According to a fresh report from Parks Associates, one in five U.S. households with internet access in the home possess a television antenna. At the same time, 12% of these households do not have a TV antenna but plan to purchase one within the next six months.

Coming in January: RBR+TVBR’s Winter 2024 magazine features a one-on-one conversation with Pearl TV’s Anne Schelle on the latest NEXTGEN TV developments, how growth is really transpiring, and why time and patience are the practical choices when gauging the rollout and reception of the ATSC 3.0-powered broadcast television standard. It’s a Radio + Television Business Report Member exclusive. Become a Member now!

The findings come from “ATSC 3.0: Impact and Opportunity for Video Services,” and sends a positive message to broadcast TV at a time when NEXTGEN TV is perhaps entering a make-or-break year.

According to Parks Associates research, TV antenna owners report watching about 6.4 hours of over-the-air (OTA) programming per week, second only to subscription-based video-on-demand streaming (7.6 hours per week).

Among nearly 30% of antenna owners, “OTA” is the preferred method of watching live news, while approximately 20% prefer OTA to watch live sports and TV shows and movies.

The ATSC 3.0 standard could improve the experiences for these viewers, and attract new OTA viewers, by enabling higher quality video, enhanced audio, and interactive capabilities, Parks concludes.

“The percentage of antenna owners has remained steady over the last few years, creating a stable audience for broadcasters at a time when they are losing revenues from lost retransmission fees as consumers abandon pay TV for streaming services,” said Alan Bullock, a senior contributing analyst at Parks Associates. “ATSC 3.0 has the potential to pump new life into broadcast TV.”

NEXTGEN TV opens the door to more revenue-generating advertising opportunities, Parks adds, and can enable the delivery of new interactive ads with more precise targeting; Pearl TV, the marketing arm of NEXTGEN TV, has made these points as have key broadcast TV C-suite leaders in recent months.