Where to buy digital antennas online:
Are you a cord cutter who has freed yourself from the chains of monthly fees for channels you have never watched before in your life? It’s a great feeling, but do yourself a favor if you haven’t already: get yourself a digital antenna.
It’s been over ten years since I last had cable. Streaming services like Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, Hulu, and others filled my TV screen and filled any gap cable left. Many people have felt the same way.
You need to watch this gorgeous dog disrupt the women’s Olympic ski race
According to a The Nielsen Report earlier this year, streaming platforms broke records in the past few months, with streaming making a record 47.5% of TV viewing in December. That’s more than cable and broadcast TV combined.
However, the networks still have a secret weapon that broadcast platforms are beginning to discover: live TV, namely sports.
That same Nielsen report found that Christmas Day was “more streamed than ever,” with more than 55 billion minutes watched, led by NFL games on Netflix and Prime. However, some live sports are still a network or cable TV item. Some games are broadcast on a TV network and broadcast channel, meaning cord cutters can skip paying for a broadcast platform if they only like one game.
Here’s a good example: the Winter Olympics on NBC. The Peacock streaming service owned by NBC shows all the sports and the same outstanding shows that are broadcast on NBC. But if you’re only interested in those prime-time highlights, NBC has been airing them on its network every night. All you need is a digital stick to watch it. No subscription to Peacock streaming is required.
The same was true of Super Bowl LX earlier this month. The same game was broadcast live on NBC, free via digital antenna, or on Peacock, which requires a subscription.
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In addition, some network channels to broadcast content paywall and cable providers. For example, when trying to watch a National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) championship game last year, many discovered that while it was broadcast on CBS for free, a paid subscription was required over and above the regular Paramount+ program. Having a digital antenna would have allowed access to that free CBS network feed.
I went years without a digital antenna. Streaming gave access to all the shows and movies I loved. Until, as I said, TV realized it was strong with live sports. The live streaming companies are realizing that as Netflix has picked up the weekly WWE Raw and many special live wrestling events. Streaming platforms like Apple TV+ carry MLB games, too, for example. However, there are still many live sports that can be accessed for free with a digital stick.
So, what should you get?
There are many options for digital antenna. Prices range from $20 or less, even cheaper if you find an auction. Personally, I’ve tried a few options from digital stick brands Mohu and ClearStream.
Both the Mohu lead is increased digital antenna and ClearStream Flex Amplified worked very well for my needs, and cost less than $50 each.
Digital antennas integrate easily with your Smart TV menus after a quick setup and synchronization process, so your choice of antenna should not be based on the user interface. Choose a digital antenna based on its range and hardware design. Some digital antennas are vertical, some are horizontal. The standard design of the digital antenna allows you to place it high on your wall or window to get the best reception.
Both the options I mentioned above offer a distance of 50 kilometers to the pick-up stations. There are more expensive options to extend that range, too, like the Mohu Leaf Supreme Pro, which extends that range to 65 miles.
Either way, these are big money savers. The cost of a single digital antenna is a one-time hardware purchase fee. And that cost is only about 2-3 months of monthly subscription from other major streaming providers.
Plus, you’ll never miss a live event on free network TV again.
