in the service shop is a compelling case.

So what is the future of NextGen TV? Well, I have a fundamental question that I have asked myself and as well as others working in television. The question, “do you think ATSC 3.0 is essential to your station’s future survivability and growth?” I’ll be blunt, I have heard “yes,” “no,” and “not sure.” 

My personal opinion is yes it is. I think that what we call DTV was actually a half step. ATSC 3.0 moves us to being a true digital broadband service. It will provide opportunities to grow in ways that we have only started to think about. Without it I think we operate our existing systems until we become irrelevant and fade away and without action on our part, I don’t believe that fate is too far into the future.

In terms of television delivery, the adage “what’s old is new again” seems appropriate.

And this time, the “old” is more attractive.

The television industry has constantly evolved since the inception of commercial broadcasting in the 1940s and has experienced three fundamental phases.

• The first was the “free TV era.” Viewers received VHF and UHF channels at no cost using over-the-air (OTA) antennas. The only downside was limited choices, so technologies were developed to address this latent demand.
• Then came the ascendancy of cable and satellite delivery, providing paying subscribers with more than a hundred networks, even if they were only interested in a few. At its peak, about 90% of homes opted into this all-you-can-eat buffet on their televisions.
• We have now entered a new era, again driven by technology, with the emergence of on-demand streaming services. Some carry monthly fees like Netflix and Disney+. Others are free, like the growing number of AVOD services and FAST platforms such as Pluto and Tubi. Some services are hybrids like Peacock and Hulu that offer both free and paid subscriptions.

At Scripps, we have labeled this the “self-bundling era” because consumers can now decide which combination of services is optimal for their needs.

Retain cable and add two streaming services? Cut the cord and subscribe to six? Which six?  

In a country of 122 million homes, we could end up with nearly 122 million different combinations. Even within a home, viewing options will vary based on whether a room has a smart TV—and which brand.

Based on the facts, Scripps believes free, over-the-air TV will play an important role in this new era. According to the Consumer Technology Association, about 8.5 million digital antennas are sold in the U.S. each year. Household penetration for antennas has been growing, and today, nearly 1 in 3 homes has one—up from 26% in 2019 to 32% in 2021. Many own more than one.

50M Households by 2025?
Antenna owners include a surprisingly even mix of cable/satellite subscribers vs. non-subscribers. Cord-cutters, and cord-nevers, use antennas to watch content that isn’t widely available on SVOD services, such as local news and live sports.  Cable and satellite homes use antennas to watch TV on unwired sets and watch channels not included in their subscription packages. OTA access is just another item to consider when assembling one’s self-bundle. And it’s free.

Digital antenna penetration is likely to continue to grow at a steady rate.  According to projections, OTA could eclipse 50 million U.S. homes by 2025.  Content is likely to be a huge driver. After all, assembling the optimal mix of content breadth and depth is the guiding principle of self-bundling.

If you don’t have an antenna, you may be surprised to learn how many channels you can receive with this simple device. A common misconception is that OTA only includes the major broadcast networks, one or two independent stations, a PBS affiliate, and perhaps a few shopping and religious channels. In reality, the offerings typically include more than two dozen multicast networks—also known as “diginets.” These networks are carried on the transmissions of traditional TV stations via digital compression. 

The most widely viewed networks include MeTV (classic series), Grit (westerns), Bounce (African American-targeted series and movies) and Start TV (off-net dramas). Additional networks feature sci-fi, comedy, movies, sports, how-to and other unscripted reality programming, and more. Two former cable networks, Newsy and Court TV, have been revived as free over-the-air multicast networks. Six new multicast networks launched last year alone.

70% Audience Growth
The dramatic increase in the number and diversity of multicast networks, coupled with vastly improved and attractive content, has resulted in almost 70% growth in audience for this segment over the past five years, per Nielsen. During this same period, cable network audiences declined by nearly one-third.

The biggest obstacles to OTA being a part of more consumers’ bundles are awareness and familiarity. As previously noted, non-owners of antennas underestimate the number of networks they can receive with a digital antenna.  They also don’t realize that over-the-air networks are different from the ones available via cable and satellite packages. Unaware consumers may also perceive antennas as settling for an inferior package. But research indicates that OTA households are more satisfied overall with their bundles than MVPD subscribers.

Improved technology will be an additional driver of OTA adoption. ATSC 3.0 (also known as NextGen TV) promises improved reception, better sound quality, the ability to watch on mobile devices, targeted datacasting and other benefits. It has already begun rolling out market-by-market.

Additionally, a new generation of “smart antennas” work with home Wi-Fi and enable users to watch OTA content on-demand and to more easily record broadcast programs with built-in DVR functionality. They also can provide return-path data – which is hugely important for audience measurement and for allowing addressable advertising.

