Scripps Networks is looking to convince media buyers to put more money into something that’s free to watch.

In an upfront where advertisers are concerned about not being able to reach cord-cutters, E.W. Scripps wants media buyers to know that it dominates the free, over-the-air digital networks space and will be adding original programming to its networks.

Scripps is looking to help free over-the-air viewing grow even faster with a $20 million campaign aimed at teaching consumers about the advantages of using an antenna. 

“We believe so much in the importance of the OTA space that we're making a commitment of our own to educate, promote, and encourage the further adoption of over-the-air television through a company-wide initiative called the Free TV Project,” Scripps Networks chief revenue officer Michael Teicher said.

Also: Scripps‘ Court TV Mystery Rebranded as Ion Mystery

Already, one in three homes has an antenna, Teicher notes, with 8.5 million digital antennas sold last year. At this point, “the number of people adding digital antennas is now actually surpassing the number of people that are cutting the cord on an annual basis,” he said.

Homes with an antenna are growing at 10% a year, which means there will be 50 million antenna homes by 2025. 

“That’s a dramatic increase of about 25 million homes that cable will not be able to reach and it’s yielding terrific results for us,” said Teicher, who said the Scripps networks capture 25% of over-the-air viewing. 

“When you combine antenna growth With smart programming acquisitions and some unique and strategic scheduling, we are the only pure entertainment portfolio as a cluster whose ratings have grown over the past year,” he said.

A big chunk of Scripps Networks viewers — 47% — also subscribe to one or more commercial-free subscription video-on-demand service. “We sit in a unique place to reach viewers who don’t have cable and watch SVOD services with now advertising,” Teicher said.

Other broadcasters are also pushing their over-the-air networks, but Teicher doesn’t want Scripps to be battling for a share of an emerging OTA market. “We are here to prove the efficacy of our media versus cable and network television,” he said. “Whatever our competitors do to raise the profile of OTA is fine by me. We have 25%. That tells us we’ll be doing the heavy lifting. They’ll be the beneficiaries and that’s fine.”

Scripps is also working to make its over-the-air networks, which include Ion, Bounce, Court TV and Newsy, available via over-the-top streaming. Last month, Scripps’ Ion network was launched on the Samsung TV Plus smart TV platform. Bounce is also available on CTV platforms.

“You cam buy linear Bounce and bounce on CTV to expand your reach and have that unique scale," said Teicher. "Buying Bounce on CTV also provides the ability to target viewers more precisely," he added 

With a portfolio of nine networks, Scripps offers a diverse audience and a diverse collection of programming genres. “We’re going to take some good-size swing in the original area,” Teicher said. 

One example is Finding Happy coming to Bounce as a female companion to the network’s popular show Johnson. Another is Tamron Hall’s new show on Court TV. Also, Ion has Leverage: Redemption, a co-production with Amazon. A set of holiday movies is also part of the slate.

The Scripps Networks also have tentpole programming, including the Trumpet Awards airing on Bounce on Juneteenth (June 19) and The National Spelling Bee which this year moves from ESPN to Bounce, Ion, Laff and TrueReal.

Also: LeVar Burton Named Host of Scripps National Spelling Bee

Teicher also pointed to statistics that show that the acquired dramas that that Ion has do better number on Ion than on other networks. He also notes that viewing on Ion is nearly all live, increasing the chance that people will watch the commercials.

Scripps is working with research company TVision, which measures viewer attention. TVision has found that the Scripps Networks are among the best at capturing viewers attention. 

All of that adds up to more effective advertising, he said.

These days there are numerous ways to buy inventory, particularly when it comes to digitally delivered programming.

“You can buy inventory in our content on third-party platforms, however, there are a number of advantages in buying it directly from us,” Teicher said.

Direct ad buyers get more transparency about when and where commercials are spring, better frequency caps and additional data to help evaluate campaign effectiveness.

“Advertisers don’t necessarily get a better price buying direct. Nevertheless, we're seeing an increase in the number of advertisers who want to buy directly from us because of the data and the transparency,” he said. “You get more value and more brand safety, which obviously is a key to advertisers. You know exactly what you're getting with us.” ■

Rabbit ears are multiplying.

With cord-cutting continuing, the number of U.S. homes that get content over-the-air through an antenna has grown to 18.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2021, up from 18.4 million a year ago, according to a new report from Nielsen.

Those 19 million homes represent 15.3% of households, up from 14.3% in the fourth quarter of 2018, when there are 16.7 million over the air homes and just 10% in 2010.

While over-the-air homes have grown, the share of homes with cable, satellite or telco pay-TV services -- what Nielsen calls Cable Plus has shrunk to 57% in the fourth quarter from 76% in 2018. Broadband only homes increase to 27% from 9% over the same interval.

The increase in over-the-air homes and viewing is supporting the growth of diginets launched by broadcasters including E.W. Scripps, Sinclair, Tegna and Weigel.

Nielsen took a closer look at those households over-the-air households in its Local Watch Report titled "The Over-the-Air Evolution."

Nielsen divides OTA home into three segments, those with no streaming subscription VOD services (and maybe no broadband); those with SVOD, but without a virtual multichannel video programming distributor, such as Hulu Plus Live TV, YouTube TV or Sling TV; and those with SVOD and vMVPDs.

The largest group uses OTA and SVOD at 9.3% of the country, up from 7.2% in 2018. The OTA homes with vMVPDs rose to 1.9% from 1.2%, while the OTA only home fell to 4.1% from 5.9%.

People in homes that go over-the-air but don’t stream have an average age of 61, only 13% of them have children and their median income is $22,800.

Also: Nielsen Executive Shows Support For Expanding Age Demo to 25-64

People in homes that combine over-the-air viewing with at least one streaming service have an average age of 45, 40% of them have kids and the median income is $49,000. In the homes that have OTA and a vMVPD, the average age is 49, 35% have children and the median household income is $77,000.

Over-the-air homes spend 3 hours and 50 minutes a day watching TV, more than the 2:53 of viewing time in broadband only homes. Cable plus subscribers spend 5:07 with TV.

Among the three OTA groups, those that are OTA only watch the most at 4:58 a day. That compares to 4:11 for the homes that combine OTA with vMVPDs and 3:26 for OTA homes with one SVOD subscription.

In the report, 68% of OTA viewers say they speed less than $100 on TV services. Among all TV viewers 45% say they spend less than $100 on TV.

The majority of OTA viewers say they can access fewer than 20 channels, while most other TV viewers say they can watch more than 50 channels.

Nielsen said the top OTA markets are Albuquerque, Milwaukee, Kansas City, Phoenix and Oklahoma City.

“Austin is the 8th ranked metered market in OTA penetration, but is the No. 1 market for OTA homes with an SVOD and vMVPD service at almost 7%. Given Austin’s reputation as a young, growing city, and the recent transplant of Tesla, it makes sense that this OTA segment is so large,” the report notes.

News is important to OTA consumers. They also watch a lot of weekday daytime TV, according to Nielsen.

“OTA viewers are an important segment of the media landscape as there is less concern for advertisements than other TV consumers. ‘Ad-free’ and ‘skipping ads features’ were at the bottom of the list for all TV viewers when choosing a TV service, but within the OTA segment, only 1 in 3 found these attributes 'extremely’ or ‘very' important," the report said.

The bottom line: “Broadcasters still have a lot to gain from the OTA universe,” the report said. “These consumers are still interested in staying up to date with news, less concerned with skipping ads, and practice a budget-conscious lifestyle. Couple that with diversity, family status, increased HH income, and media savvy, and that makes OTA audiences a key cog in the media wheel of the future.” ■

Nuvvyo has introduced the Tablo Dual Lite, an over-the-air TV/DVR tailored for cord-cutters that takes a “bring your own storage” approach and represents a lower-cost variant of the Tablo Dual, a product with integrated storage that was introduced in May 2017.

Both products integrate two tuners, but the new Tablo Dual Lite sells for $139.99, undercutting the cost of the recently price-reduced Tablo Dual (currently at $219.99).

