--- title: Cord Cutting: Why You Should Get An Antenna description: An inexpensive antenna can help you get a basic lineup of TV channels for free. Here's the model we recommend. canonical: https://time.com/4650255/cord-cutters-cable-television-tv-free-super-bowl-antenna/ author: Alex Fitzpatrick article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-01-26T16:45:23.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:44:19.500Z og:title: Cutting Cable? Get One of These First og:description: You'll even get the Super Bowl in high-def for free og:url: https://time.com/4650255/cord-cutters-cable-television-tv-free-super-bowl-antenna/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Cutting Cable? Get One of These First twitter:description: You'll even get the Super Bowl in high-def for free twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Cutting Cable? Get One of These First > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. 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Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ## Video: Cut the Cord on Your Cable Bill [Watch (HLS stream): Cut the Cord on Your Cable Bill](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/6JoWq4ii.m3u8) (1:35)  _Published 2017-01-06. Tired of paying your cable provider? Here's how you can get out of that._  by [Alex Fitzpatrick](https://time.com/author/alex-fitzpatrick/)  ## Alex Fitzpatrick Jan 26, 2017 4:45 PM UTC  by [Alex Fitzpatrick](https://time.com/author/alex-fitzpatrick/)  ## Alex Fitzpatrick Jan 26, 2017 4:45 PM UTC Long ago, tuning in to your favorite television show often meant relying on a hideous antenna unceremoniously plopped atop a gargantuan box with a screen on it. If you were lucky, everything would work great. Otherwise, you were in for a night of fiddling with your “rabbit ears” in the hopes of getting a better signal. In the modern age of cable, satellite and Internet streaming, that, thankfully for television fans and interior designers alike, is no longer the case. But the trend of [cord cutting](http://time.com/money/3963077/streaming-packages-cord-cutting-cable/) (or cord-nevering) is having a strange side effect. As tech-savvy television viewers ditch their expensive pay-TV services in favor of Internet streaming options like Netflix and HBO Now, they’re buying antennae, a decidedly old-school form of gear, to maintain a basic lineup of live TV for free. Think of TV antennae like FM radio: They work by picking up the broadcast television signals that are bouncing around the airwaves, yours for the taking at no charge — beyond the $30-50 you’ll spend on the antenna, anyway. Luckily for us, getting those free TV signals no longer means committing home decor suicide. Many modern antennae have a sleeker design than the one tucked away in your grandmother’s attic. My favorite is the [Mohu Leaf](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00APPDX86/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fsp%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timetechafitzgadgets-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B00APPDX86&linkId=93cb75b8302668f9df35300296327dda), which comes in a variety of range options. The Leaf is paper-thin and virtually weightless, and can be mounted on a wall directly behind a TV set, keeping it largely out of view. (I affixed mine slightly above my TV for better reception.) The 30-mile version gets a handful of high-definition channels to my Brooklyn apartment, though it can admittedly be finicky with ABC, putting my _Jeopardy!_ watching in, well, you know.  Mohu Leaf Mohu Installing the Leaf is as simple as affixing it to a wall and running a coaxial cable to the appropriate input on your TV. Then, you’ll want to run a scan on your television set so it can learn which channels you can receive (check your individual TV’s instruction manual for precise details.) Mohu is also working on a device called the [AirWave](https://www.cnet.com/products/mohu-airwave/preview/) that will deliver live TV to an app on your streaming box of choice, like the [Roku](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LXJA5JD/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fsp%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timetechafitzgadgets-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B01LXJA5JD&linkId=ab111dc76ad35b4a52b3842778987c46) or [Amazon Fire TV](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00U3FPN4U/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fsp%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timetechafitzgadgets-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B00U3FPN4U&linkId=9b8ff08f9e7df35429ac8af64e04d43a). Sling TV, a popular Internet television service, [recently launched a similar device](http://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2017/1/3/14149476/dish-airtv-player-netflix-sling-tv-specs-ces-2017) that combines its service with so-called “over-the-air” channels. Which channels you’ll get with an antenna depends largely on two factors: Where you live and how much range your antenna has. In most cities, you can likely count on receiving at least the basic broadcast networks (free Super Bowl!). Life will be rougher in more remote areas out of reach of broadcast signals — that’s why cable TV proliferated in the first place. Websites like [AntennaWeb](https://www.antennaweb.org/) can help you predict the lineup you’ll receive before you buy. If you need something with lots of range, you can consider an “amplified” antenna like the [Trek Trinity,](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01D0KIJRC/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fsp%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timetechafitzgadgets-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B01D0KIJRC&linkId=339cf2a2ecc168cccd79bd05f07de0b1) though that router-looking model gets a thumbs-down in the design department. Will an antenna replace the channel cornucopia you’ll get with a pricey cable or satellite TV package? Absolutely not. But if you’re ditching pay-TV anyway, a $30-50 one-time purchase is a small price for a basic lineup. [(_Read TIME’s affiliate link policy_.)](http://time.com/4605406/time-affiliate-link-policy/) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4650255/cord-cutters-cable-television-tv-free-super-bowl-antenna/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4650255/cord-cutters-cable-television-tv-free-super-bowl-antenna/"},"headline":"Cutting Cable? 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