The use of OTA antennas is increasing

Horowitz Research conducted an online survey of 1,541 people over the age of 18 who watch TV contents, 890 of which said they were users of digital antennas for open TV who do not pay for pay-TV service.

Adriana Waterston, SVP Insights and Strategy at Horowitz Research, explained that this study, presented in October, revealed that there is an increasing trend in the market of users of antennas for open TV and that air TV is the new story of growth on TV. Waterson presented these findings in the webinar “Move Aside OTT. Let´s Talk OTA”.

The main finding of the survey indicate that antennas fulfill different purposes in the new media ecosystem, that antenna users today are very different from those in the past, that there is still a great deal of misinformation regarding what antennas can deliver, but that consumers are learning; that local content is the most important thing for TV viewers, whether or not they use antennas to receive open TV.

As for the universe of antenna users, the survey also showed that three out of every 10 TV viewers report having an antenna; 87 of the users of antennas expressed using some kind of streaming content every week and 73% say they use at least one of the three great SVOD services (Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video). Waterston clarifies that this survey was done before the launch of the Disney+ and Apple TV+ OTT.

Some of the reasons for the use of antennas are saving in the cost of the subscription to pay-TV or to serve as a complement of the service.

Waterston explained that the studio revealed that streaming is not the only disruption in today´s media scenario.