RELATED: Nuvyyo Cuts Price on Tablo Dual 

The Tablo Dual Lite, which includes dual-band 802.11ac WiFi and works with Tablo apps for iOS and Android smart phones, Roku players and Roku TVs, Amazon Fire TV and Android TV devices, Apple TV boxes, Xbox One consoles, smart TVs from Samsung (Tizen-based) and LG Electronics (WebOS 2.0+), and Chromecast streaming adapters.

The Tablo Dual Lite will be available in the U.S. starting April 1 at Best Buy stores and at BestBuy.com.

While the more expensive version of the Tablo Dual integrates 64 gigabytes of storage (with the option to add more via external USB storage), the Lite option works in tandem only with external USB storage (up to 8 terabytes).

“The Tablo DUAL 64GB quickly became one of our most popular OTA DVRs, but some TV fans still prefer the ‘bring your own storage’ approach of our original 2-Tuner model,” Grant Hall, CEO of Nuvyyo, said in a statement.

RELATED: Channel Master Targets Cord-Cutters With ‘Stream+’

Tablo owners must also purchase an OTA antenna, and have the option to subscribe to Nuvvyo’s TV guide data service for $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year, or $149.99 for a one-time lifetime subscription.

The Tablo product family is one of product options that are tailored for cord-cutters. TiVo, Channel Master and AirTV (a unit of Dish) have also developed products geared to support that market.

RELATED: AirTV Tests 'Local Channels DVR' Option for Android TV-Powered Player

In findings that highlight the growing cord-cutting trend, Parks Associates said that about 20% of U.S. broadband homes used digital, over-the-air antennas to access live TV near the end of 2017

That’s up from about 16% in early 2015, Parks Associates said, noting that the growth rate coincides with a steady decline of pay TV subscriptions against the backdrop of an increase in OTT video subscriptions.

RELATED: Top U.S. Pay TV Providers Lost 1.49M Subs in 2017: LRG

Findings from the study – 360 View: Access and Entertainment Services in U.S. Broadband Households – were based on survey of 10,000 heads-of broadband households in the U.S. in Q3 2017.

“Increasingly, consumers are cobbling together their own bundles of content sources. Digital antennas are experiencing a resurgence as consumers consider over-the-air TV and OTT video services as alternatives to pay TV,” Brett Sappington, senior director of research at Parks Associates, said in a release. “The percentage of ‘Never’ households (households that have never subscribed to pay-TV services) has held steady, and the percentage of households actually cutting the cord has increased between 2015 and 2017. Antennas are an affordable source for local channels to these households.”

In a study released earlier this week, TiVo found that about 44.8% of homes without pay TV service use an antenna to watch over-the-air TV, noting that the percentage has been hovering in the 44% to 45% range for the past six quarters. 

Parks Associates, meanwhile, said the onus is on pay TV providers to address the value perception gap in the market, noting that more than 50% of homes that have switched, shaved or cut the cord believe that the service is simply not worth the cost.

“Opportunities are available. Only 46% of pay-TV subscribers are aware that they can access video-on-demand content from their operator, including free programming. Many indicate that they want to purchase online video services through their pay-TV provider and to access the service through their channel guide,” Sappington added.

Among other findings, 17% of those surveyed who canceled pay TV would have stayed if the provider did not charge monthly fees for set-top boxes, and that the average fees for standalone broadband have increased nearly 25% since 2010.

Parks Associates also said that 20% of WiFi homes experience problems with coverage, opening the door for a growing array of premium whole-home WiFi products that cable operators and other ISPs have been adding to their arsenals.

RELATED: Whole-Home WiFi Heats Up

Nuvyyo said it is rolling out a slate of “advanced recording” features for its line of Tablo-branded DVRs that integrate free, over-the-air TV broadcasts.

The enhancements, delivered in a staged firmware update, include a set of features that allow for more precise DVR scheduling tools and management options, including:

-Adjust Start/Top Time: Allows users to start recordings up to 10 minutes early and end up to three hours after the scheduled time of a TV program.

-Keep X Recordings: Lets users retain all episodes or only a select number of airings.

-Recording Channel Selector: Users can tap this feature to select which channel to record from, if multiple channels happen to be airing a favorite program.

Those new features can be applied to single airings or to a series for Tablo users with an active subscription. The optional TV guide data subscription for Tablo devices sell for $4.99 per month, $49.99 annually, or for $149.99 for a lifetime subscription.

The update (firmware version 2.2.18) is being rolled out to the following models: Tablo 2-Tuner, Tablo 4-Tuner and the recently introduced Tablo Dual, and can be accessed via the advanced recording settings via the Tablo Channel on Roku devices, and Tablo apps for Amazon Fire TV boxes, Apple TV devices, the Android TV-powered Nvidia Shield TV, web browsers and mobile devices.

RELATED: Nuvyyo Cuts Price on Tablo Dual

Those features will also made available on additional Tablo-supported devices and Tablo platforms including the Tablo DVR Engine for the Nvidia Shield TV in the coming months, the company said.

Those Tablo boxes OTA signals and send them wirelessly to supported devices that are connected to the user’s home network.

“With these powerful advanced recording features, we believe Tablo now offers best mix of feature set, ease-of-use, and cross-device support of any antenna DVR solution,” Grant Hall, CEO of Nuvyyo, said in a statement.

Channel Master has formally introduced Stream+, a device powered by Android TV that aims to cater to cord-cutters by integrating support for both OTT apps and TV channels that can be captured for free, over-the-air.

Stream+, a successor to Channel Master’s DVR+ platform, is being offered for the introductory price of $99.

RELATED: Channel Master Nearing Debut of Stream+

And, like that predecessor, Stream+ will not require any subscription fees for its optional DVR capability or integrated program guide.

Stream+ includes two tuners, a USB 3.0 port (for future applications), integrated voice search, Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital+ audio support, and 802.11ac WiFi and Ethernet.

Channel Master posted a promotional video for Stream+ that provides a brief walk-through:

Channel Master will announce its full retail price in January, but it’s not expected to be significantly higher than the pre-order price, according to Joe Bingochea, Channel Master’s executive vice president of product development. According to CNET, the final price will be in the neighborhood of $150. 

With Stream+, a 4K/HDR-capable device developed in partnership with Technicolor, Channel Master intends to overcome some hurdles it had encountered with DVR+, as the new platform will support a much richer set of applications and carry a lower price.

DVR+ (Channel Master has sold out inventory for DVR+) had started at $249 for a 16 GB model, and had limited access to OTT apps such as Pandora, Vudu and YouTube. Notably, Sling TV pulled app support for DVR+ just last week.

By comparison, Stream+ will have rights to all apps available via the Google Play store. The exception early on will be Netflix and Amazon Video, which require separate approval from those companies.

“We’re pushing hard to get those done,” Bingochea.

Channel Master’s new offering will also include the Google Live Channels app for integration into the guide of channels that are captured over-the-air, and will support Chromecast built-in functionality and Google Home.

Stream+ users will also be able to add DVR capabilities by installing a MicroSD storage card that works with the Live Channels app (Channel Master worked with EchoStar on that piece for DVR+).  

The device itself will be “headed,” as it connects to the user’s TV via an HDMI cable. Among examples of similar products that target cord-cutters, TiVo’s pricier Roamio OTA is also headed, but the new Tablo Dual is not, as it works in tandem with separate TV-connected devices such as Roku players, Apple TV and Fire TV boxes, Xbox and Nvidia Shield consoles, or with certain smart TVs (including those from LG running WebOS 2.0 or 3.0).

Among other competitors in this arena, Dish Network last week soft-launched a new cord-cutting device under the AirTV brand that doesn’t support a DVR (yet), but does let users access and stream OTA channels in and out of the home he chute. AirTV, another headless device, has developed apps for iOS, tvOS, Android (mobile and TV), Roku players and Amazon Fire TV streamers.

RELATED: Nuvyyo Cuts Price on Tablo Dual

Channel Master is initially offering Stream+ for pre-orders on via its online store and expects to product to be in stock by mid-January. It will also sell product through retail partners.

In its latest stab at cord-cutters,  Dish Network has soft-launched a new device under the AirTV brand that lets users access and stream over-the-air TV channels in and out of the home.

