How many FTA'ers?

[LoTech]

Does anyone know (or have an estimate) of how many people in the US watch FTA satellite television?

The reason I ask is that several small market broadcast stations broadcast to only a few thousand people. It seems that it would make sense for some of these stations to specifically target the FTA market. I would suspect that there are at least a few thousand people across the US that would tune in to quality broadcasting, and that the stations could in turn make money from the nationwide advertising that they could sell. It would seem that as more high quality stations became available, the market would grow and become more lucrative.

Just a thought.

- LoTech

 

[Cadsulfide]

Count me in as one, you as two, Anole as three, Linuxman as four......Iceberg as 40,810

 

[FTABman0]

I mainly watch FTA Satellite TV! I am only on my Scientific Atlanta STB for only two (2) shows on cable each night then switch back to the FTA STB for the rest of the evening! Oh..Forgot, on my local TV Station at 6PM to watch local news HDTV OTA!

The ad agencies here in the states would not know how to do it right if it was a loaded gun and just got anciently shot themselves in the foot! The US always has the wrong way to advertise on any media, documented fact! About 6 billion dollars worth (Last Years Number) of wasted money on stuff that just did not work according to the Association of National Advertisers, Inc. Every year the waste in money on improperly advertising would blow your mind! They target the wrong audience demographic always. Here it is plainly who gives up the cash and your on concept. They will advertise anything these days!

I know back in the 90’s that it was hard to sell terrestrial radio then; I know it was hard for TV too. Since then those numbers are a little better in the US with Radio & Television for advertising but not by much, just wasteful money down the drain for the most part! And that is any Market, big city or small!

Very sad, let’s see hmm, what could that kind of money be used for? Speculate all you want there, maybe we could learn something from other countries and the way they advertise their goods and products on TV & Radio. Even for thier small market broadcast stations they (None US combined) spend less in wasteful advertising a year than the United States in spent advertising.

I seen commercials on one of the birds we watch all the time where they have infomercials on FTA receivers and equipment! I think the channel was in Chinese. They obviously see what kind of target audience they need and know how their TV is delivered. I just thought that was cool.

In short I think there is more than a few thousand FTA watchers and owners of equipment! I would venture to say if they did a study of how many people that watch on a regular basis and how many hours you would see that it is more than that!

Would make a great pole just here on the Satellite Guys!

How many of us watch Free To Air Programming regularly, and how many hours spent watching FTA!

You would be surprised just here how many of us there are just on here alone!

Great Topic question LoTech!

LoTech: It would seem that as more high quality stations became available, the market would grow and become more lucrative.

I Agree!

Just My two cents


K E V I N

 

[Davage]

It is a tough job to try estimate how many LEGIT FTA viewers there are. We all know that millions of FTA receivers have been sold in North America, but a clear majority of those boxes have been loaded with 3rd party software to steal programming using small DBS dishes.

I wonder how many linear Ku LNBs have been sold in North America.. That might give a clearer indication as to how many FTA viewers there really are.

 

[FTABman0]

Davage: I wonder how many linear Ku LNBs have been sold in North America.. That might give a clearer indication as to how many FTA viewers there really are.

Great way to really find out Dave!

K E V I N

 

[jayelem]

I wonder how many linear Ku LNBs have been sold in North America.. That might give a clearer indication as to how many FTA viewers there really are.

This is so true...

I think that Globecast subscribers and non-subscribers w/ Globecast equipment could account for a large number of the FTA audience.

I see quite a bit of FTA setups in ethnic areas.

 

[Davage]

But of course, some of us will skew the numbers badly by having 3 or 4 dishes with linear LNB's attached Iceberg alone likely has 15 to 20 LNBs sitting in a drawer somewhere..

 

[FTABman0]

Iceberg alone likely has 15 to 20 LNBs sitting in a drawer somewhere..

Ha Ha, you're right about that, got one or two in the glovebox as well!

"In Case of Emergency Break Glass!!"

:haha

K E V I N

 

[iafirebuff]

It would be interesting to know what the # of legit users are. I see quit a few FTA dishes when I am out and about. I am always curious what they are aimed at and what they use it for. I imagine in the ethnic neighborhoods they are on 97w.

