WGBH Transfers Ownership Of Media Management Solution For PBS Broadcasters To Public Media Group

Noncommercial WGBH Boston today said it will transfer ownership of its Public Media Management (PMM) solution to Public Media Group in a move designed to benefit the nation’s public television broadcasters.

PMM is the content management system designed specifically for PBS stations, created by WGBH in partnership with Sony Electronics.

Public Media Group is a technology infrastructure company focused on advancing broadcasters’ opportunities to expand audiences and build new revenue streams with platforms that incorporate the IP-based ATSC 3.0 standard.

Stacey Decker, who pioneered the PMM service when he was chief technology officer at WGBH, is president of PMM at Public Media Group. ATSC 3.0 represents the next generation of broadcast television signals, with full Internet compatibility, mobile delivery, enhanced audio and video quality and interactivity.

“With its unique technology created through our partnership with Sony Electronics, PMM has empowered public media stations to engage in new ways with their communities,” said WGBH President-CEO Jon Abbott. “We’re proud to have nurtured its development at WGBH, and we’re excited to offer greater opportunity for the service to advance and further strengthen broadcasters as part of the vital and visionary work of PMG, under the continued direction of Stacey Decker.”

“Together, the partnership between Sony Electronics and WGBH launched the most innovative hybrid cloud master control offering in the nation,” said John Studdert, Sony Electronics’ VP, media solutions. “PMM provides an ideal platform for the country’s public broadcasters to take advantage of all that NextGen TV will offer. We’re excited to take the next steps in growing PMM along with our new partner, Public Media Group.”

“Public Media Group is focused on expanding opportunities for the television industry by building and operating best-in-class technology platforms, including single frequency networks, digital infrastructure and edge data centers. As PMG works with Public and Commercial stations to evolve the industry to ATSC 3.0, we feel that PMM aligns perfectly with our infrastructure and will allow us to move swiftly in this next year,” said Joe Chinnici, PMG’s CEO.

“PMM’s core structure is the perfect building block for NextGen TV. In the coming year we will add new capabilities to the platform in preparation for the ATSC 3.0 transition,” said Stacey Decker, PMM’s President. “Moving forward, PMM will continue to evolve to serve the television industry by expanding its capabilities to create an efficient and capable platform that takes advantage of the many benefits ATSC 3.0 provides.”

Launched in 2015 at WGBH in Boston, PMM now provides master control and content-sharing services to 18 public TV stations and two national programs. The Network Operations Center will transition from WGBH to PMG in the coming months. Decker will also continue to serve as CTO of Public Media Group to ensure continuity in the PMG technology stack.