ATSC 3.0

America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) will hold its 2018 Public Media Summit February 26-28 in Washington. The theme of the 2018 Summit will be The Power of Public Media. The 2018 Summit […]

He will oversee the nascent Spectrum Co., the ATSC 3.0 spectrum consortium founded by Sinclair and Nexstar to promote “spectrum utilization, innovation and monetization by advancing the adoption of the ATSC 3.0 transmission standard across the broadcast industry.”

The tower is power. That was the message from a NATPE panel Wednesday focused on the next-generation broadcast TV standard, aka ATSC 3.0. “Amazon could try and put up sticks around the U.S. and couldn’t match the infrastructure that broadcasters have built over the last 60-70 years,” said Andrew Finlayson, SmithGeiger’s EVP of digital and social media strategies.

Sinclair, Nexstar, Univision and American Tower partner on developing a next-gen TV single frequency network that will be a test of a developed model for the transition from ATSC 1.0 to 3.0 and the deployment of SFN sites in preparation for future national deployment of 3.0 broadcast services.

Advanced advertising capabilities that use the innovative and unique monetization opportunities of the new broadcast standard, ATSC 3.0, are key elements of this new service.

The five-year ATSC standards-development process with hundreds of volunteers culminates in the world’s first internet protocol-based broadcast TV system. Yesterday at CES, the FCC’s approval of ATSC 3.0 standards was celebrated by (l-r): Gary Shapiro, president-CEO of the Consumer Technology Association, Gordon Smith, NAB president-CEO and ATSC President Mark Richer.

Sony and Pearl TV, a consortium of companies pushing the ATSC 3.0 next-gen TV standards, are co-developing a new, more responsive on-screen program guide. The new program guide is being developed as part of Pearl TV’s ATSC 3.0 model market project in Phoenix.

How the new television transmission standard will impact stations and their competitive opportunities will be rop of mind for broadcasters at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show. Also of interest will be the continuing disruption of media, particularly TV, the growth of virtual home assistants and more.

When the FCC adopted its Report and Order authorizing the next-generation TV standard ATSC 3.0, it did not resolve all issues, instead leaving a few for further public comment. Notice of the issues raised in the Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking was published in the Federal Register just before Christmas, setting Feb. 20 as the deadline for initial comments on the outstanding issues, and March 20 as the deadline for reply comments.

They were conducted using the current ATSC 1.0 standard in conjunction with Fox and NBC in Phoenix, with LG integrating the Verance watermark with its webOS Smart TV operating platform.

The list of gear and technologies expected to command broadcasters’ attention and wallets next year includes the transition from SDI to IP infrastructure using clouds; transmitters and other RF gear to handle station migration to new channels; ATSC 3.0; plus a lot of activity involving cameras, bonded cellar, multichannel workflow and virtual sets.

This component of ATSC 3.0 will be featured in joint demonstrations of MediaTek’s digital TV platforms Integrated with Verance Aspect at the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show.

Digital TV receiving equipment and terrestrial tuner chipset manufacturers can now test the performance of their products for compliance with the ATSC 3.0 standard using only a single unit. Rohde […]

If ATSC 3.0 becomes the de facto standard for TV broadcasting in the coming decade, Sinclair’s One Media could make a small fortune from patent royalties from manufacturers of 3.0 receivers and transmission gear. That’s cause for concern for the FCC’s Jessica Rosenworcel. Sinclair, however, says its primary interest is in the 3.0 tech that it believes will let it enhance its broadcast capabilities and move into new businesses.

The trade group told the FCC that “should broadcasters insist on ATSC 3.0 carriage in their negotiations with ACA members … we will not hesitate to present these facts to the commission in a petition for reconsideration.”

With its 3-2 vote yesterday to permit use of ATSC 3.0 on a voluntary basis, the FCC endows broadcasters who adopt the standard unprecedented freedom to determine what businesses they want to be in; what new services they want to provide; and how to go about implementing them. The FCC’s hands-off approach also leaves broadcasters to cope with more uncertainty and risk than they are used to.

Broadcasters are free to move to the next-gen television transmission standard that has been in development for more than seven years. They view it as a potential game changer that is designed to enable them to enhance their broadcast abilities to mobile devices and allow them to tap into new business opportunities.

Senators led by Cantwell and Udall say there’s a troubling timeline and call for Pai to recuse himself from Sinclair-related business until the matter is fully investigated.

With the FCC poised to approve the use of the new broadcast standard tomorrow, One Media EVP Jerry Fritz takes on the critics of the standard and the “horror stories” they tell about its impact on consumers and MVPDs.

Anticipating FCC authorization of the ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard on Thursday, the consortium of leading station groups is planning to set up experimental 3.0 station next spring to explore service enhancement and business opportunities. The project will also include creatng a “lighthouse” station to continue regular digital service to existing sets. Joining Pearl (Cox Media, E.W. Scripps, Graham, Hearst, Meredith, Nexstar, Raycom and Tegna) in the effort will be Fox, NBCUniversal and Univision.

Targeted ads that seem to follow you everywhere online may soon be doing the same on your TV. The FCC is poised to approve a new broadcast standard that will let broadcasters do something cable TV companies already do: harvest data about what you watch so advertisers can customize pitches.