The bottom line: Even though antennas hearken back to an earlier era, they have evolved and now are helping to shape the self-bundling equation, and this won’t change going forward. The original delivery system for television has become one of the most attractive.  

For one thing, you can’t beat the cost.

NEW ROCHELLE, NY—A new report from Horowitz Research illustrates how popular free over the air TV is among multicultural audiences seeking to cut the cord. 

As cord-cutters look for ways to stay connected to live and local programming, multicultural audiences are embracing over-the-air (OTA) antennas, 

According to Horowitz Research’s “State of OTA 2021” study, two in 10 (21%) Black and 33% of Latinx and Asian cord-cutters (TV content viewers who do not subscribe to cable or satellite services, aka MVPDs), use an over-the-air antenna, which translates to 2.5 million Black, 5.7 million Latinx, and 2.3 million Asian adults using technology to access free over-the-air live, linear content.

Among Black, Latinx, and Asian cord-cutters, having access to local broadcast channels is the main driver for getting an antenna, with 8 in 10 consumers across these groups citing this as a reason to have one and almost 6 in 10 consumers in each of these groups citing local broadcast as the main reason they have an antenna. Local news, specifically, is important to most Black (76%), Latinx (68%), and Asian (82%) cord-cutters, and local and regional sports content is important to about 6 in 10 Black and Latinx cord-cutters.

Access to free, over-the-air culturally-relevant content is also important to Black, Latinx, and Asian audiences. Almost 6 in 10 (58%) Black antenna users say that having channels geared towards Black audiences is important to them, and 35% of Black antenna users say that they typically watch Black-geared content through their antenna.

The data are similar among Latinx antenna users: about 6 in 10 bilingual and Spanish-dominant Latinx say that having content in Spanish and/or for Latinx audiences is important to them, and among bilingual and Spanish-dominant Latinx antenna users, viewership of Spanish-language content from a variety of broadcasters, especially Univision and Telemundo, remains high, with about 3 in 4 Spanish-dominant and 2 in 3 bilingual Latinx antenna users watching content from those two broadcasters through their antennas on at least a weekly basis. The study also documented high importance for channels geared towards Asian audiences.

Cord-cutters are not the only ones leveraging antennas—the study finds that 10% of MVPD subscribers use an antenna. For MVPD subscribers, antennas serve three key purposes: as a backup in case of a cable/satellite outage (63%), to avoid having to pay for a cable/satellite box (47%), and for TV sets without an MVPD subscription (43%).

The study showed that, in fact, OTA viewers frequently combine their antenna usage with their MVPD and/or streaming services. Antenna users with no MVPD service spend about 6 in every 10 hours—(57%) of their viewing time—watching through their antenna and almost 4 in 10 hours—(37%)—streaming. Even for those with MVPD services, antenna usage consumes about 2 in every 10 hours (18% of time spent), as illustrated in the chart below.

In the survey, almost four in 10 (38%) of Black, 32% of Latinx, and 30% of Asian TV content viewers without an antenna say they would be very likely to get one in the near future. As more consumers decide to cut the cord, the study finds that new features of Next Gen TV (ATSC 3.0), such as stronger reception, enhanced video quality, on-demand content, Dolby sound, personalized advertising, and others, could draw more consumers to adopt antennas.

“The findings from this study underscore the continued value of free, local broadcast content to American TV content viewers, and in particular, to Black, Latinx, and Asian audiences,” said Adriana Waterston, Chief Revenue Officer and Insights & Strategy Lead for Horowitz.

The research firm added that new ATSC 3.0 technologies that will deliver OTA content with interactive, on-demand, and mobile capabilities could be another “game-changer,” helping ease some of the consumer pain points of the streaming ecosystem such as continued cost increases for subscription streaming services.”

The full State of OTA 2021 report provides analysis of U.S. TV content viewers and antenna users. The survey was conducted in October-November 2021 in English and Spanish among 1,600 TV content viewers (708 among antenna users). Data have been weighted to ensure results are representative of the overall TV universe. The report is available in total market, FOCUS Latinx, FOCUS Black, and FOCUS Asian editions.

CINCINNATI—E.W. Scripps has announced plans to take Newsy, its OTT news network, over the air, setting an Oct. 1 launch of an OTA Newsy network. According to Scripps, this will make Newsy the only American news TV network with ubiquitous OTT and OTA distribution.

The decision is designed to serve what Scripps calls “the growing OTA market of cord-cutting self-bundlers.” As of its launch, Newsy will be available over the air to at least 80% of U.S. TV homes, carried primarily by Scripps-owned ION stations and select Scripps local TV stations and those of other station groups, Scripps said.