The new AirTV product, a follow-on to the launch of the AirTV Player and AirTV Adapter early this year, is being offered online for $119.99, plus $8.99 for shipping, according to a live web page about the product. Dish is offering a 30-day money back guarantee and one-year warranty on parts for AirTV. The device is also integrated with Sling TV, Dish’s OTT TV service.  

RELATED: AirTV Firmware Update Stitches Over-the-Air Channels to Guide

A Dish official said the new OTA solution is currently available in limited release and soft-launched it to evaluate consumer interest. The company said it expects to share more detail in early 2018 following the soft-launch, making a formal announcement during next month’s CES 2018 likely.

In a different twist, the new AirTV apparently bakes in Sling Media’s place-shifting technology, as the new device, as ZatzNotFunny’s Dave Zatz points out, appears to be a repurposing of the original Slingbox M1 hardware.

That’s key because the new AirTV will allow users to access and stream local OTAs in and outside the home. Notably, viewing OTA signals outside the home is limited to one stream at a time, the AirTV web site points out.

Additionally, users need only one OTA antenna to stream local channels wirelessly to all TVs and devices that are on the home’s WiFi network.

Out of the chute, AirTV works with Sling TV, and has developed apps for iOS, tvOS, Android (mobile and TV), Roku devices, and Amazon Fire TV devices.

AirTV users will still need to obtain a separate OTA antenna and coaxial cable.

Per the specs, the device is outfitted with 802.11a 2x2 dual-band WiFi, 512 megabytes of memory, and two OTA tuners.

Philips has launched its first Roku-powered TV, a 40-inch model that sells for $349.

That model is being sold today at Sam’s Club locations and will be available soon at Samsclub.com

P&F USA, the North American license partner (and part of Funai Electric) for Philips TVs and other home video products, plans to introduce a 43-inch Roku TV model for $379 (timing is to be announced), and a 50-inch version for $429 that will go on sale in January. All three models will come with Roku OS 8, which includes a guide that blends OTA programming with OTT content, Full HD resolution, and 802.11ac WiFi.

RELATED: Funai Preps Launch of Philips-Branded Roku TV Models

Philips joins an expanding list of television makers that have built Roku TV models, including RCA, TCL, Element Electronics, Hitachi America, Sharp, Insignia (Best Buy’s in-house brand), and Hisense.

TV-maker licenses are a component of Roku’s Platform’s business. That unit, Roku’s fastest-growing, also includes advertising and subscription revenue sharing.

Gearing up for the holiday buying season, RCA has launched its first lineup of Roku-powered smart TVs that also support 4K resolution.

The top of the line is a 65-inch model with an MSRP of $1,099, and is followed by a 55-inch model for $699.99, and a 50-inch version that costs $599.99.

RCA said the new 4K Roku TV models are being sold at Walmart stores and via the retailing giant’s online sales channel.

RCA, which announced its Roku TV partnership in January, introduced several HD Roku TV models over the summer.

RELATED: Roku, RCA Strike Smart TV Deal

RCA said its new 4K Roku TV models will get the get the latest software version, Roku OS 8, by year-end. That version includes a new Smart Guide that weaves together OTT content with TV signals that are captured over-the-air, as well as a single sign-on capability for a range of authenticated TV Everywhere apps from programmers.

RELATED: Roku Freshens Up Streaming Device Lineup, Bows New OS

Roku, which launched its IPO in late September, also works with several other TV makers, including TCL, Element Electronics, Hitachi America, Haier America, Sharp, Insignia (Best Buy’s in-house brand), and Hisense. Though Haier is pivoting to a platform powered by Google’s “Chromecast built-in” platform, Roku has pledged to continue supporting and providing software updates to Haier smart TVs that use Roku’s OS.

Plex said it has launched its Live TV feature on Roku devices. The addition lets Plex users watch live TV (via an integration with broadcast TV antennas and tuners) and use trick-play features like pause, rewind and fast-forward.

RELATED: Plex Brings Live TV to Apple TV

Out of the chute, Plex users on Roku are not yet able to schedule recordings through the Plex DVR, but can watch recordings from Plex’s other platforms, such as web browsers, Amazon Fire TV devices, Apple TV boxes, and IoS and Android smartphones and tablets.

Plex said the beta release for Roku is out today, with a release for all Plex Pass subscribers expected in about a week.

Plex’s offering is largely targeted to cord-cutters, and competes in that arena with companies and products such as Nuvvyo (the Tablo and the just-launched Tablo Dual), Dish Network (AirTV Player), TiVo (Roamio OTA), and ChannelMaster (DVR+), among others.

MVPDs such as Comcast are also starting to introduce skinny-bundle packages for broadband subscribers that center on the local major broadcast TV stations, plus the ability to buy add-on programming packages.

RELATED: Comcast Rolls Out ‘Xfinity Instant TV’ Beta

Plex is adding more platforms to the mix about two months after the company introduced a free live TV component that’s available to consumers who subscribe to its Plex Pass service.

RELATED: Plex Flexes Live TV Muscles

Plex said Live TV is now supported on Apple TV (requires version 1.4) and is adding Live TV and DVR support to Android mobile devices, joining iOS, and Android TV. Its own Plex web app is currently DVR-only. Plex also said its new platform has exited the beta phase and also enables trick-play functions (pause/play, rewind, and fast forward).

Plex’s new Live TV element links the Plex app to a video source such as a digital OTA TV antenna or a digital tuner.

The company said it’s also working on app updates for other platforms, including Roku, Amazon’s Fire TV and a range of smart TVs.

Plex’s offering is largely targeted to cord-cutters, and competes in that arena with companies and products such as Nuvvyo (the Tablo and the just-launched Tablo Dual), Dish Network (AirTV Player), TiVo (Roamio OTA), and ChannelMaster (DVR+), among others.

Offering another technology option for a small but growing group of cord-cutters, Plex has added a free Live TV component that’s available to all customers who subscribe to its Plex Pass service.

That live TV component, accessible by tying the Plex app to a video source such as a digital over-the-air TV antenna or a digital tuner, is now capable of integrating local HD broadcast channels that can be played back on iOS devices and Android TV devices, starting with the Nvidia Shield. Plex plans to add Android mobile devices and Apple TV boxes soon, followed by other streaming platforms. Outside the new live TV scope,

At launch, Plex’s live TV service, which includes an integrated programming guide, is compatible with several antenna and digital tuners, including the WinTV-dualHD, WinTV-HVR-955Q, Digital TV for the Xbox One and all SiliconDust HDHR models for North America, as well as several for Europe, Australia, Africa and Asia, including the TVButler 100TC, SiliconDust HDHR, and Freeview HD TV for Xbox One, among others.

Plex also views its new feature as a solid successor to Microsoft’s discontinued Windows Media Center product and as a complement to SVOD services like Netflix and Amazon Prime. Notably, Plex’s system also supports digital tuners with CableCARDs, such as HDHomeRun Prime from SiliconDust, for customers who do get a pay TV service from a cable operator.

According to Keith Valory, Plex’s CEO, the addition of a live TV component has been the most asked for feature among subscribers, a service that costs $4.99 a month, $39.99 a year, or $119.99 for a lifetime pass, and includes access to a DVR service with remote access of recordings that is currently being offered in beta, as well as offline playback. Plex users can set recordings from the TV as well as its app.

About 55% of Plex users are based outside the U.S., hence the reason to have broad tuner support, Valory said.

Plex, a privately held company that enables users to organize and stream content on multiple devices, won’t reveal its subscriber numbers, but the company has more than 13 million registered users.

Plex is also expanding into its own content following the recent acquisition of Watchup, an ad-based streaming news service that aggregates content from a wide range of sources.

RELATED: Plex Makes a Content Play

With the addition of live TV, Plex puts itself into a category that is being targeted by other suppliers of devices that bring local TV to an array of screen types, including Nuvvyo (Tablo and the just-launched Tablo Dual), Dish Network (AirTV Player), TiVo (Roamio OTA), and ChannelMaster (DVR+), among others.

Looking to bring more simplicity to a DVR that captures over-the-air TV signals and is targeted at cord-cutters, Nuvyyo has added integrated video storage with the launch of a new product called the Tablo Dual.

About 20% smaller than its predecessor, the Tablo Dual integrates two tuners and bakes in 64 gigabytes of onboard DVR storage, about enough to hold about 50 hours of HD programming.

The earlier-generation Tablo doesn’t have onboard storage, but does let users add storage by attaching a USB-connected storage device. Tablo Dual users also have the option to add storage (up to eight terabytes) using a separate storage.

Grant Hall, CEO of Nuvyyo, said onboard storage with the Tablo Dual will reduce friction and reduce the total cost of ownership for consumers.

The Tablo Dual, available in the U.S. on June 4, carries an MSRP of $249.99. It’ll be available at select Best Buy stores and Best Buy’s web site. Nuvyyo is also selling it direct via its site to consumers in Canada for C$329.99. 

The previous-generation two-tuner Tablo DVR sells for $219.99, and a four-tuner version fetches almost $300. Hall said most Tablo users implement attached storage.

The Tablo Dual also includes a 30-day free trial to an optional TV guide data subscription that regularly sells for $4.99 per month, $49.99 annually, or for $149.99 for a lifetime subscription.

Hall said there’s a “very high take rate” on the optional subscription, noting that the price also includes remote access features and 14 days of guide data.

Hall said a two-tuner version helped to get the Tablo Dual to an “accessible price point,” and allowed that a four-tuner version would be the next logical step, though the company has yet to announce what’s coming after the Tablo Dual.

Most Tablo users are cord-cutters that connect the device to a TV antenna to receive the local over-the-air broadcast channels. The device captures those signals and sends them wirelessly to other devices on the home network. Tablo today supports Roku player, Xbox and Nvidia Shield consoles, Apple TV boxes, Chromecast streaming adapters, Amazon Fire TV devices, web browsers, smart TVs from LG (WebOS 2.0 and 3.0), and iOS and Android smartphones and tablets.

“We’re really just another app,” Hall said.

RELATED: Tablo Launches Apple TV App

That approach differs than some other vendors that also have built OTA-OTT combination products tailored for cord-cutters, such as the TiVo with the Roamio OTA, Dish Network’s AirTV Player and Adapter, and Channel Master’s subscription-free DVR+. TiVo has been working on the “Mavrik,” an OTA device that will work with a cloud DVR, but ZatzNotFunny reported this week that TiVo has scrapped plans to launch it and weighing the future of its larger retail product strategy. 

RELATED: AirTV Firmware Update Stitches Over-the-Air Channels to Guide

At CES in January, the company introduced the Tablo DROID, a software version of a Tablo DVR that initially runs on the Android TV-powered Nvidia Shield. That product is in beta now and is expected to ship soon, Hall said, adding that the product will also support other Android TV devices.

Ottawa, Canada-based Nuvyyo has not announced shipment numbers for its Tablo products, but the privately held company announced last month that it had achieved a three-year growth rate of 288%.

Cheddar, the OTT-fueled financial news service focused on the youngs, is reportedly adding some over-the-air distribution to the mix.

Bloomberg reports this week that it will air some of its programing on digital UHF stations in Cleveland; Orlando, Fla.; and Kansas City, Mo.; that reach about 4 million homes. Cheddar is renting spectrum from DTV America, the report said.

To aid the effort, Cheddar will distribute digital antennas at area Dunkin’ Donuts stores. Dunkin’ Donuts is one of Cheddar’s big sponsors.

Another question is why they’re doing this, given that millennials tend to eschew traditional TV in favor of OTT and mobile platforms.

RELATED: Sling TV Adds Cheddar, TheBlaze, Sling Kids VOD Channel

In interview with Bloomberg, Cheddar founder Jon Steinberg reasoned that over-the-air gives his service another outlet as OTA homes are on the rise, a trend that fits in with a group of cord-cutters and younger consumers who have never taken a regular pay TV service.

“Anywhere we can provide a stream that replicates that cable news viewing experience is where we’re going to be,” Steinberg told Bloomberg.

But the move is still a bit of a head-scratcher for some, including tech blogger Dave Zatz, who offered this response to the news: 

Nothing makes sense anymore. -tweeted from my 8track player https://t.co/Q5xobl024V

— Dave Zatz (@davezatz) April 19, 2017

AirTV, the new OTA/OTT combo device for cord-cutters, has filled a gap in its functionality with the release of a firmware update that enables the guide to integrate local channels received over-the-air.

The update, spotted this week by CordCutterNews, is confirmed by the current AirTV FAQ, which notes that “OTA channels are now fully integrated into your My TV homescreen and Guide.”

Per the FAQ, AirTV Players should upgrade their firmware stacks automatically, but also points to a way for customers to do the update manually.

The Android TV-based AirTV Player and Adapter were introduced at CES in January, where it demonstrated the beta version of a full antenna integration capability that combined Sling TV’s OTT service with over-the-air TV channels on a unified interface.

RELATED: AirTV Still Lacks Complete Guide Integration 

However, that level of integration, viewed by some as a key selling point for AirTV, was absent when the product started to ship to customers. That firmware update was originally expected to become available by mid-February.

The percentage of U.S. broadband homes that use only antennas to receive TV has risen steadily in recent years, according to a new study from Parks Associates.

That number has climbed to about 15% amid a trend that has seen a drop in pay TV subscriptions paired with an increase in Internet-only video subscriptions, the research found in the study, 360 View: Entertainment Services in U.S. Broadband Households.

Those numbers could bode well for OTA-OTT combo products, such as the new Air TV Player and Adapter from a subsidiary from Dish Network, that cater to cord-nevers and cord-cutters.

RELATED: AirTV Appears Off to Hot Start

Per the study, 81% of U.S. broadband homes still have a pay TV subscription, but only one-third of them are “very satisfied” with the service. Notably, 31% of U.S. broadband homes take multiple OTT service subscriptions, Parks Associates said.

Additionally, twice as many subs downgraded their pay TV service (12%) than upgraded it (6%) in 2016, and only half as many cord-nevers adopted pay TV in 2016 (2%) versus 2015 (4%).

“Pay-TV subscriptions have dropped each year since 2014, falling to 81% of U.S. broadband households in Q3 2016,” Brett Sappington, senior director of research at Parks Associates, said in a statement. “Several factors have played a part in this decline, including growth in the OTT video market, increasing costs for pay-TV services, and consumer awareness of available online alternatives.”

But pay TV players are adapting, he said, adding that it’s still a challenge for consumers to aggregate and discover their favorite content and view it on their preferred screen.

The AirTV Player, a device targeted to cord-cutters from EchoStar, is sporting a new look along with some additional details about the technologies that will power it, according to new information discovered by gadget blog ZatzNotFunny.

EchoStar hasn’t announced a launch date for the product (an announcement around next month’s CES seems a likely possibility), but a Web page that is hiding out in the open about the AirTV Player reiterates that it will support over-the-air broadcast TV channels (when paired with an AirTV adapter and an OTA antenna that are sold separately), and will integrate Sling TV, Dish Network’s OTT-TV service.

RELATED: Dish-EchoStar ‘Sling AirTV’ Nears Retail Debut: Report

EchoStar, Charlie Ergen’s tech and set-top spin-off, also notes on the web site that AirTV Player will tie in access to Netflix and will come with a remote control with voice support.

Other documentation found by ZatzNotFunny also shows that the AirTV Player will run the Android 6.0.1 operating system and is made by Technicolor.

“With the AirTV Player, cut the cord and keep the TV experience,” the site explains. “You’ll have a single platform for watching Sling TV, Netflix, local channels, and more.”

Per the AirTV Player FAQ, the device connects to the TV via HDMI and comes with a 12-month warranty and no monthly fee (save for the subscription fee of the individual apps it provides access to).

The redesign is notable because earlier version of the product that surfaced showed the AirTV Player to be based on the Slingbox M1/M2 form factor.  Previous data on the device indicated that the AirTV Player would sell for $149.99.

Though EchoStar hasn’t said when the AirTV Player will go on sale, it got a step closer earlier this month when the FCC recently cleared the company to import, market and sell it after granting a waiver on an analog tuner requirement.

