Why wouldn’t network TV want as many viewers as possible?

Local channels are free with an antenna.

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If advertising $ is my bread and butter, I want as many eyes as possible on my product.

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With most streaming cable and sat options, you are not forced to watch commercials. As a result, the network affiliates make up the revenue of lost eyes on commercials via charging third party providers to carry their channels. I watch a bunch of sports (and TV shows) and rarely watch anything in real-time because I am not wasting my time watching commercials.

I need to do this. Just pick up an antenna at Walmart or something and I can get local channels? I haven’t had cable in 15 years but I’d like to catch the local news

Because poors aren't a valued demographic, and nether are senior citizens (unless you are selling pillows and catheters).

CBS axed Green Acres, Mayberry RFD and the like in the late 60s, not becausemtheymdidnt bring eyeballs (they did), but because they brought people who didn't spend much money. That's when the TV demographic shift happened.

Does that answer your question?

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I’ve yet to hear a legitimate reason why broadcast TV limits viewers.

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I explained THE answer. Because with streaming, cable, and satellite providers so much of the viewing is time-shifted and people fast forward through commercials. Affiliates charge 3rd party providers to carry their content due to significant loss of eyeballs on commercials when viewed that way by a large portion of consumers. Not sure why this doesn't make sense.

They are excluding unvalued demographics. Poors and old folks would just do without, but the 18-49 demo would stream.

Addition by subtraction?

You do realize you get network stations on your TV right? ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and PBS.

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They're not limiting viewers. The government was giving away free antenna vouchers for poors a few years when they switched to all digital. A cheap antenna is $20 today. There's no excuse to not at least be able to watch the local channels.

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All of that is moot. Poors also have internet. When your bread and butter is eyeballs, I would think you’d want to have as many people as possible watching.

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I’ve yet to hear a legitimate reason why broadcast TV limits viewers.

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And you have yet to explain why you think that they are "limiting viewers" without more than making up for the loss in ad revenue with content rights contract revenue.

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The key is eyeballs on COMMERCIALS.

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Another reason too is that some of those commercials that air on TV cannot run on the Internet. You can thank unions and copyright for that one.

A commercial advertiser may license a song or music bed for Broadcast in the commercial, but if they don’t pay extra for the web rights then it won’t run on the web legally.

If you watch live local newscasts on a channel like Fox 8 in New Orleans, they cut to graphic during the commercial breaks and/or insert web approved commercials.

Now some stations may also look at this situation as a double edge sword. Instead of just putting the same over the air commercials, you can look at this as an area where you can get a separate revenue stream by using different sponsors. Also, it is very expensive for those streaming services that the stations need to deliver its signal to your device.

On a larger scale of broadcast rights, locally signals need geofencing so that let’s say you are in the New Orleans broadcast area you will need to be on a New Orleans station and stream instead of a Baton Rouge station stream.


If you stream on demand on apps like ABC, I have seen even local spots inserted. Not sure if this is TV station provided spots or if they are just random AdSense network buys.