Cable and TV have been the major source of entertainment for the majority of the public ever since they came into the limelight back in the 50s. This huge love for TV can be seen in stats that suggest there are more than 285 million TVs in use currently in America. Although technological advancements have brought the entertainment industry and visual media to many new formats and devices, still the love for TV has always had a special in the hearts of avid watchers. This was a trend especially witnessed last year in the pandemic when there was a surge of TV viewing, something which wasn’t experienced since 2011 as due to the popularity of streaming platforms there was a constant and steep decline in TV viewing. This can also be said about cable TV, which although has been experiencing a drop in viewer count but is still going strong despite the fact that it is the oldest of technologies compared to its competitors.
During the pandemic, TV and Cable had been the main source of entertainment for the public behind the internet which was also used for many other purposes like work from home and online classes. Since the internet was used to do important and sensitive tasks, many people switched their entertainment activities over to TV in order to save bandwidth and speed. While on the flip side, other users completely directed their attention towards the internet and upgraded their packages to make it their main source of both work and entertainment. In the wake of this changing consumer trend, many service providers launched special packages on both these services to keep a balance and allowed consumers to get discounted prices for both these essential services, a major example of it came in the form of Spectrum bundles for cable and internet.
Cord Cutting and Post Pandemic Trend
The pandemic has affected humanity in a way no calamity or disaster was ever able to do. There was a storm but a silent one. Bustling cities became ghost towns in merely days, people were stuck in their houses and everything including offices, businesses, schools, restaurants, cinemas, cafes basically everything was shut down. The air itself became dangerous, and if this wasn’t all then came the severe economic crisis as a result of all the lockdowns. Businesses were closed and many people faced unemployment. In times like these, the internet became the sole savior of mankind by providing the necessary means of communication with the outside world to people. Many economic activities also resumed in some capacity as people worked from home over the internet and education activities were also resumed thanks to it. Apart from work routine, many people utilized the internet as a means of entertainment as well by shifting towards over the internet platforms like streaming apps.
This move was also pushed due to many major reasons one such was the economic decline and decrease in purchasing power of people. As many already had an internet connection so it made no sense to them for paying for cable, a service that they can easily enjoy over the internet. These streaming services do cater to the entertainment needs of the public, but this consumer base was limited in number, mostly millennials. People who were avid TV watchers started to look for other ways to watch TV and they found this solution in the old traditional free-to-air programming through antennas. Thanks to the government’s decision to switch all analog channels to digital allowed many viewers to enjoy basic regular broadcasting free of cost. This proved to be a more plausible option for many regular TV watchers opting towards cord-cutting.
Best Antennas for Free to Air Broadcasting
Although this free to air channels have been prevalent for quite a while it is only recently that people actually realized their value during the pandemic. Since most people are opting towards cord-cutting to save on their cable bills, there are a majority of consumers that are not yet ready to embrace streaming platforms and like to watch regular TV broadcasting. For these TV watchers, the local free broadcasting provides a viable option to remain connected to their regular broadcasting and watch local channels like CBS, ABC, FOX, and NBC over an antenna while cutting the cord on their regular cable TV subscriptions. Since an antenna is the main component behind this broadcasting it is important to choose the right product for a seamless viewing experience, that is why we have created this list to provide our readers with adequate options to choose an antenna for their TV watching.
Mohu Leaf Supreme Pro
Coming at first place is Mohu Leaf Supreme Pro, arguably the best of the lot to watch free TV. The most significant feature of this model is that it’s big and thus can catch more stations while covering a large area. Due to the big size, it has a wide range of up to 65 miles and provides a max number of 42 channels, it also has a detachable coaxial cable for movement of your TV setup. However, the only drawback might be its large size which might restrict it from being installed in smaller spaces.
Antop HD Smart Antenna
After Smart Watches and Smart TVs, we also have Smart Antennas now. The smart thing about Antop Antenna is that it is a multipurpose device that acts both as a TV and Radio antenna and has built-in amplifier that can be adjusted for different stations. Since it also has an FM antenna within it the range of Antop HD Smart Antenna is spread across 70 miles and has the capacity to broadcast 33 stations in 1080p high definition. The only downside is that it is a costly product
Andmei Digital Antenna
This is a cost-effective solution in terms of Antenna, users can easily get this Amazon-backed device for $20 or so. Plus this is the only one on the list that can act both as an indoor and outdoor antenna. It is a small device with a range of 35 miles, certainly not the best of the lot but still, Andmei Antenna gets the job done at a much lower cost than others.
Conclusion
Cable has become quite an expensive luxury for people to afford in this dire economic situation that is why many are turning towards cost-cutting. For people who don’t want to pay for streaming or internet-based TV solutions and still want to enjoy basic programming these free-to-air over an antenna, programming becomes their last resort. That is why we have formulated this above-mentioned list of best antennas available for users to have a seamless cord-cutting viewing experience as many of them are new to this trend. But one thing to note is that in antenna programming, there are a lot of other factors to keep in mind apart from the equipment like weather conditions, external interference, and geographical location.
