The days of having only a few channels and no remote is long over. Now the options seem endless. The options range from over-the-air, cable, satellite and alternatives like Apple TV and Roku. What are they and what do we recommend?
Let’s start with the beginning. Over-the-air is received by an antenna. Back in the day it was through rabbit ears, but now most TVs have an antenna built-in. There are few channel options delivered this way, mainly the major broadcast networks including ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX. Several years ago, the federal government required all broadcast stations to send their signal digitally. With this came the advent of digital stations like Bounce, MeTV, Antenna TV. Last year we discussed digital stations in a blog post you can read here.
Cable TV allows viewers to watch the broadcast networks along with additional options, things like Lifetime, HGTV, and CNN. This requires a monthly subscription and programming is delivered through a special box.
Satellite, DirecTV and Dish are also available via a subscription. To receive programming this way, a satellite dish must be installed on the side of your home. It provides a similar service and format as cable, the programming is just transmitted via satellite.
More recently, there have been alternative players that joined the field. Hulu, Apple TV, and Roku to name a few. On these you can stream programming with a subscription and may be able to view network programming on demand.
Even with these new avenues for entertainment viewing, our philosophy hasn’t changed. Our data proves the best results still come from broadcast daytime programming. We know that times are changing and the media team is always keeping up with developments, so we can make changes quickly should we find volumes decline in the future.
