NextGen TV Debuts On 5 Little Rock Stations

Five television stations in Little Rock, Ark. — Sinclair’s KATV (ABC), Tegna’s KTHV (CBS), Nexstar’s KARK (NBC) and KARZ (MNT) and Mission Broadcasting’s KLRT (Fox) — on Wednesday became the latest in the nation to begin broadcasting with NextGen TV, also known as ATSC 3.0.

Based on the same fundamental technology as the Internet, digital applications, and other web services, NextGen TV can support a wide range of features currently in development, such as immersive audio and video (up to 4K), broadcasting to mobile devices, personalized viewing tools, and advanced emergency alerts providing rich media instead of simple text messages.

NextGen TV also allows full integration with 5G and other broadband-delivered Internet content. It will also offer new and improved ways for broadcasters to reach viewers with advanced emergency alerts.

BitPath, which is developing new data broadcasting services, led the planning process and coordinated efforts across the six stations. It is building the nation’s first dedicated broadcast data network to provide innovative new wireless services at a fraction of the cost of cellular systems.

KATV, KARK and KARZ will be charter members of the BitPath data broadcasting network, which will launch later this year.