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Broadcasters bungled free antenna TV. Now they want a bailout?
Jared Newman | 
For a case study in how a once-promising technology turned toxic, look no further than ATSC 3.0.
Also known as NextGen TV, the new broadcast standard promised to revolutionize free over-the-air TV with features like 4K HDR video, time-shifting, on-demand viewing, and interactive programming. For cord cutters who get free local channels with an antenna, this was a genuinely exciting technology when it started rolling out in 2019.
Six years later, that excitement has evaporated thanks to restrictive digital rights management and high adoption costs. While the broadcast TV industry has failed to make ATSC 3.0 stick, they’ve succeeded in getting tech enthusiasts, consumer advocates, and even some individual broadcasters to fear and despise it.
Now, broadcasters are hoping for a bailout from the Federal Communications Commission, which announced this week that it will consider their wishes to wind down the existing ATSC 1.0 standard and mandate ATSC 3.0 adoption. If that happens, most antenna users will need a new TV or tuner box by 2030 at the latest. Having failed in the marketplace, broadcasters now want the government to help foist ATSC 3.0 upon people instead.
Sadly, it didn’t have to be this way.
Weekly rewind
TiVo ditches DVRs: TiVo has officially exited the DVR business. The company had already stopped making its Edge for antenna DVR last year; now it’ll stop making the cable version as well. A spokeswoman tells me that TiVo will keep supporting existing users, but wouldn’t say for how long.
The news is not surprising given that TiVo had mentally checked out of the DVR business years ago. Parent company Xperi is more interested in licensing software than making hardware, and these days TiVo proper is focused on getting its smart TV platform into other companies’ televisions. With CableCARD becoming obsolete and cable TV in decline, there’s not much left for TiVo to hang onto.
HBO Max axes CNN stream: With CNN planning to launch a standalone streaming service later this fall, HBO Max will remove its own CNN livestream on November 17. The livestream doesn’t exactly mirror CNN’s cable feed, but has a lot of the same content.
CNN still hasn’t said what the standalone service will cost and whether it will include the actual cable channel. The network previously tried to launch a streaming service without it, only to shut the service down a month after launch.
Spectrum’s app store: Spectrum has launched an “app store” where its internet and TV customers can subscribe to streaming services. It’s also where customers can upgrade to ad-free plans for the services that Spectrum includes with certain cable TV packages, including Max, Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+, and Peacock. Comcast launched a similar streaming storefront earlier this year.
More catch-up
- Amazon’s $50 Fire TV Stick 4K will get a new name to fit between the new $40 Fire TV 4K Select and $60 Fire TV Stick 4K Max. (I would bet good money on “Fire TV Stick 4K Plus.”)
- Fubo is the first to include ESPN+ content directly inside its own app.
- California will ban overly loud commercials on streaming services, starting next July (though it may be unenforceable).
Save more money
This section of the newsletter has some affiliate links, which earn me a commission if you wind up buying or subscribing to something.
Speaking of over-the-air TV, Tablo’s fourth-gen DVRs have returned to record-low prices. Get a dual tuner model (which can play or record up to two simultaneous channels) for $60, or a quad tuner model (up to four channels) for $100.
With Tablo you set the device up in whichever room gets the best antenna reception, then use the Tablo app (on Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, and so on) to watch and record local channels. Storage for 50 hours of recording time is built-in, or you can connect an external drive to add more. I still need to write a new review, but the product has become a lot more reliable over the last year and recently got a much-needed offline mode.
Other notable deals:
- Roku players are at record-low prices, including the Roku Streaming Stick for $17, Streaming Stick Plus for $24, Streaming Stick 4K for $30, Ultra for $69.
- Take $5 off the first month of FanDuel Sports Network via Amazon Prime.
- You can still get three months of Hulu + Live TV for $65 per month. (New and returning subscribers only.)
I keep a full list of active deals on the Cord Cutter Weekly website.
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Thanks for reading!
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Until next week,
Jared