A couple of comments on the article:
"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."
And:
"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."
Which puts a lie to the mantra about how "fragile" ATSC 1.0 is. FWIW, the
antennas I have are classified as outdoor antennas, but can easily be used
indoors, as I use them. They are small enough. ATSC 1.0, in some ways, is
easier to receive than analog TV was. I could not get away with using indoor
antennas downstairs with analog TV, simply because the ghost was a problem.
Some channels were okay, others were awful. With ATSC 1.0, some of the worst
offending stations in analog, with the worst ghost, became some of the
strongest-signal in digital. Evidently, any ghost signal from that transmitting
tower location is being used constructively. It all boils down to, it's easier
to receive ATSC 1.0 than NTSC, because you can get by with indoor antennas more
easily. At least, with digital receivers beyond the 3rd gen variety.
"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"
Right. Which means, they have that broadband connection too. The majority of
the cord cutters also have Internet broadband available at their TV sets. My
bet is that actual OTA-only households are few, these days.
"'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."
This old canard again. What new services will be available and useful, my
contention is, will have nothing to do with the OTA broadcast channel. They
will be using the Internet connection to that TV set. Without any such Internet
connection, the "new services" will be too limited to be of much value (for
instance, a few pre-loaded ads - big deal). The only real question in my mind
is, do OTA broadcasters have some reason to PRETEND that the ATSC 3.0 OTA 6 MHz
broadcast is required, for new services?? It seems there's a ton of pretense
and obfuscation going on about this, which cannot be only the result of
technical illiteracy?
Any number of interactive, on demand, targeted ad services from broadcasters
(actually from the TV networks) are already happening, and more could be
happening easily enough. Without ATSC 3.0. Is there some reason to continue
pretending that ATSC 3.0 broadcast is essential to any of this?
Let's get real. The vast majority of these new cord cutters are totally
clueless about this incompatible ATSC 3.0 being shoved down their throats. It's
being rather overly optimistic to assume they'll buy up even more antennas,
because of supposed "new services," which come over the Internet anyway. More
likely, they'll be confused and pissed!
Bert
----------------------------------------
https://www.tvtechnology.com/news/rabbit-ears-no-more
Rabbit Ears No More
Cordcutting jumpstarts market for over-the-air antennas
Gary Arlen· Sep 4, 2018
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."
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