Here's Why the Old-Fashioned TV Antenna Could Be What Kills Cable Stocks
Just when it looks like the cord-cutting might start to ease up, cable companies are being presented with a new challenge. Television antennas and the free, ad-supported broadcasts they deliver are starting a mini-comeback. They may gain even more now that the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) has formally adopted ATSC 3.0 as the official broadcast standard. The 3.0 version can handle the 4K Ultra HDTV video that's made several streaming services such a hit with consumers.
It's not a reason for cable companies like Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) or Charter Communications (NASDAQ: CHTR) to go into panic mode. They've been dealing with the increased loss of subscribers since 2013 when alternatives like Netflix and Disney's Hulu finally became reasonably viable alternatives.
This is just an added hit to an already breaking industry. The real question is whether another alternative to rising monthly cable bills may be what pushes subscribers past the breaking point.
Source Fool.com
