STAMFORD, Conn.—As part of a broader push to capitalize on the potential of AI in its ad sales and other operations, Charter’s AI and data commercialization business unit Spectrum Intelligence Ventures has announced its first product, a household intelligence platform called Latis.

Built on information spanning digital engagement, TV viewership, and connected device activity across approximately 30 million U.S. households and 500 million connected devices, Spectrum said that Latis is designed to transform real-world activity into intelligence that will help companies and organizations better understand consumer intent, context, emerging trends and shifting demand at national scale.

“The transition from data to intelligence is one of the most important shifts happening across technology and business today,” said John Lee, head of Intelligence Ventures for Spectrum. “Latis is designed to help power this next generation of AI-driven systems by transforming large-scale household signals into continuously evolving real-world intelligence that organizations can use to improve decisioning, automation, personalization and business outcomes.”

Spectrum reported that Latis continuously models household activities across digital, video and device signals, transforming household-level data into pseudonymized mathematical and privacy protected representations of household activity patterns.

This will help advertisers, companies and organizations better understand changing consumer intent, priorities, responsiveness and likely future actions across such industries as retail, automotive, financial services, travel, media, telecommunications and consumer goods.

For example, traditionally, a clear sign of a consumer’s interest in travel typically only becomes available only after a consumer has taken a clear transaction-oriented step, Spectrum explained.

Latis is designed to help identify emerging travel-related interests earlier in the consumer journey by transforming household-level activity patterns—such as destination research, engagement with travel-related content, and comparison of vacation options—into a pseudonymized and privacy protected sense of intent, interest, affinities and trends.

Spectrum also reported that Latis is designed to support a broad range of enterprise and AI-native use cases, including:

• Consumer insights and segmentation
• Media targeting, optimization and measurement
• Data clean room collaboration and enhancement
• Personalization and decisioning
• Model training
• Agentic AI acceleration

Spectrum said that Latus was designed with a privacy-forward architecture and governed access framework.

It enables organizations to obtain intelligence through secure collaboration environments, controlled integrations and governed infrastructure models designed to support enterprise privacy, security and governance requirements. Partners may use the intelligence outputs for permitted business purposes, such as advertising, marketing, measurement, research, customer engagement, analytics, personalization, and improving AI-driven tools and services, but the underlying household-level data stays within Latis’ controlled environment and is privacy protected.

Spectrum Intelligence Ventures is currently selecting a limited group of partners for beta participation. Beta programs include collaboration with Spectrum Reach to provide select partners early access to Latis intelligence combined with Spectrum Reach and wider media inventory to improve targeting and business outcomes. Broader availability is planned for the second half of 2026.

NEW YORK—Nielsen’s newest edition of the Ad Supported Gauge shows that the total share of ad-supported TV is holding steady in Q1 2026, representing nearly 73% of overall TV viewing while streaming captured a record share of ad-supported TV viewing.

In the quarter, streaming captured a record-high 46.6% share of ad-supported TV, driven by seasonal events including NBCU’s Super Bowl simulcast, Olympics coverage on Peacock, Amazon’s NFL playoff games, and additional episodes of blockbuster series like Stranger Things on Netflix, Landman on Paramount+, and The Pitt on HBO Max.

Overall, sports continue to be a driving force behind the consistently high share of ad supported TV. The fourth quarter, with its blockbuster sports schedule, retained the high water mark for share of ad supported TV, but there is less than a 1.8 share point difference between the highest and lowest quarter.

Coming off a five-quarter high in Q4, broadcast captured a 28.2% share of ad-supported TV viewing in Q1, down 1.4 share points from last quarter and down 0.5 points year-over-year.

Cable rebounded to a 25.2% share (up 0.4 points from Q4), driven by the February 2026 Olympics and its traditional March Madness ratings surge.

In releasing the data, Nielsen noted that the published version of The Ad Supported Gauge has not migrated to the ARF DASH-based media related universe estimates which is planned for the fall. This is significant because this approach, while consistent with previous months of the Gauge, will have different results than production data.

KINGS PARK, N.Y.—MultiDyne Video & Fiber Optic Systems is acquiring the assets of MRMC (Mark Roberts Motion Control), a pioneering developer of robotic camera systems, motion control solutions and automated camera tracking technologies for broadcast, digital cinema, sports production and live events.

Nikon announced in April that it was selling MRMC.

As part of the transaction, MultiDyne has established MultiDyne Robotics and Motion Control, a new company that will maintain the well-known MRMC brand.

The acquisition brings MRMC’s core technologies, intellectual property, manufacturing capabilities and key engineering expertise into the MultiDyne organization, creating a powerful combination of complementary technologies that extend MultiDyne’s reach to the very beginning of the content creation chain.

"MRMC is a world-class brand with an exceptional reputation for innovation, engineering excellence and customer success," said Frank Jachetta, CEO of MultiDyne. "This acquisition represents a natural and highly strategic extension of our business. MultiDyne has long been focused on the transport, processing and management of video, audio and data signals. MRMC places us at the point of image acquisition itself, allowing us to participate in a much broader portion of the production workflow. Together, our technologies create a powerful end-to-end ecosystem for content creators, broadcasters and live production professionals worldwide."

