Streaming Cutting the Cord 142 142 people found this article helpful Choosing a TV Antenna Over Satellite or Cable Cut the cable cord and still watch your favorite shows by Matthew Torres Writer Former Lifewire writer Matthew Torres is a journalist who writes about television technology, consumer support articles, and TV-related news. our editorial process Matthew Torres Updated on December 02, 2020 Tweet Share Email Cutting the Cord Streaming Devices Streaming TV, Movies, & More Music, Podcasts, & Audio Cutting the Cord You may think of TV antennas as relics of a simpler, less digital time, but today's TV antennas are a great way to access local networks and save money if you want to do away with cable and satellite television. Here are five benefits of using a TV antenna. You don't have to get rid of your cable or satellite service to install an antenna. Adding an antenna can improve existing signal quality, and they're ideal for users with many broadcast stations in their locality. pagadesign / Getty Images Antennas Save Money Antennas are, by default, money savers because their job is to receive free TV. If you use a cable or satellite service, you may pay a monthly local service fee to receive local channels. Installing a TV antenna means you can cancel that service fee and enjoy local programming for free, which is how it was meant to be. Some of your local channels may have moved to a new broadcast frequency. To find your favorite local channels at their new frequencies, rescan your antenna through your TV's settings. Find Channels Your Provider Doesn't Offer While your cable, satellite, or streaming service offers a seemingly endless number of channels and entertainment options, many broadcast stations offer at least one subchannel. These subchannels aren't available through your cable or satellite service. Instead, you'll need an antenna to access them. Subchannels vary depending on your location, but they often include an all-weather station, retro television network, and public television channels. Receive Out-of-Market Channels If you live near multiple TV markets, you may be able to receive signals from more than one area. If so, having a TV antenna will allow you to access free stations in multiple markets, along with more subchannels and a wider range of news and sports programming. Get Peace of Mind Satellite subscribers understand that their satellite signal may disappear during bad weather, which is a concern in areas that experience tornado warnings or wintry storms. When keeping a signal is critically important, nothing beats a TV antenna. View Uncompressed High-Definition Signals It's no secret that broadcast networks deliver an uncompressed signal, and cable and satellite providers compress theirs. Antenna fans say they can detect a quality difference when they receive uncompressed high-definition signals. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Email Address Sign up There was an error. Please try again. You're in! Thanks for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. Thank you for signing up. Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit