Antennas Direct Experiences First Quarter Triple Digit Growth as Retail Sales Boom
April 21, 2010: ST. LOUIS, Missouri - Nearly two years after the digital TV transition, antenna sales are exploding as Americans migrate back to over the air reception. This has led antenna manufacturer, Antennas Direct, to its eighth year in a row of double digit growth, with $8.7 million in 2010 revenue and a forecasted $21 million in 2011 revenue, where sales were up 225% in Q1 alone.
To make the digital transition possible, the nation's broadcasters invested $15 Billion dollars in rebuilding their stations. That investment is already paying major dividends as Americans become captivated with digital TV. In fact, the rush back to over-the-air is generating panic in pay TV providers, who for the first time in history, lost a record number of subscriber in 2010. It has also been estimated that 1.6 million people will cancel their cable or satellite by the end of 2011, according to the Convergence Consulting Group.
In the midst of this phenomenon, FCC chairman Julius Genachowski continues to assert that over-the-air broadcasting is no longer needed and consequently should be barred. These assertions are 180 degrees from the reality occurring in living rooms across America. As Antennas Direct's growth demonstrates, the pace of antenna sales are convincingly accelerating as people cut the cord. Viewers appreciate that not only does Digital TV offer improved picture quality, more channels and greater reliability, it's also free to the consumer - an important feature during a time of such economic challenges.
According to Richard Schneider, President of Antennas Direct, "Experts have been telling me for 8 years that OTA was dead, yet we have maintained 110% compound annual growth since we started, earning multiple honors on the Inc 500 fastest growing list. So the uninformed statements by the FCC Chairman are nothing but regurgitation of outdated notions from the waning days of analog TV."
Schneider goes on to point out that for legions of Americans, over-the-air digital TV is the new basic cable. "Digital TV is the new disruptive technology, terraforming the media landscape," said Schneider. "Think about it. Is it really surprising sales are exploding, considering the Billions invested by broadcasters and the cluelessness of the cable TV companies?"
"This year we are on pace to liberate nearly 1 million Americans from an unhappy relationship with their pay TV provider while putting over $1.1B annually back in the pockets of our customers," said Schneider.
About Antennas Direct
Antennas Direct is a leader in antenna technology, reinventing the antenna for the digital era. With a heritage in over-the-air antennas specifically tuned for core DTV frequencies, Antennas Direct has invested major resources into the discovery and implementation of new antenna designs for digital reception. A multiple year Inc. 500 fastest-growing company, Visit www.antennasdirect.com for more information.