Seven percent of American TV homes “rely solely...

Seven percent of American TV homes “rely solely on an antenna for their television programming,” said a study released Tuesday by CEA (http://bit.ly/14gwz2j). “This study provides yet another reason why it is time for broadcast spectrum to be reallocated, and quickly,” said President Gary Shapiro in a release. The study, U.S. Household Television Usage Update, is a follow-up to a 2010 CEA report that showed 8 percent of TV households relying solely on an antenna. Consumers “have moved away in droves from traditional broadcast television thanks to a surge in programming alternatives” available over broadband, said Shapiro. “According to historical CEA research, there has been a gradual decline in the percentage of TV households using antennas since 2005,” said the study. CEA’s findings “strain the bounds of credibility,” said NAB in an emailed response. An NAB spokesman attacked the study for not being conducted independently, and for its small sample size: There were 1,009 adults interviewed over the phone, CEA said. CEA analyst Kevin Tillmann, who worked on the study, called NAB’s comments “wildly inaccurate” in an email. The telephone survey was conducted by Opinion Research Corp., not CEA staff, he said. NAB pointed to a larger study released last month by market researcher GfK which showed an increase in broadcast-only homes in 2013 to 19.3 percent of TV households (CD June 21 p20). “We're confident that GfK’s research is far more credible than that of a trade association with a track record of anti-broadcasting bias,” said the NAB spokesman. CEA’s report also points out that a 2012 Nielsen study showed 9 percent of households as broadcast only, similar to CEA’s figure. There was a 5 percentage point decrease from 2010 to 83 percent in people who get TV from cable, satellite or fiber. “The use of non-TV consumer electronics devices (such as laptops, desktops, tablets and smartphones) in the home to consume content is likely affecting pay-TV subscriptions,” said CEA. The association also pinned that decline on “increasingly accessible Internet sourced television programming.” It found that 28 percent of U.S. TV households receive programming on their TVs through the Internet, and 4 percent of TV households report using the Internet exclusively as their source of television programming for their TVs. The FCC also found increased penetration of Internet connected TVs in its recent Video Competition Report (CD July 23 p7). “This is why Congress had it right when they authorized the FCC to hold voluntary broadcast spectrum incentive auctions to reallocate broadcast television spectrum to greater uses, like wireless broadband,” said Shapiro, referring to CEA’s findings.