There is no mistaking the impact of connectivity on how audiences are watching TV. In just the past five years, the number of households in the US that get their TV content from an internet connection has increased by more than 210% according to Nielsen TV measurement data. The allure of an internet’s worth of content notwithstanding, a smaller, yet consistent, portion of TV homes continue to thrive on the over-the-air (OTA) broadcast programming they access for free using digital antennas.

Nielsen’s 2024 Upfronts/NewFronts Guide revealed that, as of November 2023, more than 18% of US TV households had at least one TV set enabled to receive free, broadcast programming. However, most households complement their OTA access with content they can access from other sources.

The use of OTA devices highlights TV audiences’ ongoing engagement with traditional, linear programming. In fact, approximately 92% of TV households, regardless of classification, watched some form of linear programming between October 2022 and October 2023.

In addition to highlighting the consistent appeal of traditional broadcast programming, the steadfast portion of homes that access this content with digital antennas is a critical audience measurement consideration, especially as big data gains momentum as a measurement source amid rising connected TV (CTV) usage.

With CTV usage accounting for just over 32% of TV usage among adults 18 and older according to Nielsen National TV measurement, it makes sense that companies are looking to leverage the data from smart TVs and set-top-boxes from multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs; e.g., DirecTV, Cox, Comcast Xfinity, DISH). We know that these data sources can advance the science of audience measurement, but they don’t capture OTA viewing.

Within Nielsen’s TV household universe, 18.125 million are OTA households, and an additional 4.625 million are cable and satellite TV homes that also have OTA-capable TV sets. In total, 22.750 million households access TV content through an OTA antenna—a device that falls outside the scope of big data collection.

Combined with person-level demographic information from Nielsen’s National TV panel, OTA audience data provides advertisers and agencies with insight that’s out of reach of big data. Nearly 60% of OTA households that don’t subscribe to a subscription video on demand (SVOD) service, for example, are households of one person, while 45% of OTA households that subscribe to an SVOD service but don’t use a vMVPD are home to three or more people. From an income perspective, however, OTA households that subscribe to an SVOD service and use a vMVPD are the biggest earners.

Increasing connectivity among audiences continues to play a significant role in how viewers access TV content, but free OTA broadcast programming remains a staple for nearly 20% of US TV households. From a value perspective, advertisers and agencies need insight into the nearly 23 million viewers who lean into this programming—programming that falls outside the realm of what big data captures. As audience measurement evolves to include data from smart TVs and cable boxes, it will be critical that people remain the center of the equation.

Learn how Nielsen’s Big Data + Panel approach to measurement balances the media industry’s needs for innovation and continuity.