RELATED: FCC Gives EchoStar's 'AirTV' a Lift 

In its latest effort to connect with the cord-cutting crowd, Nuvyyo has launched an app for the Xbox One that hooks up with Tablo, its over-the-air HD-DVR.

The combo enables Tablo users to record and stream live broadcast TV on the Microsoft gaming console.

Notably, Tablo is bringing the app to market about five months after Microsoft announced that it was putting development of a DVR for over-the-air TV on hold to focus on other game-focused features. In April 2015, Microsoft added an over-the-air capability for the Xbox One that can pull down free broadcast TV channels in the U.S. and Canada using a Hauppauge-made TV Tuner for the console.

RELATED: Xbox One to Offer Subscription-Free DVR

Nuvyyo said the free app is available today via the Xbox App Store. The 1.0 version of the app supports most Tablo features, including playback of live TV and recordings, a “Netflix-style” guide for content discovery and search, as well as a commercial-skipping component, the company said.

The new app can also run on PCs equipped with the Windows 10 Anniversary Edition OS.

Tablo’s support for Xbox One follows the June introduction of a free app for fourth-gen Apple TV devices. Tablo also supports iOS and Android mobile devices, certain Amazon tablets, Amazon Fire TV boxes and sticks, Android TV, a channel for the Roku platform,  and LG smart TVs that run webOS.

The Tablo two-tuner OTA DVR currently sells for $219, and the four-tuner version fetches $299.99. A guide data service/subscription for Tablo costs $4.99 per month.

“Many cord cutters were left without an OTA DVR option for their gaming system of choice when Microsoft put their project plans on hold,” Grant Hall, CEO at Nuvyyo, said in a statement. “We are excited to provide the gaming community with a Tablo App for Xbox One, bringing us even closer to our goal of becoming the universal app for live TV and recorded broadcast programs on all your favorite devices.”

From a cord-cutting standpoint, Tablo’s competitors include Channel Master, maker of a subscription-free OTA-DVR, and the TiVo Roamio OTA.

TiVo's future on the retail front wasn’t a big topic on the company’s recent Q3 call, but the company appears to be working on an over-the-air/cloud DVR product that would look to find a home with cord-cutters and compete in the market with products such as the Tablo.

RELATED: Tablo Launches Apple TV App

Based on a trove of documentation about a new device and Android app that is hiding out in the open on the Web, gadget blogger Dave Zatz concludes that TiVo is working on a platform that will let consumers capture OTA TV signals and store recordings in the cloud. Users apparently will be able to access those recordings via the app.

Per a description of a new TiVo app, it will feature a TV program guide, OTA live streaming, cloud DVR access and will work in tandem with the “Diskless Cloud DVR TiVo Device Mantis.”

“This is under development, will be downloaded and tested by TiVo employees who are on the development team for this app or in integration team for hardware,” the descriptpoin continues.

TV Predictions was first to notice that TiVo had filed a trademark application for Mavrik in October, along with a web site that walks-through the setup for the product.  

There’s no word yet on a possible launch date or possible pricing on the Mavrik.

TiVo, which completed its merger with Rovi in September, didn’t deny that the product is in the works.

“While TiVo does not comment on speculation, the company is constantly developing new innovations that fuel the user experience and allow consumers to stay connected to their favorite entertainment,” the company said in a statement.

In September, Zatz found other FCC documents pointing to a TiVo product called “Mantis” that was described as a “network DVR” that’s capable of receiving over-the-air TV signals and transcoding them before shuttling them along to another device for viewing using a wireless or wired connection.

RELATED: TiVo Working on ‘Mantis’

“[I]t’s fairly clear that the unannounced, unreleased TiVo Mantis has gone through something of a rebrand,” Zatz said in reference to the new evidence pointing to Mavrik.

http://zatznotfunny.com/2016-11/tivo-mavrik/

Following a sneak peek at CES in January, Tablo has unleashed a new tool for cord-cutters in the form of a native app for fourth-gen Apple TV devices that works in tandem with Tablo’s over-the-air HDTV DVR.

Update: The company reached out Friday to note that its new app is under approval with Apple and that Nuvyyo will be pushing the app live as soon as it gets the green light.

And updates and discussions around the unexpected delay were playing out on Twitter on Friday afternoon:

@majikp3@thebauminator Sorry guys... Ran into some logistical issues with the App Store... Working on it & will be there soon.

— TabloTV (@TabloTV) June 17, 2016

Update 2: The company said the app went live Friday night:

@jazzynaturist Rolling out now! Keep hitting refresh :)

— TabloTV (@TabloTV) June 18, 2016

Nuvyyo, the Ottawa-based maker of Tablo’s product line, said the new 1.0 version of the app is free, and enables users to discover, record and stream live TV and playback recorded shows and movies via the Apple TV, which also features an integrated voice navigation system.

According to Nuvyyo, Tablo users can also skip commercials simply by asking Siri to jump ahead in the stream.

Tablo won’t say how many consumers have its product, but said most of its customer base is made up of cord-cutters.

Its HD DVR connects to digital OTA antennas to bring in free, local HDTV broadcast signals, and connects to the home network over WiFi or Ethernet to stream to supported devices, including the new Apple TV (and through AirPlay on previous-gen Apple TV boxes), Roku (as a channel), via Google’s Chromecast streaming adapter (on Android devices and Chrome browsers with a Chromecast extention), and by using the Tablo web app with an HDMI-enabled computer linked to a TV. 

Its two-tuner OTA HDTV DVR sells for $219.99, while the four-tuner runs $299.99 (the set-up also requires a USB-connected hard drive for watching live TV and recording programming). Tablo also recommends that its users subscribe to its optional guide data service, which runs $4.99 per month, $49.99 per year, or $149.99 for a lifetime membership. The company is currently promoting free antenna bundles for its two- and four-tuner DVR products.

“Cord cutters and cord nevers have a plethora of choices when it comes to set-top-boxes and our goal is to offer Tablo support for as many as we can,” Grant Hall, Nuvyyo’s CEO said, in a statement. “Now that Apple has expanded its App Store to the living room with the latest generation Apple TV, we can deliver Tablo’s easy-to-use live TV and recordings interface on all four industry-leading streaming media devices.”

Tablo’s competitors include Channel Master, which makes a subscription-free DVR that’s also tailored for cord-cutters, and TiVo, which recently added storage and eliminated monthly subscription service fees for the Roamio OTA.

Here’s now  Tablo promotes and positions its product for cord-cutters:

[embed]https://vimeo.com/100905776[/embed]

Old set-tops like the crusty DCT-2000 might make for a good door stop or bookend, but Mohu has discovered a new, more resourceful use for them – mash them into bits and turn that recycled material into antennas that can easily capture free, digital over-the-air TV signals.

Mohu, the TV antenna maker and courter of cord-cutters, has developed the ReLeaf, a “green” HD antenna made from set-tops that have been long been put out to pasture. They’re not talking about which specific models have been crushed into “MohoGrind” pellets that form the recycled TV antennas, but noted that the boxes are locally sourced from the company’s home state of North Carolina.

But Mohu sent me a ReLeaf to try out, and the box it came in clearly shows bits from a Scientific-Atlanta Explorer 3100, and a DCT-class Motorola digital set-top. To give you a sense on the age of that set-top matter, realize that Cisco Systems bought S-A in 2005 (and subsequently sold its CPE biz to Technicolor last year); and Arris nabbed Motorola Home in 2014. DCT boxes are pretty much the Model T of the digital cable era. 

In recognition of International Recycling Day (May 17), Mohu will be offering the ReLeaf for $49.99, a price that includes a 10-foot coax cable to connect the antenna to the TV. Mohu claims that the ReLeaf has a 30-mile digital UHF signal range, and a 10-mile digital VHF signal range.

According to the company, one pound of plastic from a cable box can be used to create 40 ReLeaf antenna “clamshells” – the plastic, flat portion of the antenna that covers the inner foil that receives the OTA signals.  

And I can say that this thing actually works, and works really well.

It took me all of ten minutes to remove the antenna from the box, connect it to a TV, and start scanning for local OTA channels. It found more than 40, and most were coming in crystal clear.

Channels that were coming in pixelated were quickly remedied by a quick adjustment of the antenna. And this was for a TV in my basement that isn’t placed near a window.

