FAST vs over-the-air broadcast: The unexpected battle of free content in the US?

SVOD platforms introducing ad tiers seem to have become an industry standard. Netflix launched its Basic with ads for $6.99 in late 2022 while Prime Video has been reported to consider it. Among the reasons involved for such roll-outs was the consumers’ growing reluctance to keep spending as much as they used to for content. In the US, the rise of FAST Channels allowed cord-cutters to enjoy the comfort of traditional broadcasting with the flexibility brought by OTT service - for free. However, what if audiences switching back to free & ad-supported linear content was a hint of over-the-air TV’s unexpected potential? After exploring the current Digital Terrestrial TV market in the US, let’s analyze if the transition to the ATSC 3.0 standard could help over-the-air broadcast challenge the FAST channels’ growing dominance. Top 5 networks reach 90% of the country, central states remain underserved Over-the-air television (OTA) refers to the broadcasting system using radio waves from the terrestrial transmitter of a TV Station to a TV receiver having an antenna. Across the country, Digital TV stations cover mostly the Eastern part of the country, with the biggest areas served being NYC, Florida, Chicago & Houston. Looking West, coastal areas remain widely served. However, the middle of the country is very poorly covered, which is directly linked to the low population density in central states such as Wyoming or North Dakota. A global overview of the Digital Terrestrial TV offer allows us to witness the weight of traditional broadcast networks: ABC, NBC, PBS, CBS, and FOX all cover more than 300M viewers. In terms of genres, Music, Generalist as well as Movies & fiction channels account for more than half of the broadcast networks available. A free content proposition for diasporas & religious communities Other network characteristics worth mentioning are related to the US demographics. In 2022, the Census Bureau reported that almost 20% of the US population was of Latin origin. This proportion translates into the share of Spanish-speaking broadcast networks available (16% - see the networks with the highest coverage nationwide on the map above). Looking at other languages, English-speaking broadcast networks obviously represent 72% of the 227 networks. Chinese & Vietnamese, which are ranked respectively second and fourth in the Census Bureau “Languages Other Than English”, account for 4% and 7% of the available DTT networks. Besides diasporas, Digital TV is also a way for religious communities to share content. More than 27% of the broadcast networks are Christian-related. An actor such as Three Angel for instance operates 16 stations and owns 7 networks, while the Word of God Fellowship operates 91 different stations.   ATSC 3.0 could be used by approximately 50M households by 2027 Far...