Five D.C., Stations Launch NextGen TV

Television viewers in Washington, D.C., can now experience the future of broadcast television as Howard University’s WHUT, two network affiliates and two network owned-and-operated stations have launched NextGen TV, also known as ATSC 3.0.

Switching on the new transmission standard are Howard University’s WHUT (PBS), Sinclair Broadcast Group’s WJLA (ABC), NBCUniversal’s WRC (NBC), Fox Television Stations WTTG (Fox) and Tegna’s WUSA (CBS).

Howard’s WHUT will convert to the NextGen TV standard and host the other four stations.

The Howard NextGen TV Broadcast Collaborative is a landmark project developed in partnership with the National Association of Broadcasters that includes a learning lab where the technology at the forefront of the rollout is developed and demonstrated, underscoring the unique prominence of its public and commercial collaboration.

“Just as technology changes all around us, from our phones to our cars to our homes, NEXTGEN TV is the technological evolution of free broadcast television,” said Sean D. Plater, general manager, WHUR. “By connecting the IP and broadcast television infrastructures together, we’re able to give viewers a better and more engaging content experience. Viewers across the Washington, D.C., region will be excited to not just watch, but also lean in and be more engaged with their content.”

Sam Matheny, NAB’s executive vice president and chief technology officer, said: “The Media Technology Innovation Learning Lab is already living up to its purpose — to foster participation and show how the myriad capabilities of NextGen TV can best be applied for future public service, entertainment, and information objectives. We have tremendous pride in Howard University student Sulaiman Bastien as the first college student in the world to create a NextGen TV app. As the rollout continues, the Lab is poised to replicate more stories of innovation and produce a vibrant ecosystem of broadcasters and app developers.”

Patrick Butler, president and CEO of America’s Public Television Stations, said: “America’s Public Television Stations congratulate WHUT, Howard University, the National Association of Broadcasters and Pearl TV on the official launch of this extraordinary new NextGen TV Broadcast Collaborative. WHUT and Howard University are enhancing the rich public television tradition of education and innovation, and we couldn’t be prouder of their commitment to educating the next generation of leaders in our industry and to providing an exciting array of new NextGen TV services to the people of the Washington, D.C., region.”

Anne Schelle, managing director of Pearl TV, a broadcaster coalition managing the NextGen TV rollout, said: “Delivering unprecedented entertainment, information, and engagement opportunities, NextGen TV has generated remarkable adoption across consumers and broadcasters, as this technology is now available in 37 markets and expected to reach 45% of U.S. households by the end of the year. Washington, D.C., represents an important milestone in the broader rollout and shows that we’ve only just scratched the surface on the value that it brings to viewers and broadcasters.”

In celebration of the launch of NEXTGEN TV service in the nation’s capital, the Howard University NEXTGEN TV Broadcast Collaborative and the NAB will host a virtual event today at 10 a.m. ET. Emceed by WUSA anchor and Howard University alumna Lesli Foster, the event will detail the partnership between Howard University and the other four stations to introduce NextGen TV in Washington. The program will also recognize Howard University students certified in achieving foundational knowledge of NextGen TV and honor the inaugural recipients of the new PILOT NextGen TV Fellowship program, launched by NAB with support from AWS.

Event speakers include Howard University President Dr. Wayne Frederick, NAB President-CEO Gordon H. Smith and FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks. Click here to access the program.