TiVo has added storage and eliminated monthly subscription service fees for the Roamio OTA, an HD-DVR wth OTT capabilities targeted at cord-cutters that also crosses swords with Channel Master’s subscription-less OTA-OTT DVR combo.

TiVo new Roamio OTA, which goes on sale on May 2 at TiVo.com, BestBuy.com, Amazon.com and some Best Buy brick and mortar stores, will feature a 1 terabyte hard drive and sell for $399.99, which covers lifetime access to the underlying TiVo service.  It's also integrated with OTT apps from partners such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon and YouTube.

After unveiling a “limited edition” of the Roamio OTA in the fall of 2014, TiVo went national with the product in January 2015. That version sold for $49.99, came equipped with a 500 Gigabyte hard drive (but with no CableCARD slot), and required users to pay $14.99 per month for the TiVo service.

The new model will also sport four tuners as well as some relatively new TiVo features such as the controversial SkipMode as well as QuickMode – elements that were originally offered on the 4K-capable TiVo Bolt but were recently extended to its Roamio product family.

The Roamio OTA is also compatible with the TiVo Mini (for multi-room set-ups) as well as TiVo Stream, the company’s Slingbox-like place-shifting device.

Removing the monthly subscription fee will put the Roamio OTA on better completive footing with Channel Master’s DVR+,  which in January added Sling TV, Dish Network’s OTT-TV streaming platform, to its app mix, and sells its comparable 1 TB model for $399.

TiVo’s new OTA offering also emerges amid reports that Dish Network corporate cousins Sling Media and EchoStar are nearing the launch of AirTV, a device that will purportedly also support Sling TV’s service as well as an digital OTA tuner.

TiVo, naturally, believes that it’s got a superior product for the category.

"The TiVo Roamio OTA 1TB is in a class of its own," Ira Bahr, TiVo's chief marketing and retail sales officer, said in a statement. "It delivers the unparalleled TiVo DVR experience, as well as an intuitive integration between free over-the-air HD channels and major streaming services. No other device brings everything you watch together into one single, easy-to-use interface."

Though targeted at a small but growing group of cord-cutters, the Roamio OTA could help to expand TiVo’s retail customer base. It ended its fiscal Q4 with 6.8 million subs – 5.47 million via MSO partnerships and 971,000 that are retail/“TiVo-owned,” and just announced that its aggregate subscriber base has eclipsed 7 million.

TiVo has yet to announce plans to offer an OTA/OTT-only version of the  Bolt. The current Bolt can handle OTA signals, but also comes with a CableCARD slot.

Taking aim at a growing consumer segment, video chipmaker ViXS has introduced the CordCutter TV Stick, a single-stream transcoder that delivers over-the-air TV programming to mobile devices.

The CordCutter TV Stick, powered by the company’s XCode 5505 chipset, will become available in the first quarter of 2016, ViXS said. The company’s new chipset is available now.

ViXS did not release pricing on its new streaming stick, but the company will show off its OTA streaming wares at this week’s International CES in Las Vegas (booth MP26055 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, South Hall 2, lower level).

ViXS said the CordCutterTV Stick features ATSC/DVB OTA reception options, streaming via Ethernet or WiFi, and support for iOS and Android clients. Its XCode 5505 provides single-stream transcoding of HD video, a USB 2.0 host port, and is powered by a 600 MHz CPU.

Toronto-based ViXS is introducing the OTA TV stick as traditional pay TV operators battle a small, but growing cord-cutting trend. The top 13 U.S. MVPDs lost 190,000 net video subs in Q3 2015, according to Leichtman Research Group.

There’s no shortage of startups and established companies that are launching or developing products that aim to deliver on the promise of the now-defunct Aereo, but do so legally.

We’ve got, by way of example, TiVo, which has an over-the-air/OTT combo DVR and the rights to the Aereo trademarks, and Telletopia Foundation, a non-profit that wants to offer a TV streaming service by making retrans payments. Comcast, meanwhile, is trying out Stream TV, a service for broadband subs that offers the major broadcast networks, HBO, VOD paired with a cloud DVR.

Here’s another to add to the mix: CloudAntenna.

San Diego-based CloudAntenna claims it has “reinvented Aereo” (even its logo looks a lot like  Aereo’s) with a device that receives over-the-air TV signals on a digital antenna, can record shows locally and in the cloud, skip ads, supports an interactive program guide, and ties into the company’s FreeAir.tv service.

Per the startup, the system lets users view up to four live TV channels at the same time and control the experience via an app for smartphones and tablets. Connectivity-wise, it supports wired links, WiFi and a 4G radio, making it mobile. There’s a free option that supports OTA TV, the guide, and a recommendations feature, a “Cloud TV” option for $1.99 per month that starts with 40 hours of recording, and a $9.99 per month World TV service that includes the Cloud TV component plus access to more than 600 international TV channels and a library of about 100,000 international films.

Under a preorder campaign, CloudAntenna is making its product and a year of service available for $79 (the regular retail price will be $299) via crowdfunding site Indiegogo through the end of the year. It’s making 100 units available at that “insider special” price, and 47 have already been claimed, according to the site. CloudAntenna expects to start deliveries by June 2016.

In the meantime, it’s got some work to do on the money front. At last check, it has signed on 79 “backers” via Indiegogo, raising $6,213 -- 2% of a “flexible goal” of $250,000, meaning the campaign will receive all funds even if the goal is not reached.

Update: CloudAntenna founder Vlad Kroutik noted in an email that the company has already developed a device, so it considers the Indiegogo campaign as a “soft launch to test consumer appetite for another device in their living room.” The company has added 4G LTE capabilities and is now working on a VoIP service, he added.

CloudAntenna, meanwhile, has posted a video about the offering, which is obviously targeted at cord-cutters, that includes segments showing people doing some not-so-nice things to the much-maligned set-top box to  Queen’s “I Want to Break Free”:

In an apparent move to make its video place shifting platform more attractive to cord-cutters, EchoStar looks to be developing a version of the Slingbox that would capture free over-the-air TV signals and pass them along to users who connect to the device via mobile apps and Web browsers.

The Donohue Report located evidence of a model in the works called the AirTV Slingbox OTA. EchoStar, the set-top and technology corporate sibling of Dish Network, hasn’t announced plans to introduce an OTA-focused product and whether a new model might also be outfitted with a few extra bells and whistles, such as DVR storage.

Update: Sling Media is not commenting on unnannounced products. Also, blogger Dave Zatz came across the AirTV trademark in July. 

However, a device more tightly tailored for cord-cutters could emerge as Sling Media continues to try to expand its user base. This summer, Sling Media took another stab at the consumer mainstream with the launch of the Slingbox M2, a version that sells for $199.99, but does not require buyers to purchase the requisite mobile apps. However, the M2 does expand the Sling Media’s use of advertising in its video place-shifting devices.

Still, Sling Media and EchoStar might be travelling well-travelled ground amid the evolving pay TV landscape. TiVo has the Roamio OTA DVR and is believed to be working on an OTA-tailored of its new Bolt platform that would not include a CableCARD slot (the first Bolt out of the gate supports both OTA and the CableCARD). Channel Master, meanwhile, sells a line of subscription-free “DVR+” products that are designed to work with OTA antennas.

On the MVPD front, Comcast is testing Stream, a $15 per month no-contract service for broadband subs that will feature the major broadcasters and HBO, and be paired with access to a Cloud DVR. Cablevision Systems introduced a batch of cord-cutter packages in April. 

Frontier Communications has begun to promote a new offering called “FreedomTV” that’s targeted to cord-cutters and broadband-only subscribers that is based on TiVo’s Roamio OTA model.

Word of the promotion, first spotted by DSL Reports, comes about seven months after Frontier and TiVo announced plans to offer a co-branded version of the TiVo Roamio OTA, an HD-DVR model that provides access to over-the-air broadcast TV as well as over-the-top content from sources such as Netflix, Vudu, YouTube, and Amazon Prime Video.

A web site about the FreedomTV offer says it starts at $20 (with a year of  Amazon Prime baked in), with the caveat that subs also get a qualifying Internet service from Frontier and agree to a one-year service agreement (or get hit with a $100 early termination fee).  