MRMC has been recognized as a pioneer in camera robotics and motion control for six decades, developing award-winning solutions that enable precision camera movement, automated tracking, virtual production workflows and cinematic motion control for some of the world's leading broadcasters, filmmakers and content creators.

The move comes during a milestone year for MultiDyne as the company celebrates its 50th anniversary, marking five decades of innovation and strategic growth across broadcast, digital cinema, Pro AV and live production markets.

The MultiDyne and MRMC product portfolios have virtually no overlap. Instead, the two companies serve many of the same customers, channel partners and markets with complementary technologies.

MultiDyne's fiber-optic transport, camera interface and signal processing solutions are widely used throughout professional production environments to move video, audio and data across complex infrastructures. MRMC's robotic camera systems, tracking solutions, motion control rigs and automated production technologies complement those workflows by controlling the physical movement, positioning and automation of the cameras themselves.

The combined portfolio will strengthen MultiDyne's position across broadcast television, sports production, digital cinema, virtual production, corporate AV, houses of worship, live events and emerging content creation markets, the company said.

The acquisition also significantly strengthens MultiDyne's international presence, particularly in Europe, where MRMC has built a respected global brand and loyal customer base. MultiDyne plans to maintain MRMC's operations in the United Kingdom while preserving the engineering expertise, product innovation and customer relationships that have made the company a trusted partner throughout the industry.

Neil Maycock, a member of the MultiDyne leadership team, will run MRMC as Managing Director and emphasized the importance of continuity for customers and partners.

"MRMC has earned tremendous loyalty throughout the broadcast and cinema industries because of its innovation, product quality and commitment to customer success," said Maycock. "Our priority is ensuring continuity for customers, partners and ongoing projects while creating a strong foundation for future growth. We see tremendous opportunities to expand the reach of MRMC technologies through MultiDyne's global sales channels, customer relationships and long-term investment strategy."

The acquisition represents the latest in a series of strategic growth initiatives that have expanded MultiDyne's technology portfolio, geographic reach and market presence over the past decade.

WASHINGTON—The Library of American Broadcasting Foundation (LABF) today announced the release of a new series of pre‑produced radio and television spots as part of its “Before It Was History, It Was Broadcast” initiative supporting America’s 250th Anniversary.

The new :30 spots feature archival audio and visuals drawn from the Library of American Broadcasting Special Collection at the University of Maryland. Each piece highlights the essential role radio and television stations have played in documenting the nation’s most defining moments as they unfolded. Topics covered range from children’s programming and game shows to I Love Lucy and historic moments of national consequence.

These pre‑produced messages complement the customizable shells LABF previously released, giving stations two ways to participate in the national commemoration. The new versions are fully produced and ready for immediate on‑air use, complete with narration, archival elements, and royalty‑free music. Television spots also include patriotic visuals reflecting the campaign’s theme.

“Broadcasters have always been the trusted link between historic events and the communities they serve,” said LABF Co-Chairs Deborah Parenti and Dave “Chachi” Denes. “These spots celebrate the journalists, storytellers, and stations that have brought defining moments into America’s homes. They also showcase the incredible depth of the Library’s archival treasures.”

Stations may download the pre‑produced spots—along with the previously released customizable shells – by contacting Mary Collins, Executive Director, at Mary@LABFMedia.org or 847‑910‑8878.

ATLANTA—Gray Media has named Annie Cordell as the next General Manager of WMBF, the NBC affiliate serving Myrtle Beach and Florence, South Carolina effective July 13.

Cordell brings to the new role a distinguished career spanning broadcast television sales, management, and digital media. She most recently served as vice president of sales and director of digital for Bahakel Digital and WCCB (CW) in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she navigated the industry's shift from traditional broadcast to multiplatform distribution and launched an in-house digital agency.

Cordell began her career at WNUV (IND) in Baltimore, Maryland, and her affiliation experience spans ABC, CBS, FOX, and CW within the ownership groups of Group W, CBS Television, and Bahakel Communications.

She is a graduate of Goucher College where she earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in both Business and Communications.

NEW YORK—Samsung Ads named the first brands and agencies that will be taking advantage of the Amazon Ads’ remote-enabled interactive video ad (IVA) technology on Samsung TV Plus.

The capability, which was announced on Samsung’s NewFronts stage in March, allows consumers to shop from their TV set.

Partners include Boiron USA, Logitech, PLAION, PMG and Reckitt, who will be among the first brands and agencies to activate the new shoppable ad experience across Samsung TV Plus inventory.

The announcement marks a major step forward for Samsung shoppable CTV, extending interactive, remote-enabled ad experiences to Samsung TV Plus, the global FAST service of Samsung Electronics. Samsung TV Plus surpassed 100 million monthly active users (MAUs) worldwide this year, underscoring the growing strength of FAST as a premium advertising environment.

For brands selling on Amazon, “Add to Cart” functionality allows shoppers to purchase directly within their Amazon storefront with a seamless click of the remote. For advertisers who do not sell on Amazon, CTAs like "Send to Phone" and outcome-driven headlines like "Sign Up Today" extend engagement beyond the TV screen, Samsung said.

These shoppable TV experiences extend engagement beyond the TV and help brands continue conversation across devices.

Amazon Ads has noted that interactive video can drive 6X higher brand search, 4X more detailed page view, 4x more add to cart actions and 5x higher purchase rates, Samsung reported.

“The TV has always been the entertainment center of the home. Now people are using that screen differently — to discover, search, compare, and shop,” said Jimmy White, managing director of ad sales, North America, Samsung Ads. “For years, CTV has been a powerful tool for building awareness, but its greatest promise lies in driving full-funnel outcomes. With Amazon Ads, we're helping brands turn attention into action and close the gap between discovery and purchase.”

Flagship launch partners spanning consumer health, technology, toys, and entertainment are embracing the new shoppable experience as a way to reach engaged audiences, enhance product discovery, and create a more seamless path from content to commerce.

DALLAS—In the wake of the news that Fox plans to pay $22 billion to acquire Roku, a new survey from Horowitz Research highlights how important streaming platforms have become in the connected TV ecosystem and reaffirms Roku's position as the most commonly used streaming platform among U.S. consumers.

According to "Horowitz Research’s State of Media, Entertainment, and Tech: State of Subscription’s 2026" report, nearly four in ten U.S. streaming platform users choose Roku to stream content, outpacing top competitors Amazon Fire TV and Samsung’s Smart Hub interfaces, each of which are used by almost one in three streamers.

While Roku leads in penetration and usage, the study also shows that consumers rate competing platforms more favorably across key experience measures.

For example, Amazon Fire TV outranks Roku on ease of finding content within the platform as well as lagging time, the ability to cast to screens, and the ad experience. Samsung outperforms on Wi-Fi connectivity and reliability. Both these systems outrank Roku on start-up speed and smart home integration.

While Google TV and Apple TV have less penetration within streaming households, both platforms fare better on key attributes compared to Roku.

“Roku’s acquisition by Fox is a strategic move designed to deliver younger viewers to the aging Fox demographic,” noted Adriana Waterston, executive vice president of insights and strategy for Horowitz Research. “But as the market for smart TV’s continues to evolve, we anticipate that consumers will increasingly choose their smart TV interfaces scrupulously, much like they do with their mobile devices. To continue to dominate the market, Roku will need to look not just as driving penetration but finessing their interface to meet the demands of Gen Z and younger consumers who will expect a robust, highly personalized, and tech-forward user experience.”

The study also found that “Roku’s new Ad Manager, which will enable smaller businesses to leverage hyper-local TV ads, is exciting because it democratizes access to CTV advertising for local and emerging brands,” she added. “However, it runs the risk of over-saturating the Roku viewing experience with repetitive, lower quality ads which could further alienate the younger audience that already has low tolerance for advertising.”

For more information about the "State of Media, Entertainment & Tech: Subscriptions 2026" report, visit: https://www.horowitzresearch.com/syndicated-research/state-of-media-subscriptions/.

TOMBOLO, Italy—Wisycom has announced further improvements to its ecosystem of professional wireless solutions with the MPR60 Wideband IEM/IFB Receiver with expanded multichannel IFB mode, MATF Wideband Antenna Matrix and PFL Portable RF over Fiber (RFoF) Box.

Together, these technologies deliver significant tech improvements for large‑scale, complex wireless infrastructures across broadcast, live events, corporate production and RF over Fiber applications.

The latest firmware update for the MPR60 Wideband IEM/IFB Receiver introduces a powerful three‑channel IFB mode, which enables up to three IFB audio channels to be transmitted over a single 200 kHz RF carrier. When paired with the Wisycom MTK982 transmitter, users can achieve up to 60 IFB audio channels within an 8 MHz TV channel or 45 channels within a 6 MHz TV channel, offering the most RF‑efficient IFB solutions available today.

Even in multichannel mode, the MPR60 maintains full wideband coverage from 470–1,260 MHz and preserves Wisycom’s renowned RF robustness. The receiver’s newly confirmed IP65 rating further strengthens its suitability for outdoor, mobile and high‑demand production environments. The new firmware, MPR60 v1.3.0, MTK982 v2.6.0 and Wisycom Manager 5.0.0, are now available. An optional multichannel IFB license enables users to replace three MTK982 transmitters with a single unit, which reduces rack space, cost and associated RF hardware.

Wisycom’s new MATF Wideband Antenna Matrix, designed for complex, multi‑zone wireless infrastructures and RF over Fiber deployments, supports both coaxial and fiber inputs. It also consolidates multiple rack‑based components into a single, highly flexible unit capable of combining up to eight RF zones in diversity. There are four coaxial outputs that act as either four equal buffered outputs in 8:1 or two equal buffered outputs in the 4:2 setup, which allows more receivers to be connected without the need for additional splitters.

With a wide operating range of 170–1,260 MHz, integrated ultra‑fast Frequency Spectrum Analyzer, remote‑controllable antenna modules and Ethernet‑based system management, the MATF provides unmatched configurability for CAR/CER‑based installations, OB units, TV stations and large‑venue productions. The MATF is available in four configurations, which allows integrators to select the version that best fits their architectural and operational needs.

Wisycom has also begun shipping its new PFL Portable RFoF Box, a rugged, quick‑deploy solution designed for high‑demand broadcast, OB, location sound and live production environments. The unit delivers true diversity over fiber with a dual converter architecture, Ethernet connectivity for remote control or Dante workflows and a Neutrik opticalCON DUO interface, all operable via both mains and a V‑lock battery power source, commonly found in effects camera equipment.

Each enclosure includes dual N‑connectors, integrated power management with temperature‑controlled cooling and protected I/O for field reliability. The portable box comes in three main versions — two for wireless microphone diversity pick-up and one for IEM/IFB applications. Beyond extending the placement of antennas in remote zones from 100m (330 feet) to several kilometers (or miles), the boxes also carry additional signals over the fibers. This includes effects Gigabit Ethernet that can be used to extend signals, such as FX Data, Dante, Shure ShowLink® and Sound Devices NexLink return channel information. The RF over Fiber solutions can also be used with most other wireless microphone systems.

“With the new MPR60 receiver, MATF antenna matrix and PFL Box, we’re giving our customers powerful new tools to manage increasingly complex RF environments,” says René Moerch, group product director, Wisycom. “These solutions were engineered for the world’s most demanding productions where efficiency, flexibility and RF robustness are absolutely critical.”

All three products are available for shipping through Wisycom’s global reseller network.

WASHINGTON—In a 3-0 vote by Commissioners, the Federal Communications Commission has adopted new rules for the Emergency Alerting System (EAS) that aim to preserve the public’s trust in EAS by targeted cybersecurity upgrades to prevent cybercriminals and foreign governments from hijacking the system.

“Requiring stronger password practices, timely software updates and improved security controls will help reduce opportunities for bad actors to exploit weaknesses in alerting equipment,” FCC Chair Brendan Carr said.

In addition, the Commission will move forward with a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that seeks comment on additional ways to modernize EAS and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) ranging from bolstering reliability to improving geographic accuracy, the agency reported during its June Open Meeting on June 25.

A notable feature of those proposals in the June 25 Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking is a proposal to allow the implementation of EAS capabilities via software instead of hardware and retiring the 90-character maximum versions of WEA messages.

During the meeting the Commission adopted three specific measures to help protect against hijacking by cybercriminals and our nation’s adversaries. Those require EAS Participants to use strong passwords, promptly test and install security patches issued by equipment manufacturers, and use a network firewall or comparable practice to better limit access to their equipment.

In addition, the regulator issued a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking proposing multiple targeted improvements that can make EAS and WEA more accurate, resilient, flexible, and useful. These proposals would improve EAS’s integrity by requiring the authentication of all alerts before they are transmitted and promote the reliability of emergency alerts by establishing a universal alert identification number to help block duplicate alerts.

The Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking also explores improving geographic accuracy by eliminating outdated WEA geotargeting exceptions that often cause alerts to be received in the wrong locations and increasing alert effectiveness by requiring EAS and WEA to display symbols that match the type of emergency.

Finally, the FCC is proposing to remove outdated requirements by allowing the implementation of EAS capabilities via software instead of hardware and retiring the 90-character maximum versions of WEA messages.

In a statement, NAB president and CEO Curtis LeGeyt praised "Chairman Carr’s leadership in strengthening and modernizing the Emergency Alert System. We are pleased with the Commission’s newly adopted Report and Order, which establishes reasonable safeguards to enhance the cybersecurity of EAS. Local radio and television stations play a vital role in delivering trusted emergency information to communities when it matters most. Ensuring that EAS remains secure, reliable and effective is essential to that mission."

LeGeyt also said that the NAB supports "the Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and appreciate the Commission’s approval of NAB’s petition to consider software-based EAS alert processing as an alternative to dedicated physical hardware. By allowing broadcasters to deploy security updates more quickly, reduce equipment downtime and strengthen system redundancy, this proposal can help ensure stations are better positioned to deliver critical emergency information when communities need it most."

More information is available here.

A more detailed description of the changes can be found at our sister publication Radio World.

Clear-com has announced that the production teams for Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! have added Clear-Com FreeSpeak wireless and Arcadia Central Station to upgrade their production communications.

Audio Masterpiece’s Gary Vahling, who has worked in the professional audio industry since the early 1990s, served as the lead systems partner for the project. Known for his meticulous preparation and hands-on testing approach, Vahling made sure the communications system was fully validated before deployment, minimizing risk and guaranteeing reliability once it reached the studio floor.

Chris Savage, technical manager and project lead for both shows, oversaw the system design and installation.

“Both shows share a control room but have stages that are effectively miles apart due to walls, pathways, and even parking lots,” Savage explained. “We needed a system that could handle extensive travel between the control room and the stages without a single dropout, and that’s exactly what we achieved.”

The production team on Wheel of Fortune requested a more flexible and channel-rich system to accommodate a technically savvy crew with increased monitoring needs. Clear-Com integrated a combination of FreeSpeak II and FreeSpeak Icon systems, leveraging Bluetooth-enabled beltpacks for maximum ease-of-use, even for executives with minimal technical experience.

