CES 2019

At CES last week, UltraHD displays, cars as entertainment centers and datacasting looked like real opportunities and the new broadcast standard is just the thing to exploit them.

Sinclair and its ONE Media innovations group announced key deals with Harmon and Korea’s SK Telecom at CES this week to jointly develop and commercialize broadcasting-based automotive technology using the ATSC 3.0 standard. “The whole vehicular space is one that is increasingly connected,” says Sinclair’s Mark Aitken.

Turner President David Levy picked perhaps the perfect venue, Las Vegas, to offer his bullish predictions about the future of sports betting. Levy said this change in the legal landscape is a boon for sports broadcasters like Turner, allowing them to capitalize on new experiences and revenue opportunities. “Here’s what we know about sports betting,” Levy said in remarks Wednesday at CES. “If you bet on a game, you’re 80% to 90% more likely to watch the event. If you’re more engaged, guess what happens to ratings? Ratings will go up.”

Executives from Viacom, Sling TV, Discovery and Group Nine said Wednesday at CES that holding on to audiences in a fragmented video ecosystem comes down to leveraging quality brands and embracing the platform agnosticism that their audiences already follow.

A few years ago, VR products from Samsung, Oculus, HTC and Sony seemed omnipresent and unstoppable at CES. These days, VR is mostly a niche product for gaming and business training, held back by expensive, clunky headsets, a paucity of interesting software and other technological shortcomings.

5G-enabled cloud-based production workflows, live volumetric video and delivery of movies to theaters are some of the developments that Disney’s StudioLab — an R&D unit launched on the Disney lot last year — will aim to make a reality with its new StudioLab Innovation Partner, Verizon.

An NAB-sponsored panel on connected cars made the case that broadcasters must work closely with auto OEMs to shape their future there, while broadcasters’ content is their greatest leverage in the relationship.

Sinclair’s ONE Media and Saankhya Labs introduce the “world’s most advanced” multi-standard demodulator system-on-a-chip in Las Vegas.

The two will fund and manage a joint venture company within the first quarter of this year that would provide ATSC 3.0 standards-based solutions to all U.S. broadcasting companies and seek other opportunities globally.

For the second year in a row, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has pulled out of his appearance at the Consumer Technology Association’s CES in Las Vegas next week. Pai was to have been interviewed in a “Fireside Chat” with CES President Gary Shapiro, which has become something of a tradition. But Pai’s office said the government shutdown — and uncertainty about how long it would last — precipitated the decision.

For broadcasters, January’s Consumer Electronics Show will be a chance to drum up interest in ATSC 3.0 and check in on products — especially connected cars, voice-enabled devices and the internet of things — that will define consumers’ experiences over the next year.