Michigan Democrat Debbie Dingell asks FCC’s Pai about what types of information would be collected from consumers to implement targeted advertisements under the new standard, and how the data would be handled and protected to ensure consumers’ privacy.

The group of independent stations says the commission should to go further at its Nov. 16 vote on relaxing the ban against owning two Big 4 affils in a market. It also suggested that the FCC defer a final decision on the must-carry status of Next Gen TV signals.

A joint NAB-CTA “Living Laboratory” in Cleveland is designed to help broadcasters and manufacturers prepare for the launch of ATSC 3.0 services.

Broadcasters have been expecting good things from new FCC chief Ajit Pai. And he didn’t disappoint with the agenda for next month’s FCC meeting. There was good news on two fronts. First was the plan to relax the local ownership rules. Then came word that the FCC will greenlight ATSC 3.0.

Thursday evening the FCC released details of its proposal to OK ATSC 3.0 and retrans plays a big role. Under the proposed rules, must-carry protection would apply only to a broadcaster’s ATSC 1.0 transmission, not its new 3.0 signal, at least during the simulcasting period the FCC is planning to mandate to protect consumers during the transition. But the proposed rules also make clear that broadcasters will be free to negotiate retrans consent deals for carriage of their 3.0 programming, even during the simulcasting period.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai this afternoon confirmed that the agency will vote Nov. 16 on a proposal that would clear the way for broadcasters to use next-generation ATSC 3.0 technology. Details about the proposed regulations are not expected to be released until later this evening. But in a blog on the FCC’s website this afternoon (see here), Pai said the issue for the agency is whether to “allow television broadcasters to use Next Gen TV on a voluntary, market-driven basis. The bottom line is this: I want America to be at the forefront of innovation in the broadcast sector, the wireless sector, and every other sector of the communications industry.”

Broadcasters have different ideas on how best to proceed with ATSC 3.0. Some advocate an initial rollout of 4K Ultra-HD programming followed by a gradual move into targeted advertising. Another faction touts the near-term potential of a nationwide datacasting business that will first seek B-to-B customers like auto makers and content delivery networks. In any event, 2018 will be crucial.

Mark Lazarus, chairman of NBC Broadcasting and Sports, said the network faces changing sports consumer habits that have affected ratings, but it’s making a full court press with its upcoming Super Bowl and Olympics coverage. He also said ATSC 3.0 presents an opportunity for its stations if it can find “the right balance.” (Photo: Wendy Moger-Bross)

In a speech before Catholic bishops, the Democratic FCC commissioner says she fears the Sinclair-Tribune merger will “do harm to the time-tested principles of diversity, localism and competition.” Because ATSC 3.0 signals are incompatible with TV receivers now in use, she says, the new standard will force consumers to buy new sets. “It’s a tax on every household with a television.” NAB counters that the commissioner “misunderstands” the standard.

It’s a joint venture of three South Korean broadcasters and delivers free UHDTV broadcasts through 31 Rohde & Schwarz transmitter systems at 11 locations.

The Sinclair subsidiary says that the carrier’s suggestion that broadcasters want an FCC mandate requiring cellphone makers to put ATSC 3.0 tuners in their phones is a “red herring.” “Nothing mandates that T-Mobile incorporate Next Gen TV capabilities in devices designed for T-Mobile’s customers,” it says. However, it also says, contrary to T-Mobile’s claims, tuners could be installed in phones.

Accenture’s Mike Chapman, OneMedia’s Jerry Fritz, FTI Consulting’s Mary Ann Halford and Sandhi Kozsuch, chairman of the Pearl group will spell out the opportunities that lie ahead for stations once the new transmission standard is in place at TVNewsCheck’s second annual TV2020 conference at NAB Show New York.

Given the “detrimental effects” of including ATSC 3.0 chips and antennas in cellphones, the wireless carrier argues in a 10-page “white paper” that the FCC should not mandate that device makers install them. “The decision as to whether to include ATSC 3.0 in a device must be left to the market to decide.”

The company’s GuideBuilderXM ATSC 3.0 signaling and announcement generator and StreamScope XM MT monitoring and analysis system have been deployed at WJW to test interoperability and performance, providing broadcasters with a real-world working model for ATSC 3.0 television operations.

The former head of Nielsen’s Gracenote, Eric Anderson, will look to form partnerships with ce companies, chip manufacturers, brands, broadcasters & content providers as more broadcasters adopt Verance Aspect for ATSC 3.0.

Nexstar Media’s and Sinclair’s ATSC 3.0 spectrum consortium — which has recruited Univision and Northwest Broadcasting as members — is looking for a CEO to run the venture full-time. Nexstar CEO Perry Sook says the companies have hired a firm to find a CEO who can focus full-time on finding new members and orchestrating future revenue opportunities for the soon-to-be-available spectrum.

License pool MPEG LA has issued a call for patents that are “essential to ATSC 3.0,” the new set of TV standards being developed by and for broadcasters. MPEG LA is hoping to create a joint license to the intellectual property of ATSC 3.0 developers.

Not being the first out of the chutes with delivery of 4K UltraHD to viewers isn’t necessarily a bad thing for broadcasters. While the industry awaits FCC authorization of next-gen TV transmission, thinking on the best way to deliver 4K has had time to percolate.

The two broadcasters will work together to coordinate the transition of the over-the-air delivery to ATSC 3.0 next-gen television services in 97 markets.