Subs who take the FreedomTV option can also get a TiVo Mini (an IP client to access service on an additional TV) or the TiVo Stream (a streaming sidecar that can deliver live TV and recorded shows to mobile devices) for an additional $9.99 per month.

According to the fine print, Frontier recommends an Internet service that provides at least 6 Mbps, and notes that OTA TV reception requires “clear line-of-sight.”

TiVo introduced the $49.99 Roamio OTA DVR in August 2014 as a “limited edition” model, and expanded to full-on national distribution in January 2015. The Roamio OTA does not contain a CableCARD slot, but is outfitted with 500 Gigabytes of storage, four tuners, Ethernet connectivity, built-in 802.11n WiFi, and access to features such as TiVo OnePass.

As shown in the video below (published on YouTube on Sept. 21, 2015), FreedomTV is clearly targeted to broadband only customers or cable TV subs that are looking to ditch their pay TV subscriptions:

Frontier has also begun to offer all new high-speed Internet subscribers (not just FreedomTV subs) a free year of Amazon Prime, the subscription offering that provides free two-day shipping and access to the Amazon Prime video library, Prime Music and the Kindle Owner’ Lending Library.

Cablevision Systems, which is being acquired by Altice Group, has introduced new service packages tailored for cord-cutters that ties together broadband and OTA digital antennas. 

Following its debut on the iPad, Motive Television said it has launched a TabletTV app for the Android platform, starting with Samsung devices with 10- and 7-inch screens, for use in the U.S. and the U.K.

The TabletTV  app operates in conjunction with a $89.95 “T-Pod” device (pictured) that performs the function of an antenna tuner, able to capture free, over-the-air TV signals for display on tablets. The T-Pod also allows users to record programming via an integrated DVR.

TabletTV is supporting over-the-air TV in the U.K. with Freeview. TabletTV, a joint venture of Motive Television and Granite Broadcasting, has also been testing its service in the Bay Area with Granite-owned station KOFY-TV as it works toward a more aggressive commercial launch (subscription required). Depending on signal availability, TabletTV estimates that its U.S. customers can get access to as many as 50 digital TV stations, including local ABC, CBS, Fox and PBS affiliates.

“The addition of Android devices to the TabletTV family is a major step forward due to the growing popularity of Android devices,” Motive CEO Leonard Fertig said, in a statement. “The global potential market for TabletTV numbers is in the hundreds of millions - by the end of 2013 it is estimated that 6% of the global population used a tablet and 22% a smartphone.”

TabletTV has also announced plans to extend support to the Google Chromecast adapter.

TabletTV is also developing a video-on-demand service that will deliver content via an unused portion of the broadcast spectrum using Motive’s datacasting technology. It’s also working on a version of the product that will support broadband connectivity for over-the-top video from sources such as Netflix.

Channel Master, maker of a subscription-free DVR for cord-cutters with on-board over-the-air TV capabilities, has launched Channel Master TV, a feature that integrates linear OTT streams with the platform’s underlying program guide.

Channel Master, which announced plans for the new linear OTT component in January, said the software update is now being rolled out to all DVR+ customers, enabling them to select and change streams instantly without having to launch separate applications.

In tandem with the launch of Channel Master TV, the company will sell its baseline DVR+ model for $199 ($50 off its regular price) for today only (June 8) from 8 a.m. to 12 a.m. PT, alongside free shipping within the continental U.S. and a free HDMI cable. It’s top-of-the-line DVR+ model, which is equipped with 1 terabyte of storage, sells for $399.

Channel Master said it will add Internet channels to the Channel Master TV platform without the need for a software update, noting that customers will receive an email notification when a new channel is added. To help its users customize the experience, they can “hide” and “un-hide” which Internet channels appear on DVR+’s Channel Master TV interface.

Multichannel News has asked Channel Master for a list of OTT “channels” it’s offering at the get-go, but some that are featured in the above company-supplied screen-capture include WeatherNation TV, Biz TV, FoodyTV, and The Outdoor Cooking Channel.

Channel Master has also recently demonstrated Sling TV running on its platform (subscription required), but has not announced when it might make the new OTT-TV service from Dish Network available on DVR+ on a commercial basis.

“This platform is a game changer in an alternative TV solution,” Joe Bingochea, executive vice president of product development at Channel Master, said in a statement. “We’ve taken the app out of the OTT experience for streamed linear video. For people who are looking for a non-traditional TV service, Channel Master TV adds an entirely new dimension, combined with OTA, On Demand and DVR in a single guide with no fees.”

“We’re giving the customer what they want in a true zero-fee TV service. Everything they can get for free, including Antenna Channels, Internet Channels, Streaming Services, DVR and Program Guide, we’re providing with no contract and no subscription. And there’s a lot more to come,” added Coty Youtsey, Channel Master’s president and CEO, noting that in addition to mainstream content such as news channels, the company is also interested in providing “unique programming.” 

Television viewers are starting to get back to their wireless roots.

As if traditional pay TV companies don’t have enough headaches from all the new over-the-top upstarts such as Sling TV and Sony’s PlayStation Vue — not to mention HBO Now’s recent debut on Apple TV devices — the nation’s cable, satellite and telco TV distributors have another new over-the-top threat to contend with: TV antennas.

Make no mistake: These offerings aren’t your grandfather’s rabbit ears. Companies with high-tech, futuristic names like Nuvyyo and Mohu are jumping into the game, along with TiVo, ChannelMaster, Tablet TV and Simple TV, all of which are combining state-of-the-art digital antennas with over-the-air digital video recorders.

New DVRs can snag content from over-the-air TV stations, the Internet and from subscription over-the-top services like Netflix, Hulu Plus and Amazon Prime Instant Video. Cobbled together, free broadcast TV and an online video-on-demand service offer a viable alternative to increasingly expensive pay TV packages.

Digital video recorder pioneer TiVo is probably the most well-known name to enter the space — it launched its OTA “Roamio” product last year and has since debuted a $49.99 version that allows customers to watch and record HD-quality broadcast stations, streaming video and subscription VOD.

In February, Roamio introduced a “One Pass” feature that allows viewers to track every episode of specific shows they want to catch up on and display them in a “My Shows” folder. Roamio also includes the intuitive TiVo guide and requires customers to pay a $14.99 monthly fee for storage and guide usage.

Other offerings from Mohu, Nuvyyo, ChannelMaster and Simple TV pair up desktop-size HD antennas that can draw in as many as 40 or 50 digital over-the-air channels in high-quality HD, with DVR capabilities and access to online video and over-the-top subscription services like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime Instant Video, with hopes of extending it to HBO Now, Sling TV and Sony PlayStation Vue.

WHO’S THE AUDIENCE?

While choices continue to grow, the burning question for OTA companies will be just which demographic they are targeting, Telsey Advisory Group analyst Tom Eagan said.

“What is the demographic and psychographic of those viewers: Are they willing to pay for a box and a monthly fee?” Eagan asked. “I think that the TiVo OTA device has potential, but the question is, how many of those 10 million [cord-nevers] will pay?”

For that reason, Eagan believes cable operators are safe for now.

“I don’t think it puts pressure on the MSOs because they don’t serve those viewers anyway,” Eagan said. “But it could serve to add marginal revenue to the programmers which they’ll need with the squeeze we expect due to operator consolidation.”

The idea is that cost-conscious viewers can significantly slash their pay TV bills by combining free over-the-air service with one or several OTT offerings. While the viewer won’t get all the channels they get on cable — and will still require a standalone broadband service for the online-video offerings — they can get most of the programming they want for a much-lower price.

For example, while a traditional expanded basic-cable package can cost about $75 per month for 150 channels, a consumer with an antenna (with a one-time equipment cost of $49.99 to $149.99) and a Sling TV subscription ($20 per month for around 20 channels and counting) will spend less than half that amount.

Over-the-air transmission is nothing new — it was TV’s original delivery method more than 70 years ago. But gone are the bulky and unattractive rooftop antennas and the unwieldy set-top rabbit ears that dominated the space for years. In their place are sleek, small and unobtrusive antennas that don’t look out of place on a bookshelf or mantle. And when coupled with an over-the-air digital video recorder and an online subscription video-on-demand service, they can offer an attractive alternative to traditional pay TV service.

