The Low-Tech Times

A record 111.3 million viewers watched the Super Bowl this year. Over 80% of those viewers paid to watch the game via expense cable or satellite tv subscriptions even though the game was readily available for free on over-the-air television. That’s money down the drain!

In addition to this year’s exciting Super Bowl, there were some great finishes during the playoff games (also available for free over-the-air) including the Denver Broncos win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, the San Francisco 49ers win over the New Orleans Saints, the New England Patriots win over the Baltimore Ravens, and the New York Giants win over the 49ers. All of these games were available on network television broadcast for free over the airwaves.

If you’re a hard-core sports fan, perhaps cable is worth the price for ESPN channels (this year’s NCAA Football Championship was only on cable), but in general, there are plenty of great games, both pro and collegiate, broadcast for free on over-the-air tv.

While Universal Sports was unfortunately taken off the free airwaves this year, there are still other sports available on free tv. I recently watched the US Olympic Marathon Trials on regular NBC and just the other night caught a fantastic finish to the UNC vs Duke basketball game. ESPN version from youtube is below.

Recommended TV Antenna for Free TV

What you’ll be able to pick up over-the-air will depend on your location, but I suggest trying out an antenna to see what you can pick up. Since most great sports events are available via over-the-air television, I highly recommend cancelling expensive cable tv subscriptions and going back to low-tech over-the-air tv viewing. If you are satisfied with free tv options in your area, you could save $60 or $100 per month by cancelling your cable subscription.

If you have an old tv, you’ll need a Digital to Analog TV Converter Box and possibly a new antenna. If you have a newer flatscreen tv, you might just need a new antenna. I highly recommend buying the Terk Technology HDTVi VHF/UHF HDTV Indoor Antenna. This is the antenna owned and trusted by the Low-Tech Times.

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