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Posted on 07/13/2026 5:46:21 AM PDT by Red Badger
In less than two years, the era of free, open over-the-air TV will come to an end and be replaced by a PPV-like experience.
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[SNIP]
It feels like a golden era of free consumer media choice. But this brilliant, high-definition view comes with a ticking clock. In the corridors of the FCC, local broadcasters are vigorously pushing a plan to permanently shut down our current broadcasting standard called Advanced Television Systems Committee 1.0 (ATSC 1.0). If media conglomerates get their way, February 2028 will mark the sudden end of free, open television as we know it, instantly transforming millions of perfectly functional smart TVs and local streaming tuners into a mountain of electronic waste -- unless, of course, you pay a monthly fee.
The culprit is the impending forced migration from our reliable, foundational television standard, ATSC 1.0, to a new format known as ATSC 3.0, or NextGen TV. On its surface, the television industry markets NextGen TV as a highly progressive technological leap. Advertisements promise dazzling native 4K video, deep cinematic theater sound, and interactive, customized digital layouts. What the glitzy marketing completely omits, however, is that this entire ecosystem is wrapped inside a Trojan horse called Digital Rights Management (DRM) encryption.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
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Locking you in as a paying customer.
The ironic thing is that Netflix was supposed to end commercials, but it didn’t.
Not sure this is that big of a loss. Broadcast TV is dying. But so is cable TV. If Netflix and Prime aren’t careful with the garbage that they have been putting out, they will be too. Consumers aren’t being forced into pay services - most of them are going online to YouTube and other free streaming services. We are just watching the evolution of the entertainment medium . The old - network TV and Hollywood - die and the new take its place.
I don’t watch TV but my wife had Fox News on. There was an 15 minute interview with an “expert” saying they don’t know what will happen to Aunt Bea’s Senate seat. Why does it take that long to say nothing?
” The old - network TV and Hollywood - die and the new take its place.”
But then the Old buys out the new and you’re back to where you started. Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss................
I’ve heard that in some recent rating periods, that more people are watching streaming services than either cable TV or broadcast TV channels.
And we’ve been hearing about cord cutting for a while, where people cut the cord of cable TV. And they’ve been doing that because they’re watching streaming channels instead. They don’t want to pay for both cable and streaming services.
Yes broadcasting is evolving.
Oh, that fake promise goes back much further, to the very dawn of cable tv.
I don’t watch it so I won’t miss it. It’s a time waster anyway.
I disagree with this at least in this time frame. What ATSC3.0 really gives the broadcasters is what you get with the web. They get to directly track what you watch and then target specific ads to you based off of that. Then they can charge higher fees to advertisers.
Sure, they have commercials, but so do the streaming services people pay for! I like a lot of the stuff on Roku...
Over the air broadcast tv will not disapear! It is necessary in emergency situations and sometimes is the only source available.
I haven’t watched cable in Lord knows how long. I’m content with broadcast. Especially MeTV (gotta have my weekly dose of Svengoolie).
I can’t even watch Wheel of Fortune without watching two lesbian contestants kissing.
And no matter WHAT I watch, there are commercials, always commercials.
PLUS, 99% of those commercials are insulting to my intelligence.
“Why does it take that long to say nothing?”
That is the marque of a great politician: To talk for hours and say absolutely nothing of import..............
True. Any good tv show or movie from 1965 onward are available and some have their own 24/7 channels. We haven’t watched broadcast tv since covid - and all they sold us were lies so . . . no trust factor their if another emergency happens.
Better off with live Youtube news channels.
Haven’t had a TV since 1995. Raised 2 kids without it. Today they are both fine productive parents with good spouses and kids.
A few years ago I found streaming. I’m temporarily on Peacock for the Tour d’France and FoxOne for the World Cup. After those, I’m going dark again. I think this pattern is the same for many of us.
I hate what youtube is doing with their ads. They interrupt what you are watching. Unless you pay, which I refuse to do.
Article says people are “vigorously pushing for” a plan, and “if media conglomerates get their way”. No done deals as yet. My knickers will remain un-twisted until the other shoe actually drops.
If OTA TV goes bye-bye, no big deal. Humans survived for thousands and thousands of years without it.
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