 

[FTABman0]

Be interesting to see total sales each year from our Gold Sponsors Sadaun and SatelliteAV just for KU dishes and KU lnb’s sell. Heck total since they been in business!

I would say that the sististics is more than a few thousand people!

With more people learning about the hobby (legal users) I would say it is more!

Your veteran C-Banders would be a big part in those numbers too! A lot of them run KU with C-Band.

Now knowing that you would think it would be hard to get advertizing time on the birds! There is money to be made there is someone would just wise up and hire someone to run the numbers for them.

Maybe a poll should open here just to see how many of us legit guys there are, again the numbers here alone will surprise you!



K E V I N

 

[Davage]

Maybe a poll should open here just to see how many of us legit guys there are, again the numbers here alone will surprise you!

A poll here I don't think would be very accurate at all. It would be like going into a church and doing a poll of how many people believe in God.

 

[FTABman0]

True Dave,

KU LNB sales is the ticket! :up

Give you some idea!

B~Man

 

[Mr Tony]

Iceberg alone likely has 15 to 20 LNBs sitting in a drawer somewhere..

lemme think

just looking at a pile right now I see about 10 KU, a few DBS and 3 C-Band LNB's there.

I have acquired alot of KU LNB's when I used the T90 dish. Heck at one point that had 16 LNB's on it alone.

I'd be lost without a few spares

 

[Anole]

just one guy can stack the stats:

A quick inventory of what comes to mind . . .
These were acquired in the last three years:

6 - Sky Mexico, Universal LNB
2 - GeoSat SL1 Universal LNB
6 - DishNetwork FSS bandstacked LNB
1 - Invacom SNH-031 LNB

6 - C2 dual output C-band LNBF
1 - B2 sat Stacked C-band LNBF
1 - CK-1 dual band C/Ku LNBF

6 - FTA receivers: STBs, cards, USB, etc.
2 - 36" metal "FTA" dishes
3 - recycled commercial (molded) Ku dishes
3 - motors
2 - 8' BUDs
and an untold number of Dish/Direct dishes 'n parts, most of which are unused.

So, it's possible some of the stuff sold to FTAers accounts for far fewer users that it may seem.

 

[freezy]

I have 1 Digiwave linear standard LNB. I guess it's not the greatest but it's like whole new world to me.

Not sure what good it would do to aim advertising at habitual blind scanners

 

[AcWxRadar]

I am here, too... Of course! Still trying to promote RTN and MY TV and This TV and White Springs TV and any PBS channel out there!

I am sorry, but DN and DirecTV are the only big kids on the block and I don't like their programming available in the past few years, so I want something better and FTA stations like WSTV and the THIS TV and MY TV etc offer what I like. And these guys are free!

I am seriously tired of paying for "paid advertisements"! I want a refund for every "paid program" or ad that aired while I had a subscription! It is pure BS! I am NOT paying for advertisements! I thought that was the whole idea in the first place... Was I just that naive? Not any longer!

Radar

 

[AcWxRadar]

Excuse me for sounding so negative, but I work nights as a rule, and when I get home... That is the only tv time I can afford, just before I go to sleep. Made me very angry that I was paying for a subscription and most of the channels on at that time of the night (2 am - 8 am) were Paid Ads!

Did me no good to have a sub unless I set the recorder on the PVR, what good does that do? The movies are just as bad as the infomercials!

Oh well, I got something better now!

RADAR

 

[Tron]

I agree, pay television should always be commercial free. Unfortunately, we are seeing an increasing number of timeslots devoted to infomercials. TVLand has been doing this more and more lately. I don't mind when RTN does it, since I don't PAY to receive RTN.

 

[LordKaT]

So as my first post, this is going to seem pretty weird. I actually like those paid advertisements. Some of them are hilarious (the "Thunderstick" was full of great innuendo), while others are a great study in marketing techniques.

Yeah ... ok, maybe it's time I picked up a Digicipher II unit and just locked on to the FP PIN and Access TV networks