“As TV viewers ‘self-bundle’ by combining free television with subscription video-on-demand services, Newsy will build on its success in OTT by joining the other Scripps Networks in the over-the-air marketplace to bring these viewers high-quality, free news programming,” said Lisa Knutson, Scripps Network president.

Newsy will be headquartered in Atlanta, with nearly a dozen bureaus across the country, including in Washington, D.C., Chicago, Denver and Phoenix. It will continue to use resources from Scripps Washington Bureau and Scripps’ local TV stations.

Kate O’Brian will serve as Newsy’s head of news.

For more information, visit www.scripps.com.  

BURLINGTON, Vt.—A fire struck an antenna of a broadcast tower in Vermont last week, impacting the over-the-air broadcasts of WCAX-TV and WPTZ-TV in the area. Nearly a week later, and using a temporary antenna, service has been returned to 98% of providers in the market, according to WCAX Vice President and General Manager Jay Barton.

As of last Friday, WCAX, which owns the tower, and WPTZ had recordings or online posts that indicated that over-the-air service was not available in many cases, though instructed that the channels’ programming was available through other methods.

Barton provided an update to TV Technology on the status of the repairs and the stations’ service.

As initially reported, no injuries occurred as a result of the fire and no cause of fire has been determined; Barton said priority is to return service and any inspection will have to be completed when the antenna is removed from the tower. There was no additional damage to the tower from the fire, as the fire was contained to the antenna.

WCAX and WPTZ elected to ignore the damage antenna and rather build a temporary antenna, with that process currently underway.

The total over-the-air presence was impacted from the fire, which also impacted cable operators who use the OTA signal as their primary source. While the goal is have complete over-the-air service back as quickly as possible, Barton said they have been working with provider partners to create alternate connections through fiber and other protected direct connections to get the signal back to the headend or uplinks.

According to Barton, 80% of providers had service back within 24 hours, 95% in 48 hours and over the weekend that number reached 98%.

“The entire process has been an exercise in cooperation,” said Barton. “WCAX and WPTZ have been transparent and cooperative with each other, our engineers have been working side by side through this challenge, our corporate teams from Hearst and Gray immediately leapt into action and have worked as a team since the first hour of this problem. Our local TV broadcast community, Vermont PBS, Nexstar Broadcasting’s WFFF and Mission Broadcasting’s WVNY have opened their facilities to us to access immediate reconnections to many cable and satellite providers, and their teams have gone out of their way to help our teams get our stations back on those providers.

“I am so impressed by the total, unreserved assistance we are giving each other,” Barton continued. “We all have good relationships locally and would expect a positive experience in the broadcast community in a time of need, but this has been extraordinary. I can’t say enough how positive the cooperation across all of the TV stations has been.”

Because of weather, Barton said that the timeline is still fluid as for getting over-the-air services totally back up, but expects it to be completed in a matter of days, assuming there are no additional surprises.

UPDATE: WCAX and WPTZ have begun working more with Nexstar and Mission's WFFF and WVNY, according to Barton, which has allowed for them to mount the temporary antenna onto their own tower. The change in plan took place because of rime ice that built up over several nights this week.

Collaborating with Gray, Hearst and now Nexstar, Barton doesn't know if this kind of mutual cooperation is "unprecedented, but it is certainly impressive."

"In my mind, it is this type of mutual support that makes local broadcasting distinctly different than any other field—first and foremost, we are committed to our communities and public service, and this type of cooperation between broadcasters is a might example of that commitment," said Barton.

There is still no official word on when the stations are expected to be fully back on-air.

Also, according to WCAX's website, construction or repair on a permanent antenna will begin in late spring 2020.

UPDATE 12/3: WCAX General Manager Jay Barton says that WCAX is fully back on-air after the installation of the temporary antenna on Dec. 1.

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y.—Disney+ is the shiny new toy for consumers and has seen a significant response in its first week, but some consumers are going old school, watching TV through over-the-air antennas.

This comes via a report from Horowtiz Research, “OTA: The New TV Growth Story 2019,” which finds that 29% of TV content viewers 18 years and older own an antenna, while one in four (24%) actively use an antenna to get TV content on at least one of their sets. For many, the move to antenna is actually a recent phenomenon, with 44% of antenna users saying they got their first antenna within the past three years.

Horowitz found in its report that many of the stigmas of antenna users (older, not tech-savvy, lower-income) don't completely pan out. Half of antennas users are under 50, with 24% of them being between 18 and 34. The average household income is actually higher than non-antenna users. And even with an antenna, they tend to be heavier TV viewers and are more likely to be streamers than non-antenna users; 87% of antenna users stream compared to 75% of non-antenna users.