For Jeopardy!, reliability and streamlined communication were equally critical in supporting the show’s fast-paced production environment, where timing, contestant coordination, and precision cueing are essential, Clear-com said. The Clear-Com setup provides dedicated wireless coverage across the stage and production areas, giving crew members instant, uninterrupted communication throughout tapings.

The system now supports 30 FreeSpeak II beltpacks and 6 Icon beltpacks for Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!, with easy intersystem connectivity.

The upgrade also included Arcadia Central Station, allowing full interoperability with existing Dante-enabled audio networks. This approach enabled lighting and PA crews to continue using legacy FreeSpeak II beltpacks while taking advantage of FreeSpeak Icon’s advanced capabilities.

“The goal was a system that would last for years and scale with evolving production needs,” said Savage. “The team at Clear-Com, working closely with our Partners, delivered a solution that was simple and useful. From control room to stage, operators experienced zero downtime, even during high-pressure live productions.”

NBCUniversal’s Peacock and Telemundo said an average of 2.3 million viewers have watched some of their coverage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup during the competition’s first two weeks, up 277% from the same perioid during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Peacock and Telemundo are the exclusive Spanish-language streaming platforms for the 2026 World Cup. Fox Sports holds the English-language rights to the competition, which runs June 11 through July 19.

Through the first 40 matches, the Average Minute Audience (AMA) across Telemundo and Peacock streaming platforms has averaged 2.3 million viewers, up 277% from the same stage of the 2022 World Cup (622,000 AMA). AMA is defined as the average number of viewers watching the stream in any given minute of the telecast.

Several variables drove the viewership increase, not the least of which is that marquee live matches are being streamed during primetime as the tournament is in North America. Also, Peacock now has a much larger subscriber base at 46 million, more than double the roughly 20 million it had in 2022.

Total Audience Delivery (TAD) over the first 40 World Cup matches averaged 5.5 million viewers, up 141% from 2022. To date, 19 matches have delivered a Total Audience Delivery of more than 5 million viewers, compared to just two matches at the same point in the 2022 tournament.

TAD measures the entire audience across every single platform combined—traditional broadcast television (Telemundo), cable, and all digital streaming platforms (Peacock and apps).

The June 19 U.S.-Australia match delivered TAD of 6.8 million, up 46% from the U.S.’s second Group Stage match of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 against England (4.7 million). The match ranks as the second most-watched U.S. Men’s FIFA World Cup match ever in Spanish.

Audience engagement remains at historic highs, with 26.2 billion total minutes consumed across Telemundo broadcast, Peacock and Telemundo streaming platforms through the first 40 matches of the tournament, already surpassing the 22 billion total minutes consumed during the entirety of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 in Spanish, Telemundo said.

Fox Sports, the host broadcaster for the World Cup in the U.S. has also reported record ratings in the early days of the event, with viewership of 18.4 million for the first U.S. men’s game against Paraguay, making it the most-watched World Cup in U.S. history. The second U.S. men’s match against Australia attracted 14.78 million overall viewers on Fox.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup continues across Fox, Telemundo, Universo, Peacock and the Telemundo app through July 19.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is on track to become the most profitable tournament in history. Expanded to 48 teams and 104 matches, it is creating more advertising inventory than any previous edition. The addition of hydration breaks has further increased inventory for some broadcasters, creating two extra advertising opportunities every match.

Yet despite the records being set in 2026, the industry is only beginning to unlock the full commercial potential of major live sports. The next wave of Dynamic Ad Insertion (DAI) innovation promises not only to improve the viewing experience, but also to create entirely new forms of inventory and measurement.

Better Viewer Experiences Create More Inventory

One of the most significant developments is Server-Guided Ad Insertion (SGAI), the next evolutionary step in DAI technology.

Because advertising is handled separately from the primary content playlist, SGAI makes long DVR windows easier and more cost-effective to support. Viewers can rewind further, while broadcasters gain new monetization opportunities through historic ad breaks being resolved dynamically at the point of viewing, which was previously much harder to do.

SGAI also enables addressable advertising without adding latency. As broadcasters push toward broadcast-comparable live streaming, the ability to combine low latency with addressable advertising ensures monetization can now evolve alongside improvements in the viewing experience.

The Rise of Non-Linear Advertising

Perhaps the biggest growth opportunity lies in non-linear ad formats.

Traditional commercial breaks remain highly valuable, but advertisers increasingly want formats that keep viewers engaged with the action. Industry efforts led by the IAB's Ad Format Hero initiative are standardizing overlays, lower-thirds, squeezebacks, side-by-side presentations, and other interactive formats.

Some 2026 World Cup viewers have already seen similar examples. During hydration breaks, Telemundo has displayed sponsored graphics on-screen while maintaining live match commentary. Standardized formats will make similar executions easier to buy, deploy, measure, and scale across multiple broadcasters and markets.

Importantly, these formats are not dependent on SGAI. They can also be delivered through existing Server-Side Ad Insertion (SSAI) deployments, meaning broadcasters are likely to benefit from them sooner rather than later.

Closing the Measurement Gap

The final missing piece is measurement. Viewability remains one of advertising's most important metrics but measuring it consistently across connected TV devices has proven difficult—particularly for syndicated channels and distribution partners where the rights-holder does not control the player environment.

