I recently bought a TV antenna just to see what I might be missing. After all, who doesn't love some extra channels, especially if they're (sort of) free?
By adding an antenna to your TV, you could potentially save yourself extra cash by eliminating streaming services from your monthly spend. TV antennas net you access to an array of local channels, and these cost nothing but the antenna itself, which isn't too expensive to begin with.
But, what channels do you actually get with an antenna, and are they really worth it? I spent a week watching nothing but local channels with my brand new TV antenna to see if going back to the golden era of broadcast television is worth it in 2025. Here's how it went.
News, weather, sports, and more
Before you can dive into any content using a TV antenna, you'll first need to scan your local stations to acquire all the digital channels available in your region. Most TVs will also include an option for analog stations, but these channels have ceased broadcasting since 2021.
Right after scanning all your local channels, you'll find a good portion of them are dedicated to popular news and other national networks. These include CBS, ABC, PBS, and FOX.
I first settled on the latter channel primarily for some of early morning cooking segments on Good Day New York. The quality was actually very good on this channel, which extended to some of the more well-known networks, and that was particularly surprising to me.
Local broadcasts are great for garnering a better feel about what's going on in your neighborhood. I discovered several weather channels that gave me better insight into the actual climate and conditions of my specific area.
This week was rather cloudy and rainy, but the big twist was a cooling in temperature. Instead of sweltering-hot 90 degree days, we're now experiencing a high 70s workweek, which makes commuting to the office a bit more tolerable.
Where once I would typically just look at my Apple Watch or simply ask Google what the weather might be on any particular day, I was now diving into my local weather report each morning just to see what was on the horizon. But, it's certainly not something I'd be doing regularly.
Beyond news channels and weather reports, broadcast TV is also packed to the gills with channels dedicated to specific genres. Think mystery TV, game shows, classic movies, Cops reruns, and the like. It's a melting pot of total randomness, offering you tiny glimpses into the past.
You never really know what you're going to get. I'd often find myself settling on a game show, only to quickly switch to a classic movie channel for a taste of early 1960s Hollywood filmmaking. It's pretty electrifying, but again not something that's going to make me cancel all of my monthly streaming services.
Still a limited selection and subpar quality
Unfortunately, there still wasn't a whole lot more for me to dive into. My area only has access to around 60-something channels, many of which are repeats or duds. I was really hoping I could try some 4K broadcasts, but alas Nextgen TV isn't available in my area yet.
This is why I highly recommend buying a TV antenna that supports both 1080p and 4K resolutions. Although Nextgen TV isn't broadcasting in my region just yet, it is rolling out to various cities across the US. Here's a full map of Nextgen TV's current coverage so you can see if it's in your area right now.
You should also make sure your TV has access to Nextgen TV with an ATSC 3.0 tuner. Many of the best Google TVs come equipped with the specification, particularly TVs made by Hisense, TCL, and Sony. With it, you'll be able to watch 4K TV broadcasts and access other awesome content, like Game Loop.
It's a shame it's not available in my area yet, because I'd love to see what Nextgen TV offers over the mere 60 channels I have currently. It is available in parts of New York already, so I'm hoping it will arrive in my city soon.
Without the addition of 4K broadcasts, I relied on channels including Fox, NBC, Retro, ION, and more for content like Saturday Night Live reruns, Magnum P.I., and the morning news. To say it was limited would be an understatement. And some channels were borderline unwatchable. Quality took a nosedive on lesser-known channels, which shouldn't be too surprising, but you'd think they might look slightly better given OTA broadcasts don't require any signal compression.
Everything form your TV tuner to how high the antenna is placed can affect the quality of your TV broadcasts. Even the antenna itself could be the culprit, which is why I recommend buying one of the best TV antennas so you get the absolute best quality possible.
Should you cancel your streaming services for TV broadcasts?
While broadcast TV is definitely convenient and totally free, it's not quite the end-all-be-all option if you're looking to save yourself from streaming services.
I had a great time setting it up and experiencing what broadcast TV has to offer in 2025, but it's hard to recommend in the face of myriad of other free channels that already exist on your smart TV, not to mention free services like Tubi and Pluto TV.
Of course, TV antennas do have some pros. Broadcast TV can offer you a glimpse into new and exciting content, including older TV shows and classic movies. You'll even garner a better understanding of what's going on in your area through local government channels and weather reports.
You can also make the argument that every household should have a TV antenna, primarily in the case of emergencies. If the Wi-Fi ever goes out, OTA channels will still remain active, netting you access to news coverage and other assorted content. So, it's definitely nice to have if limited Wi-Fi is a concern.
But, if you're looking for a total replacement for some of the best streaming services, broadcast TV just isn't it. Even with the inclusion of Nextgen TV access, it still pales in comparison to what services like The Roku Channel, Freevee, and others have to offer.
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