One reason that could account for the rise in antenna usage is the cord-cutting trend. Horowitz found 39% of streamers that got an antenna said it was a key because they wanted to cancel their cable/satellite service; 28% said it was a reason, but not the key reason.

Still, 60% of antenna users still have a traditional pay-TV service. MVPD subscribers use antennas to get specific channels not available through their cable/satellite service, like local channels or those in the middle of a carriage dispute. Other reasons are as a backup in case of an outage, to avoid having a cable box and on TVs that may not be wired for cable.

“Free or low-priced TV is more readily available to consumers than ever before,” said Adriana Waterston, Horowitz’s senior vice president of insights and strategy. “The number of OTA channels is increasing. And new technologies like OTA DVRs, OTA integration into connected TV platforms and the rollout of Next Gen TV standards will only serve to increase consumer awareness and accelerate usage of over-the-air content in the viewing diets of American viewers.”

Horowitz Research’s website has the full “OTA: The New TV Growth Story 2019” report.

CINCINNATI—Court is in session again, Court TV that is. After initially being taken off the air in 2008, Katz Networks, part of the E.W. Scripps Company, officially relaunched the 24/7 court coverage network on Wednesday, May 8.

During Court TV’s initial run it covered high-profile court cases to air, including the trials of O.J. Simpson, the Menendez brothers and Casey Anthony. In its new iteration, Court TV will provide live, gavel-to-gavel coverage, in-depth legal reporting and expert analysis of important and compelling trials across the county. Katz Networks has also acquired the complete library of the original Court TV’s library.

Katz has made agreements with local TV station group owners that will make the network available to more than 50% of U.S. television households through over-the-air broadcast; it will also be available to 25% of U.S. cable homes. Tribune will offer Court TV to 22 of its markets; E.W. Scripps will provide it in eight markets; Entravision Communications will have it in 10 markets; Univision will provide it in three markets; and Citadel Communications will air Court TV in Providence, R.I.

NEW YORK—Many TV consumers are making their way back to over-the-air TV according to a recent study from Nielsen, but thankfully the rabbit ears aren’t. As many consumers continue to decide to cut the cord on cable packages, OTA offers them free TV through a digital antenna that can even provide HD quality content. But it’s not just traditional OTA offerings that have led to this growth, as streaming services also factor into the equation.

Overall, per Nielsen’s May 2018 population estimates, more than 16 million homes in the U.S. fall into the OTA category, just over 14 percent nationwide. At the start of the decade, 2010, that number was at 11 million. That represents a near 50 percent increase over eight years, with a potential for continued growth as more consumers consider an a la carte approach to television.

What constitutes an OTA home today though is different than what it may have been in the past thanks to streaming services. From the May 2018 report, 41 percent of homes considered OTA are “traditional,” meaning they do not have a streaming service provider. The remaining 59 percent do have one or more streaming subscriptions; this also includes homes that have a virtual video multichannel programming distributor (vMVPD), aka a skinny bundle, that allows them to stream cable programs (think Hulu or YouTube TV).

The makeup of the “traditional” households and the streaming households are noticeably different. The average age for a house without a streaming service is 55, while those with are 36 on average. Roughly half of the homes that have a streaming subscription are married and/or have children, while those numbers fall to 28 percent and 27 percent respectively in non-streaming homes. Another big difference is the median income; non-streaming homes average $21,000, while streaming homes come in at $44,500.

Daily viewing in OTA homes comes to about three hours a day for broadcast content on TV, however that differs depending on a home’s setup. Homes without a streaming service average about four hours and 51 minutes of broadcast a day; those with just a streaming service spend a little more than an hour and a half watching broadcast; and those with access to a skinny bundle spend nearly equal time between broadcast (an hour and 12 minutes) and cable TV options (hour and four minutes).

For more information, view the Nielsen report here.

WASHINGTON—The Federal Communications Commission today announced the launch of a special call center dedicated to helping viewers of over-the-air television rescan their TVs during the ongoing transition of local TV channels to new frequencies following the Commission’s broadcast incentive auction.

Incentive Auction Task Force Chair Jean Kiddoo said, “As an over-the-air TV viewer myself, I know that consumers sometimes need extra help rescanning televisions when broadcast stations add channels or change frequencies. That’s why it’s so important to make both online information and telephone assistance like the consumer help line available to viewers during the ongoing broadcast transition.”

Viewers may reach the call center toll-free by dialing 1-888-CALLFCC (1-888-225-5322) and pressing “6” to speak to a help desk representative. The call center is staffed from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. Eastern time, seven days a week, to enable consumers throughout the country to obtain assistance during evening and weekend hours.