Two emerging standards are helping solve this problem. SVTA’s ad creative signaling provides a standardized way for players to process tracking information without custom integrations. CMCDv2, developed by CTA WAVE, enables players to report standardized playback information such as playhead position and user interactions, allowing the DAI platform to perform the tracking.

Together, these approaches create a path toward reliable, IAB-certified measurement in environments where granular reporting has historically been difficult to achieve.

Records Today, Bigger Opportunities Tomorrow

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is delivering more matches, more viewers and more advertising opportunities and is already driving record revenues.

But the industry's next phase may prove even more significant. SGAI promises better viewer experiences and new monetization models. Standardized non-linear formats will create entirely new inventory around live events, while CMCDv2 and related initiatives will close long-standing measurement gaps and improve advertiser confidence.

While this World Cup may be the most profitable yet for rights-holders, the next era of Dynamic Ad Insertion is set to create an advertising ecosystem with more inventory, better measurement, and greater flexibility—further increasing the value of major sporting events.

In Australia, the patch bay is called a tail board. In the United Kingdom, the engineer responsible for matching cameras is often called a “racker” rather than a shader.

At the FIFA World Cup, those differences disappear remarkably fast.

The world’s largest sporting event brings together hundreds of broadcast professionals from different countries, cultures and technical traditions. Within days, engineers from Australia, England, the United States and beyond must operate as a single crew delivering one of the most recognizable sounds in sports.

They arrive speaking slightly different technical languages. The same piece of equipment or role can have multiple names. Yet by kickoff, those differences largely vanish. The audience hears one broadcast, not the dozens of production cultures working behind it.

What viewers remember is the roar after a goal, the tension before a penalty kick, the swell of a national anthem and the eruption of a stadium after a dramatic winner. They remember how the World Cup feels. Audio is a major part of that feeling.

Australian broadcast veteran Tim Stapleton, audio guarantee for Host Broadcast Services (HBS) in Kansas City, is one of the people responsible for creating that experience. A veteran of UFC, cricket, combat sports in the Middle East and the recent Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, this is his first World Cup. The scale stood out immediately.

"The World Cup is unique because of the sheer number of moving parts," he said.

BIG EVENT, BIG UNDERTAKING

Commentary facilities are handled by a completely separate company, with 10 dedicated booths inside the stadium. Outside, the production compound fills a parking lot with mobile rack rooms and support units from multiple vendors.

The biggest difference from a normal match is the atmosphere. “The crowd makes it sound like a magical moment, not a regular weekly game,” Stapleton said. “You can tell it is something special.”

HBS deploys a standardized audio plan across all venues while adapting to each stadium's characteristics. In Kansas City, the bowl design allows crowd noise to rise naturally, giving the mix team exceptionally clean audience capture.

Capturing that atmosphere requires far more than the standard soccer microphone package. The foundation remains familiar: pitch microphones positioned around the field to capture ball strikes, player movement and referee whistles, along with microphones mounted on cameras to follow the action.

Beyond that foundation, the World Cup expands significantly. Additional crowd microphones and immersive audio arrays are deployed throughout the venue to capture the atmosphere that defines the tournament. In Kansas City, ambient microphone arrays are positioned on the roof, camera deck, and pitch level, allowing the team to capture everything within the roar of the stadium.

The goal isn't simply to make the crowd louder. It's to make viewers feel present.

GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium (or, FIFA is calling it during the tournament, Kansas City Stadium) presents a unique advantage in that regard. Stapleton noted that the stadium's bowl design allows crowd noise to rise naturally through the venue, creating excellent opportunities to capture clean audience reaction.

A MIX THAT TELLS A STORY

For Stapleton, however, the technical design is only part of the equation. His approach to mixing is rooted in storytelling. Rather than simply balancing levels, he actively follows the action around the field, searching for sounds that draw viewers deeper into the match. The crowd remains a constant emotional foundation while individual moments are allowed to breathe naturally. "You're telling a story," he said.

Goals are allowed to build organically rather than exaggerated artificially. As the action moves around the field, microphones mounted on handheld cameras, Steadicams and other mobile systems help bring viewers closer to the moments they are seeing on screen. There is even a microphone mounted on the referee, though it is only used during specific review situations.

The Lionel Messi hat trick in Kansas City was a perfect example. “The reaction inside the stadium was immediate and overwhelming,” Stapleton said. Moments like that are exactly why so much effort is placed on crowd capture. The goal isn't simply to hear the reaction; it's to transport viewers into the stadium and allow them to experience the emotion of the moment alongside the fans in attendance.

The technology behind those moments may be sophisticated, but for many of the visiting engineers, the most memorable part of the World Cup has been adapting to life in the United States.

For Felix Harris, an HBS A2 from London with extensive Premier League and Club World Cup experience, the technical approach feels familiar, just on a larger scale. American stadiums, compounds, and travel distances are noticeably bigger than what he's accustomed to in the U.K.

"It's really tomato-tomah-to as far as nomenclature goes," Harris said. "But it's definitely a bit more." A lot more.

