U.S. Consumers Tuning Out Over-the-Air TV

ARLINGTON: Making a case for the auctioning off of under-utilized broadcast spectrum, the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) reports that just 8 percent of U.S. homes rely on over-the-air signals for TV programming.

Over-the-air TV viewing has been steadily declining since 2005, according to CEA’s research. “Over-the-air TV was once the defining distribution platform,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of CEA. “But using huge swaths of wireless spectrum to deliver TV to homes no longer makes economic sense. Congress should pass legislation to allow for incentive auctions so free market dynamics can find the best purposes for underused broadcast spectrum, such as wireless broadband.”

The survey also found that the thread of cord-cutting is minimal; 76 percent of respondents said they were unlikely or very unlikely to cancel pay-TV service. Meanwhile, 10 percent of households said they were likely or very likely to cancel pay-TV service.

“Contrary to the National Association of Broadcasters’ assertions, antenna sales are falling and cord-cutters are not shifting to over-the-air television but rather to the Internet," Shapiro said. "The only cord being cut these days is the one to the antenna. It’s time we accept this shift away from over-the-air TV as an irrevocable fact of the TV market. The numbers tell the story.”