Many over-the-air TV channels across the United States have changed and will be changing frequencies to open up airwaves for new high-speed 5G and other wireless services. The actual channel numbers on consumers’ TVs will not change, but a change in frequency impacts how a channel is received over the air by a TV receiver. If consumers watch free over-the-air television with an antenna, they will need to rescan their TV set each time a local station moves to a new frequency to be sure that the TV recognizes the new frequency when consumers tune in to that channel. TV stations will make on-air announcements at least 30 days in advance of making the change. Viewers who subscribe to cable or satellite services do not need to take any action to continue receiving local channels.

In 2018, Congress funded FCC efforts to educate consumers about the reorganization of broadcast television spectrum, including the dedicated consumer call center, online materials, and consumer outreach to a diverse set of communities nationwide about rescanning. The Commission is coordinating closely with industry stakeholders to ensure that our consumer education efforts are complementary to, and not duplicative of, industry efforts.

For more information on the broadcast TV transition and rescanning, visit www.fcc.gov/TVrescan, which also includes a link to an interactive map that allows viewers to insert an address to see the frequency change timeframe for most local channels.

For all the latest news and insight on the repack, visit our repack silo.

DALLAS—Construction and connectivity work on the ATSC 3.0 Single Frequency Network (SFN) being installed in the Dallas-Fort Worth Designated Market Area, American Tower announced in January.

The SFN, a collaboration of American Tower, Sinclair Broadcast Group, Univision Local Media, Nexstar and Spectrum Co., consists of four existing American Tower sites located around market in both metro and suburban sites to maximize signal strength across the DMA.

“The construction phase went quite smoothly,” said Ed Tiongson, Director, Product Innovation for American Tower. “With these ATSC 3.0 deployments, it’s critical to draw on expertise to synchronize SFN towers effectively, including integrating the network components, such as antennas, transmitters, and radios for optimum signal delivery.”

[Read: Dallas ATSC 3.0 SFN Buildout Nears Completion]

The towers, electrical power, fiber network and transmitter buildings at sites in Fort Worth, Denton and Garland, Texas, were upgraded for TV. A pre-fab building was also added in Garland, and a point-to-point microwave link between the Denton and Fort Worth sites was also installed, the company said.

The work included upgrades to networking, internet exchange, fiber and data center connectivity as well as three-phase power. Comark transmitters and exciters also were added at each site, the company said.

The main transmission tower site in Cedar Hill, Texas –currently the main 1.0 transmission site—received an upgrade of ATSC 3.0 transmission equipment, rounding out the four-site SFN, American Tower said.

With the 3.0 SFN infrastructure in place, validation testing of RF design and link budget will begin. Evaluating operational workflows is also on tap. “Once the RF measurements are validated, we will be able to scale for additional sites in the future as business needs dictate,” said Jim Leifer, Senior Manager, Broadcast Operations at American Tower.

March 1 is targeted as the date the SFN will light up, said Mark Aitken, Sinclair vice president of Advanced Technology and President of ONE Media LLC, in a recent Q&A with TVTechnology.

“The holdup on this one is the MVPD notification process, and the FCC is a stickler on making sure we run out the 120 days,” said Aitken.

For comprehensive source of TV Technology’s ATSC 3.0 coverage, see our ATSC3 silo.

BETHESDA, MD.—About 8.1 million Americans will buy TV antennas this year, according to a mid-year analysis by the Consumer Technology Association, reflecting the growing audience for over-the-air broadcast signals as more homes cut—or at least trim back—their cable subscriptions. This year’s estimates will mark a peak in antenna sales, which have been hovering just under the 8 million level for several years and which are expected to decline only slightly in the near future, according to CTA’s latest analysis.

One wild card in future antenna sales is the impact of the new ATSC 3.0 standard, which will debut over the next several years.

“When 3.0 rolls out, consumers will become aware of additional services, and that will give a boost to antenna sales,” said Brian Markwalter, senior vice president, research and standards for CTA. “Viewers won’t need any special antennas to receive 3.0, but reception may be affected by the repack” of channels.

SUPPLEMENTING PROGRAM CHOICES

Markwalter, as do others who follow the antenna business, contends that the steady sales of home antennas reflects the increased rate of cord cutting by cable subscribers.

CTA’s research shows “one in five consumers say they watch OTA through an antenna,” said Ben Arnold, senior director of innovation and trends at CTA. “The reasons all revolve around supplementing their programming.” Cord-cutters or trimmers “want live TV plus OTT,” Arnold adds.

That combination of OTA and OTT is reflected by some of the new antenna kits that combine access to OTA and broadband. Likewise, viewers who toggle between live broadcasts and on-demand streams keep their antennas inside. Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis at research firm NPD Group, Inc., says that the bundled products “solve some of the customer satisfaction issue.”