Andrew Lilley, another U.K.-based HBS A2, pointed to one practical difference: U.K. vehicle-length restrictions limit how much equipment can fit in a mobile unit. American trucks simply have more room, allowing for larger technical footprints and expanded microphone deployments. “A good tech sheet keeps everyone on the same page,” Lilley said.

TEAMWORK COMES QUICKLY

While terminology and workflows may vary, crews quickly find common ground. According to Stapleton, the real key to building a successful crew has nothing to do with technology.

“The first few days are essential,” he said. Crews learn each other’s strengths. They figure out how people communicate. They discover who works best in which roles. Shared meals, a drink after work and long production days help transform a group of strangers into a functioning team. “You spend so much time together that you become a family.”

Harris described the welcome from American crews as warm and accommodating. Lilley joked about adjusting to the food, the lack of public transportation and a level of humidity that felt different from anything he experiences at home. “You do not do green vegetables in the States,” he joked. “And everything is on a bun.”

Stapleton has been impressed by Kansas City itself. “The best part is the locals,” he said. "Everyone has been friendly and willing to help.”

By kickoff, the terminology has been sorted out. The accents have become familiar. The workflows have aligned. Engineers who arrived from different continents are now focused on a single objective, helping billions of viewers feel connected to a match happening thousands of miles away.

Shared meals, long production days and countless hours spent solving problems together have transformed a group of strangers into a crew. The microphones, trucks and technology make that possible. The people make it memorable.

Together, they create the sound of the World Cup.

ALAMEDA, Calif.—Clear-Com has announced the successful deployment and testing of FreeSpeak Cell by RTL Deutschland during a live event production at Germany’s Nürburgring race circuit. The test validated the system’s ability to deliver reliable, low-latency communications across both private and public 5G networks, demonstrating the potential of cellular-based intercom workflows for future broadcast operations, the company reported.

Conducted in collaboration with RTL Deutschland and supported by Deutsche Telekom’s 5G network expertise and connectivity, the proof of concept demonstrated how FreeSpeak Cell can extend communications coverage across large-scale production environments by leveraging existing 5G infrastructure. The test integrated with RTL's existing communications ecosystem and provided stable connectivity across areas that would traditionally require multiple DECT antennas or additional infrastructure.

“For us at RTL, the flexibility of our production workflows is one of our top priorities,” said Jens Schilder, Project-Engineer at RTL Deutschland. “The successful test at the Nürburgring proves that integrating intercom solutions into 5G infrastructures efficiently bridges the last mile of wireless communication. Thanks to FreeSpeak Cell technology, we were able to ensure stable communications coverage across almost the entire Grand Prix circuit, the paddock, and additional production areas without relying on complex infrastructure. This is a decisive step toward fully mobile remote productions that demand the highest standards of latency and reliability.”

By leveraging 5G connectivity, RTL achieved clear audio quality and reliable communications coverage across almost the entire Nürburgring Grand Prix circuit, as well as the paddock and additional production areas including Hatzenbach.

Key results from the text included:

• Successful operation across private campus and public 5G networks
• Extended communications coverage using existing 5G infrastructure
• Integration with RTL's established communications workflow
• Validation of cellular-based intercom technology for live production environments

“The partnership with RTL Deutschland shows our commitment to implementing innovative solutions directly in real-world applications,” added Alex Hemme, sales manager DACH at Clear-Com. “The market demands scalable systems that reduce operating costs while increasing freedom of movement for production teams. FreeSpeak Cell delivers exactly that kind of flexibility and investment security. Demonstrating these capabilities under the demanding conditions of the Nürburgring sends a strong signal to the entire broadcast industry.”

McLEAN, Va.—Tegna has elevated four longtime executives to senior vice president, expanding their leadership roles in legal, content, human resources and finance.

Marc Sher was elevated to senior vice president and general counsel, overseeing all legal matters, including compliance, contracts, litigation, regulatory matters and risk management. Sher, who joined Tegna in 2013, was most recently vice president, associate general counsel and secretary.

Raquel Amparo advanced to senior vice president of content, leading Tegna’s content strategy, creation and content partnerships across platforms. Amparo, an Emmy-winning journalist and Kneeland Fellow with more than 20 years of experience, had been vice president of content for Tegna’s Texas markets.

Melissa Jones was named senior vice president of human resources, tasked with directing Tegna’s people strategy, including talent acquisition, employee relations, compensation and benefits and organizational development. Jones joined Tegna in 2016 as VP of human resources and leads the HR business partner team across Tegna’s 64 stations in 51 markets.

And Pamela Long was promoted to senior vice president of finance, managing Tegna’s financial operations, including budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting and capital planning. Most recently VP of finance and operations, Long has been with Tegna since 2015.

“Each of these individuals has a proven record of measurable results built on experience, strong instincts and sound judgment,” CEO Patrick Paolini said. “As our leadership team continues to grow, these are the qualities that will shape Tegna’s future.”

Nexstar Media Group acquired Tegna in March, but the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California on April 17 issued a “Hold Separate Order” delaying the integration of the two companies as antitrust challenges work their way through the courts.

WASHINGTON—The National Association of Broadcasters has updated the Federal Communications Commission on some of the notable advances that have been made by the NextGen TV News Technology Lab program, an initiative to develop and test innovative applications of ATSC 3.0 technology for journalism, public safety, accessibility and community service that just celebrated its first birthday.

