• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, August 14, 2001

The National Association of Broadcasters recently announced that eighty-one million television sets in the U.S. receive programming exclusively from free, over-the-air TV stations. In the report, the NAB noted that:

- the total number of television sets in the U.S. is 267 million;

- more than three out of every 10 TV sets in the U.S. rely exclusively on "free TV" for programming, and are not hooked up to cable, satellite or any other subscription TV service;

- 21 percent of all U.S. TV households rely exclusively on free TV;

- 41 percent of all U.S. households receive free television on at least one of their TV sets;

- 25 percent of all cable and satellite homes have at least one TV set in the household that receives signals solely from free TV, and;

- 24 percent of African-American and 32 percent of Hispanic households rely exclusively on free TV for their television viewing.

NAB’s report demonstrates the considerable extent to which consumers still depend on over-the-air broadcast television signals, as well as the fact that local broadcasters continue to provide a guaranteed minimum of local and diverse voices for subscribers.

Read more at the NAB site.