“People aren’t necessarily buying [antennas] on their own when they cut the cord, but are getting them through their subscriptions or their devices that are enabling them to make the cut,” he said.

Although most antennas sell for about $30–$80, versions for multidirectional (180-degree range) and long-range directional (up to 100 miles) reception cost up to $160. NPD, which estimates about 34 million antennas have been sold since 2014, has found that the average retail price of about $26 “has been very stable over that time,” Baker said. He doesn’t expect many repeat or add-on sales since antennas are “not a product that gets a lot of upgrade or replacement purchases [unless something happens to the old one] due to a change in technology.”

“About 90 percent of the antennas are classified as indoor,” said Baker, whose firm also tracks hardware sales and usage. “Obviously most antennas today are pretty small and digital. They are not like those rooftop things from the ’60s but are more like ‘modern rabbit ears.” He also points out that cord-cutters who discover antennas may have to be trained about how to use them, especially since many customers have little understanding of OTA broadcasts.

“They need some help in being reminded what an antenna is for,” Baker said.

AVAILABLE OPTIONS

Joe Bingochea, president of Channel Master, one of the largest U.S. antenna makers, agrees that while not all cord-cutters will use OTA, “our experience shows that a percentage of them will use OTA to supplement whatever streaming services they choose.”

Bingochea adds that antenna reception can be tricky. “When the consumer cuts the cord, who do they look to when there is a problem?” he asks rhetorically, explaining that his company’s components, including cables and connectors, enable users to put together entire systems. Channel Master’s product line includes the “Stream+” (for OTA and DVR) and the “Smartenna+,” a smart indoor antenna with active steering technology.

Bingochea says that Channel Master sales are diversified among a variety of retail, installer and online avenues. Antennas are sold at Best Buy, Home Depot, Fry’s Electronics as well as small dealers and etailers including Amazon and the company’s own website.

Richard Schneider, president of Antennas Direct, expects the market for antennas “will accelerate as cord-cutting becomes more mainstream.” The company’s new ClearStream antennas relay signals over a home’s Wi-Fi network, allowing customers to place the antenna in a convenient location then send signals to TV sets around the home.

The company started as an e-commerce venture from suburban St. Louis, but has migrated to other sales outlets and now only about 10 percent of its sales come from the Web, Schneider said. Its products are available in 8,000 stores, include Walmart, Best Buy, Lowes, Fry’s and regional chains plus Amazon.

Schneider’s customer research has found that new customers are “more female and less tech oriented.” Antennas Direct’s early users were people trying to connect a “$50,000 home theater” whereas today’s budget-conscious customers “is usually buying an antenna to complement a Netflix subscription,” Schneider told TV Technology.

FIRST TIMERS

One gauge of consumer interest in antennas is the growing usage of AntennaWeb.org, which lets consumers figure out what kind of antenna they’ll need to pick up local broadcast signals based on their address.

More than 2.6 million users checked into the site during 2017, and at least 85 percent of them were first-time users, according to Mick Rinehart, president of TitanTV Inc., which operates the free online service. AntennaWeb was created by the Consumer Technology Association at the dawn of the digital TV era a decade ago. NAB teamed up with CTA, and both are now co-sponsors for TitanTV’s antenna checking service. Users see a color-coded “selector map” which matches the labels on antennas, indicating the type of device needed for a specific location.

“From the number of new visitors, it is apparent that interest in cord cutting continues to grow,” says Rinehart.

He acknowledges that AntennaWeb originally focused on signal strength calculations and antenna recommendations for outdoor reception; but now there is high interest in indoor antennas. The reception information, based on signal data from CTA and other sources, incorporates topographic and environmental factors that can affect television reception at a viewer’s location.

“There are many variables within their home that will also impact reception via an indoor antenna,” Rinehart adds, pointing to a resources section of the site that offers advice on how to choose, connect and place an indoor antenna for optimum reception.

BROADCAST PARTNERSHIPS

Antennas Direct saw the increased demand for over-the-air antennas even before the current cord-cutting trend began to take hold.

Phones at the company’s St. Louis headquarters “started ringing off the hook” a few years ago, with all the calls coming from Sacramento, Calif., recalled company President Richard Schneider.

“Unbeknownst to us, the Gannett station [now Tegna Media’s KXTV-10] was endorsing one of our models on a live newscast,” he said. “Then the following week, WLUK in Green Bay [Sinclair Broadcasting] asked if we could come up in 48 hours to hand out antennas and appear on the news during a retransmission dispute,” Schneider continues.

“And I thought, ‘hey’—there are 1,800 full-power broadcasters, so we should do this 1,798 more times.”

