The deluge of streaming services continues to be a hot topic, but OTT sibling OTA deserves more attention, says Scripps Chief Research Officer Jon Marks. Here, he tells why OTA is reaching a tipping point.
Why the continued success of OTA shouldn’t be overlooked…
Several trends argue for the continued success of OTA. First, while more and more consumers are considering “cutting the cord,” access to live sports, news, and favorite series on the major broadcast networks makes them think twice. OTA provides an ability to retain these channels without having to subscribe to too many SVOD services. Second, the quality and diversity of multicast networks keeps growing year-after-year. The attractiveness of OTA is perhaps reaching a tipping point for consumers in the same way that cable reached it in the early 1980s. Finally, antennas (or complementary devices) are becoming more sophisticated and will integrate with home Wi-Fi to provide an improved consumer experience; on-screen program guides, on-demand content, DVR capabilities, superior picture, and sound quality, are likely to be commonplace for OTA viewers.
