Rural American Desire for Local Channels Reaches Record Levels

Rural American Desire for Local Channels Reaches Record Levels

Mitchell, SD – The importance of local tv access in the heartlands hit an all-time high for the first time in the eight years since the start of the annual rural report on video usage. This study was conducted by Pivot, a leading telecom market research firm that has completed more than 1,000 research projects.

Using a 1-10 scale with 10 being very important and 1 being not important at all, over 400 respondents gave access to this programming a rating of 8.6. The study reveals that even 18–54-year-olds gave their highest score in the last three years for the importance of these channels that include ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, and PBS.

One takeaway from this data is that given the importance of local TV, rural Americans will make an effort to have access to these channels. This year’s report also shows that only 15% are using over-the-air antennas so that means they are looking to cable, satellite, or vMVPD (OTT) providers for their local channels. We see this as an ongoing trend that could likely cause rural consumers to look for the least expensive way to get local channels, which is an advantage for those who offer local basic packages which YouTube TV, HULU LIve, and DirectTV Stream cannot offer.

About Innovative Systems
Innovative Systems is a leading vendor of solutions for North American communications and utility providers with over eight hundred deployed systems. eLationTM, our BSS/OSS solution, includes integrated billing, provisioning, mobile apps, financials, and mapping. MG-TV is our one-platform approach to video solutions such as Middleware, VOD, Cloud DVR, Restart TV, HLS Live Streaming, Conditional Access, and set-top boxes. The APMaxTM platform provides enhanced voice and hosted business solutions. The Innovative Systems Print Division is a full-service printing company specializing in print services for the telecommunications and utilities industries. For more information, visit, www.innovsys.com For media inquiries or a copy of the full report contact Scott Meyer, Director of Video and Voice Marketing, scottm@innovsys.com