As a result, the company set up a “Broadcaster Partners Program,” which involves antenna giveaways in exchange for on-air time in which Antennas Direct “extols the virtues of free over-the-air TV,” Schneider said.

“So far we have given away more than 14,000 antennas in 52 markets.”

Schneider said he wants to “partner with more broadcasters to get the news out about how... using an antenna with a streaming service can save the average household about $1,800 per year.”

Other antenna marketers have collaborated with TV broadcasters as well. Channel Master has “several relationships” and has launched joint promotions with stations “to promote OTA awareness,” according to Bingochea.

IMPACT OF REPACK, NEXT GEN TV

CTA’s Arnold expects antenna prices may go up slightly because 3.0 will deliver new features that may require better antennas, but any increases may be offset by volume deals as more customers buy antennas.

Bingochea of Channel Master contends that the 3.0 business model “is not far enough along to gauge the potential impact” although he believes that the addition of 4K and HDR will attract new consumers.

AntennaWeb’s Rinehart expects the upcoming channel repack program, which affects broadcasters and their channel assignments, will give new impetus to the antenna selection process. But he acknowledges that some customers may be surprised by what they find.

“If a local station that you would expect to see is not listed in AntennaWeb, its predicted signal strength may be calculated to be just a fraction of a dBu below the threshold for that channel,” he explains. “Nevertheless, because it is below the minimum dBμ cutoff value, it is not displayed.”

Rinehart also pointed to a growing consumer complaint about finding shows—especially in a milieu of blended OTA and OTT content.

“The emergence of Diginets [DTV auxiliary channels] has expanded the genre and variety of content free for viewing,” he said, but cited the challenge for consumers who want an electronic program guide when moving between paid and free video. His company’s free consumer TV Listings site includes channel lineups for all platforms (OTA, OTT, cable, satellite) and can be blended into a single custom guide from disparate sources.

NAB agrees that antennas are a permanent part of the expanding media landscape.

“More than 72 million Americans rely on over-the-air television received through an antenna,” said Dennis Wharton, executive vice president of communications for the association. “Traditional OTA viewers as well as cord-cutters and cord-nevers are discovering an abundance of today’s most popular HD broadcast programming available for free using an antenna, which now come in sleek easy-to-install designs.”

Nielsen’s first quarter 2018 Total Audience Report noted that “broadcast-only” homes were up by 6 percent (to 16.53 million households) compared to previous quarter. During the past year, the share of homes getting OTT and other subscription video-on-demand services also climbed and now reaches 64 percent of U.S. homes.

Bingochea of Channel Master sees the current OTA/OTT era as the continuation of the evolving video delivery industry. He says that he has “experienced the changes in the antenna business over the years when things like cable, C-band satellite and Direct Broadcasting Satellites were introduced.”

“Now we are just in a new phase.”

HAUPPAUGE, NY—TV receiver developer Hauppauge is responding to the current trend of cord-cutting by launching a “Remote Scheduling TV” feature to its Cordcutter TV solution that allows consumers to schedule recordings of live HDTV shows—delivered over the air for free—to view on their smartphones, tablets or digital media players.

While the Cordcutter TV has allowed the ability to record directly onto mobile devices, the new feature also adds the ability to make scheduled recordings directly on the Cordcutter TV unit. The compression technology in Cordcutter TV reduces the network bandwidth needed to stream live TV, while maximizing the battery life of phones and tablets.

Consisting of a small box that connects to a TV antenna, Cordcutter TV includes two HDTV TV receivers that can send two TV shows simultaneously via the home Wi-Fi network to iPhones, iPads, Android phones and tablets plus digital media players like the Amazon FireTV, AppleTV and the Roku media player.

With this new update, users can plug a USB thumb drive into the back of the Cordcutter TV device, and use the companion myTV app to schedule recordings, with each live TV hour consuming about 2 Gbytes of storage space.

The Remote Scheduling TV feature is a free upgrade to all Cordcutter TV users. The solution requires updated firmware that’s installed on the Cordcutter TV device, and the myTV app for Android, iOS and AppleTV devices. 

JOHNSTON, IOWA—One of the mysteries that has perplexed me for a number of years is how traditional broadcasting became so uncool at the same time that wireless connectivity for watching content became cool. Our industry has been wireless since it began more than 100 years ago! What’s up with that? I could also make the case that the earliest wireless communications were done with Morse Code, a sequence of dots and dashes that equate to 1’s and 0’s and are therefore digital, albeit painfully slow digital.

But be that as it may, thanks to the cord-cutting and cord-shaving and cord-nevering that is going on, we may actually be seeing the beginnings of a bit of a renaissance of over the air broadcasting. Assuming this is actually happening, this may be just the groundswell our industry needs to begin embracing ATSC 3.0 and the capabilities it adds to the services that local broadcasters can offer. Like in surfing, if we start paddling as the swell is approaching we can ride the crest of the wave to completion.

