• by Wayne Friedman , June 21, 2013

Homes that do not pay for TV via the traditional route -- cable, satellite, and telco -- are increasing, according to a new report.

Now, 19.3% -- or some 22.4 million TV homes -- are getting their over-the-air broadcast TV signals via new digital efforts/services. The new research comes from GfK Media & Entertainment, through the National Association of Broadcasters.

Nearly 6 million more people have just over-the-air broadcast television than a year ago -- now totalling some 59.7 million. According to Nielsen study earlier this year, there are some 294 million U.S. people who live in some 116 million TV homes. Other estimates say about 90% of U.S. TV homes subscribe to either cable, satellite, or telco services.

The GfK study says rise in broadcast-only TV viewers is nearly 40% higher than four years ago. In 2010, the number of those over-the-air (OTA) broadcast users was at a 14% share.

This research does not include services like Netflix and Hulu Plus, which cost about $8 per month per service, or the cost of a set-top boxes from the likes of Roku or Apple TV, for example. GfK says “cord-cutters” supplement OTA television with paid on-demand services.

GfK says the demographics of broadcast-only TV homes continue to skew toward younger adults (28% where the head of the house is 18-34 in age); minorities (which make up 41% of broadcast-only homes); and lower-income families (30% of TV homes with an annual income less than $30,000 -- up from 22% in 2010.)

David Tice, senior vice president of GfK Media & Entertainment, stated: “Over-the-air households continue to grow, making up an increasingly sizable portion of television viewers. Our research reveals that over-the-air broadcasting remains an important distribution platform of TV programming.&rdquo ;