There are about 12.6 million U.S. homes that watch only broadcast TV, according to Nielsen, versus about 100 million homes that have some type of pay TV subscription. And despite the free nature of OTA, getting access to subscription video-on-demand still requires a broadband connection. In most areas, that means maintaining a relationship with a cable or telco broadband provider.

Pay TV operators have responded to the competitive threat with attractive bundle pricing: Comcast offers a package of 140 video channels and 25 Megabits-per-second Internet service for $79.99 per month for one year (rising to $121.90-$136.90 after the first year). The non-promotional price of standalone broadband can cost about $66.95 per month, making the bundle the better value.

But as consumers grow more frustrated and programming packages become more flexible, the pairing of over-the-air service with “skinny” video could become more compelling.

“In the same way that we’ve seen an enormous fragmentation of the channels people watch, “our view is that over the next 20 years, we’ll see a similar fragmentation in the platforms they use to watch these channels,” TiVo chief marketing officer Ira Bahr said.

WEB COMPLEMENT

Free OTA television makes an ideal partner with emerging over-the-top subscription video services like Dish Network’s Sling TV (which brought ESPN outside of the traditional programming bundle), Sony PlayStation Vue and existing services like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime Instant Video.

“You take an over-the-top service — whether it be either Apple or Sony or Sling TV or whatever, it really doesn’t matter — and you marry it with over-the-air signals, that’s going to be a powerful proposition for many consumers,” Bahr said.

The situation is a little different for TiVo, which has a large customer base for its more traditional DVR set-tops in the pay TV sector. Bahr doesn’t see TiVo’s Roamio box as a total replacement for pay TV, but as a way for consumers to access — and integrate — all of their services more easily.

But other companies focusing on the over-the-air space see two markets emerging — one for the 10 million or so households that have never had a pay TV subscription and a second for additional sets in pay TV homes.

According to Nielsen, the number of broadcast TV-only homes rose from 12.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2014 to 12.6 million in first-quarter 2015, while the number of TV sets has stayed relatively steady, at about three per household.

Increasingly, TV antennas are beginning to attract interest from cost-conscious customers and younger viewers who don’t want to pay for channels they don’t watch.

That could be a big selling point for OTA because, according to Nuvyyo CEO Grant Hall, broadcast is what most people are watching anyway.

“About 47 of the top 50 shows are available over the air,” Hall said. “There is still a lot of content that people rely on.”

Nuvyyo just launched the latest version of its broadcast digital video recorder, the Tablo Metro, in the first quarter, and believes the market may be more like 20 million or 30 million homes, or between 20% and 25% of the nation’s 110 million television households.

Driving that increase, Hall argued, is the introduction of devices like Roku and Apple TV — estimated to be in about 20% of U.S. homes.

“I would argue that we’re kind of at the tipping point [where] OTT and OTA is really going to take off this year,” Hall said. “A lot of people are saying that this will be the year of the cord-cutter, 2015. All the tools are falling into place to replace the old legacy experience and I think there is demand out there.”

Unlike the not-too-distant past, when some antenna companies had to wait for the latest retransmission-consent blackout for a sales boost, consumers are increasingly warming up to the idea of free TV. Last year, Antennas Direct hosted an event in Washington, D.C., in conjunction with TVFreedom, a consortium of stations, small businesses and other groups interested in preserving over-the-air TV. It gave away 1,000 HD antennas is about an hour. Antennas Direct has said it has given away about 15,000 antennas over the past two years.

Others, like Mohu, have paired up with cable operators during blackouts for giveaways — CEO Mark Buff said the company has sold about 1.5 million to 2 million TV antennas since 2010 (it was initially a manufacturer of military antennas and has had pay TV-provider customers in the past). Though the momentum seems to be shifting toward a combination of over-the-top services and over-the-air stations targeting consumers who either never had a pay TV service or have recently cut the cord, Buff sees opportunity in providing a broadcast alternative for customers of more traditional pay TV providers.

“We certainly get phone calls from companies we wouldn’t expect to get phone calls from,” Buff said, adding that that fights over retransmission consent have helped Mohu’s antenna business.

But not everyone is warming up to the idea that free TV will take a bite out of pay television subscriptions.

NOT QUITE ENOUGH

Pivotal Research Group principal and senior media and communications analyst Jeff Wlodarczak said he was skeptical that over-the-air television offers enough to get customers to cut the cord.

“Realistically, Netflix could drive consumers into these options better than anyone, but I doubt they would actually do so, given it would alienate the folks they buy content from,” Wlodarczak said. “So in the end I don’t think this makes pay TV nervous.”

Mohu has four antenna products: the Leaf Metro, the Leaf 30, the Leaf 50 and the Sky 60, ranging in price from $24.99 to $149.99 and delivering from 32 to 60 over-the-air channels. The devices are sleek, thin and compact — the Leaf 30 and Leaf 50 can fit on a bookshelf — and deliver high-quality HD signals that outperform pay TV in quality because signals are not compressed.

The over-the-air choices depend on the individual market but in metropolitan New York City, at least 58 digital OTA channels are available, including the digital feeds of the major broadcast networks, three public broadcast channels, Spanish-language broadcasters Telemundo and Univision and digital niche channels such as Antenna TV, Decades, Cozi TV and Bounce TV.

Earlier in March, Mohu launched Channels, a service that ties in SVOD providers like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon with its over-the-air offerings, which it hopes will resonate with customers. Mohu also is in talks with Dish Network to be a certified Sling TV partner.

“Up until Sling TV, your only option was Comcast and Time Warner Cable,” Hall said. “Now, that option is available if you have Netflix and Hulu, Sling and us — the local broadcast networks, two-thirds of all the shows that people watch — that combination gives you ammunition to say goodbye Comcast, goodbye Time Warner, goodbye Verizon.”

ChannelMaster executive vice president Joe Bingochea said OTA companies should strive to offer a growing menu of services. Channel- Master, which has sold a line of antenna products since 1949 and has an over-the-air DVR product (DVR Plus), is readying its own OTA “linear” service to add to the mix.

Bingochea said the company expects to launch the service, which basically allows it to aggregate and integrate over-the-top and online content, including The Pursuit Channel, the Outdoor Cooking Channel and Foodie TV, into its guide product at the April 13 NAB Show in Las Vegas.

“We want to give the consumer options,” Bingochea said. “If you want Sling TV, we want to have it on our box. If you want to order movies a la carte, we have Vudu for transactional VOD. If you want online video, we have YouTube for online.”

Five Things You Didn’t Know About Over-The-Air Broadcast TV

1.MORE CHANNELS THAN YOU THOUGHT. Beyond ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox, in some markets there are as many as 50 digital broadcast channels available over the air, including Spanish-language Telemundo, Univision and Unimas, Chinese-language NTDTV, kids’ channel Qubo and family-friendly and classic TV channels such as Cozi TV, MeTV, Antenna TV, Bounce TV, Escape TV, Grit and This TV. All for free.

2.DVRs ARE EVERYWHERE. You don’t need a cable, telco or satellite subscription to record over-the-air shows on a digital video recorder. Companies like TiVo, Nuvyyo, Channel Master, Simple TV and others have all come out with variations of products that will record, pause and rewind live broadcast shows, complete with programing guides that offer show synopses, cover art and metadata.

3.QUALITY TV FOR CHEAP. Broadcasters still spend big on original programming. And broadcast shows are consistently at the top of the most-watched programming. According to the Television Bureau of Advertising, 96 of the top 100 shows in 2014 were broadcast shows.

4.BROADCAST-ONLY HOMES ARE GROWING. According to Nielsen, the number of broadcast-only homes is on the rise. As of March, 12.6 million TV homes received their TV via broadcast-only, up from 12.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2014.

5.NOT MUCH BROADBAND. More than half of the broadcast- only homes in the U.S., about 6.6 million households, also have no access to broadband or narrowband Internet, according to Nielsen’s Total Audience Report

SOURCE: NAB, TVB, Nielsen, SNL Kagan, individual companies.