BACK TO THE DARK DAYS

However, to help insure that this renaissance actually happens, I want to take us back into the dark days of the past and the birth of the Satellite Home Viewer Act, TV broadcast white spaces and the processing of waivers to allow for the importation of distant signals. For the most part these issues have gone away as satellite antennae became smaller and local-into-local became the norm. I would, however, remind you that one of the most common reasons given for why a viewer within the coverage of local television deserved a waiver: My homeowners association or condo association or local association doesn’t permit the installation of an outdoor television antenna.

[FCC Overrules Condo TV Antenna Rules]

In those dark times, the consumer was looking for a reason not to put up an antenna to receive a service that was theoretically available via their subscription to satellite. For most, they were looking for something to replace their cable service, which was too expensive or not available because they were too far from a high density population area to run the cable system past their house. Remember at this time, we were still using dial-up phone lines to access the internet and 24.4 kpbs was a relatively common connection.

Now we are seeing this rediscovery of over-the-air reception and thanks to the digital conversion, where there once were fewer than 10 program streams available over the air in all but the largest markets, there are now 30 or 40 depending on what stations are doing with their ATSC 1.0 services available at no cost. Couple that with the OTT and on-demand services available via broadband and suddenly both packaged cable service and satellite service seem unreasonably expensive and restrictive. This new generation of consumers will begin looking for ways to put up antennas. Guess what? Those homeowner, condo and local associations mentioned above probably still have those same restrictions against television antennae. Does the renaissance end here?

SEEKING ANTENNA WAIVERS

I spent a good portion of the 1990’s reviewing waiver requests and became intimately familiar with 47 CFR 1.4000, the Over-the-Air Reception Device Rule or “OTARD.” The rule has been in place since 1996 and while it has been through several amendments, it is still in place. The rule prohibits most of the restrictions that local associations place on members in regards to the installation of not only traditional television antennas but also direct-to-home satellite and MMDS antennas. It encompasses rental property as well as homeowner-owned properties.

The key with rental properties is that the renter must have an “exclusive use area” such as a patio or balcony where the antenna can be installed. While the rule isn’t perfect for every instance, I spent my last five years in commercial broadcasting working for the CBS affiliates in New Mexico where we had a network of a few full power stations and a plethora of translators throughout the state and the vast majority of time I was able to secure an agreement from the association that the viewer had the right to install the antenna. I would point out that this included military bases that had strict rules regarding antennas of any sort on base.

Now again, this work was done during the “dark days” where people were looking to get waivers to not watch the local stations, so they were not always happy when the waiver denial included a letter from their association stating that they could put up an antenna as further evidence of why their waiver was denied. However if the audience wants to put up an antenna to receive the free local stations so that they can cut, shave or forego the cord, they will be happy to have additional information that they can take to their association. And let’s also recognize that there are now options for over-the-air television antennas that are a lot less unappealing then the old multiband Yagi’s of the 1950’s and 60’s. Couple the new design with the increased robustness of the ATSC 3.0 service and suddenly broadcasting is cool again.

The FCC also maintains a webpage on the Over-the-Air Reception Devices Rule with an FAQ that provides some talking points. I would encourage anyone working in television broadcasting to consider using this information to put together an educational presentation to do to local community groups to promote the renaissance of over-the-air television and whet the appetites of the local audience for what is freely available to them now and the incredible potential of what is to come as ATSC 3.0 comes into its own.

Bill Hayes is the director of engineering for Iowa Public Television.

A resident of Washington D.C. picks up his free TV antenna.

WASHINGTON– TVFreedom.org and Antennas Direct will give away over 300 indoor digital broadcast TV antennas in San Francisco's Chinatown on Friday, July 3, 2015 at 9:00 A.M. PT. The giveaway will be held in conjunction with this week's 2015 OCA National Convention. This is the latest stop in the TVfreedom.org/Antennas Direct joint TV Liberation Tour that was launched last year and will include several new, yet-to-be-announced, tour stops in 2015. 

The event will feature a tour bus with big picture screen HD TV's, information on the local broadcast TV channels available to San Franciscans and other promotional giveaway items such as t-shirts and discount coupons to purchase additional antennas online. 

Antennas Direct will be giving away its ClearStream Eclipse TV antennas which will allow viewers to watch dozens of local broadcast TV channels in the San Francisco Bay area for free. 

TVFreedom.org and Antennas Direct have hosted similar giveaways in the past year, including one in Washington D.C. last November in which they gave away more than a thousand antennas. .