Channel Master Announces Unprecedented Run on TV Antennas Prior to Olympics

U.S. Awareness of Over-the-Air TV Continues to Grow

Phoenix, AZ -- (August 11, 2016 ) - - Channel Master, the nation's leading provider of alternative TV solutions, today announced that for the weekend prior to Olympic opening ceremonies, July 30 and 31, the company experienced a 1,200% increase in TV antenna sales through direct online orders.

"When we came in Monday and realized what was happening we immediately picked up the phone and tripled the number of warehouse personnel" said Coty Youtsey, president and CEO of Channel Master. "It was clear that U.S. households without pay-TV were buying antennas to be able to watch the Olympics."

The Olympics are carried by NBC and available for free from a television antenna. Public awareness of free over-the-air broadcast television continues to grow as more consumers seek alternatives to pay-TV. Traditionally, Americans have been much less aware of the existence of free over-the-air TV than other parts of the world, where it is commonly referred to as terrestrial television.

"Cord cutting started with the digital transition in 2009," said Shelley O'Connell, director of marketing for Channel Master. "It wasn't about streaming, it was about the HD signal from the major broadcast networks that you could now get from your TV antenna for free. There is still no value in TV today that can hold a candle to the television antenna, and U.S. consumers are catching on."

Research shows that more Americans now use TV antennas than subscribe to any pay-TV provider. Comcast, the nation's largest, has an estimated 22.2M video subscribers, while an estimated 24M U.S. households are using a TV antenna. An estimated 29M U.S. households do not currently subscribe to a TV service (source: GfK).

In addition to antennas, Channel Master provides a subscription-free DVR that gives customers a cable-like TV experience with the ability to pause, rewind and record live TV from a TV antenna, a 14-day program guide, streaming services and live Internet channels.

To assist consumers with questions about TV antennas, Channel Master provides an Antenna Selection Guide. To assist consumers with questions about pay-TV alternatives, Channel Master provides a Cord Cutting Guide.