As recently reported by TV Tech’s Phil Kurz, the projects featured through the News Technology Lab provide a practical demonstration of how broadcasters are using NextGen TV capabilities to strengthen local service and enhance the viewer experience.

One of the notable projects from the Lab has been WJLA-TV's Advanced Emergency Information initiative, which explores how broadcasters can use NextGen TV technology to deliver more relevant, more accessible and more actionable emergency information to viewers.

"The project demonstrates how ATSC 3.0 can build upon broadcasting's longstanding role as a trusted source of emergency information by enabling capabilities that are simply not possible with ATSC 1.0,” the NAB told the FCC in a June 23 letter.

For example, ATSC 3.0 can support geographically targeted emergency communications and offer capabilities for providing “richer emergency information, including maps, images, evacuation routes, shelter information, and other contextual information that can help viewers understand developing emergency situations and make informed decisions,” the NAB said. “These capabilities are particularly valuable during severe weather events, AMBER Alerts, wildfires, flooding, and other emergencies where timely and actionable information can help protect lives and property.”

In addition, ATSC 3.0 enables important advances in accessibility. NextGen TV can support multilingual emergency communications, helping to ensure that critical information reaches more viewers during an emergency. It also supports enhanced accessibility features that can improve access to emergency information for viewers with disabilities.

“These capabilities represent meaningful public-interest benefits that will become increasingly important as broadcasters continue to deploy and refine NextGen TV services,” the NAB reported. “ATSC 3.0 also provides a foundation for additional public-interest services that extend beyond traditional television viewing. For example, broadcasters are actively exploring the Broadcast Positioning System (BPS), which leverages ATSC 3.0 transmission infrastructure to provide a resilient terrestrial source of positioning, navigation, and timing information.”

The letter also address some of concerns in recent filings regarding alerting and certain receiver implementations.

In response, the NAB said that it “agrees that emergency information must remain reliable, accessible, and available to viewers. At the same time, it is important to distinguish between implementation-specific issues associated with particular devices and the capabilities of the ATSC 3.0 standard itself. The recent testing described in the record was limited to two receiver products and does not establish any inherent limitation of ATSC 3.0 emergency communications capabilities.”

“The existence of implementation issues in a limited number of first-generation devices should not obscure the broader public-interest benefits that ATSC 3.0 makes possible, particularly in the area of emergency communications,” the NAB argued. “The Commission should evaluate ATSC 3.0 not only by what it replaces, but by what it enables.”

“As the record continues to demonstrate, ATSC 3.0 is not merely a successor transmission standard,” the NAB concluded. “It is a platform for advanced emergency information, geographically targeted public warnings, multilingual communications, enhanced accessibility, resilient positioning and timing applications, and other innovative services that can strengthen broadcasting's service to local communities. Projects such as WJLA's Advanced Emergency Information initiative provide a concrete example of what becomes possible when broadcasters can fully utilize NextGen TV's capabilities.”

The full letter is available here.

CENTENNIAL, Colo.—Mobile TV Group (MTVG) today launched its full-stack MTVG Production Platform, a comprehensive solution covering every stage of a live broadcast, from on-site capture and production through contribution, media control and final distribution.

Located at the Mountain Media Center, the MTVG Production Platform was built to deliver through a single, unified partner what previously required multiple vendors and a patchwork of systems.

“What we’ve built at the Mountain Media Center isn’t just a facility; it’s the cornerstone of a complete production platform. From the mobile unit through contribution, media control, and all the way to distribution, every piece is connected and purpose-built to work together, for better performance and cost efficiency,” said Nick Garvin, CEO, Mobile TV Group. “Teams and leagues no longer need to stitch together a dozen vendors to get on air. We built this because the industry needs it right now, and the Angels partnership shows exactly what’s possible when you have the full platform behind you.”

The MTVG Production Platform plays an integral role in the daily success of Angels Broadcast Television. In late March, the Angels partnered with MTVG to stand up a complete broadcast network from scratch in one month. Leveraging every layer of the platform, MTVG delivered a fully operational, end-to-end production and distribution solution for the Angels, with the first game airing May 1, 2026.

“As plans for a new broadcast network moved from concept to reality this past spring, we identified MTVG's Production Platform as the best solution for Angels Broadcast Television,” said Molly Jolly, president, Angels Baseball LP. “They leveraged every layer of their platform to provide a fully operational, end-to-end solution in a month. It is an incredible partnership, and the MTVG team proved they are a unified, trusted partner who supported our objectives and positioned us to continue delivering baseball games to our fans.”

The MTVG Production Platform operates across four interconnected capability areas, delivering comprehensive live media capabilities through specialized divisions, including content and production, contribution, media control and centralized production and distribution services.

One year after opening its doors, the Mountain Media Center has become one of the most capable live production facilities in the country. The 300,000-square-foot, Class A facility, located near the Denver Tech Center provides the infrastructure that makes the full-stack platform possible.

The platform includes:

• More than 30+ mobile units
• Over 70 live media control pods
• Two technical operations centers (TOCs)
• 25 Cloud control rooms built nationally
• 24 centralized cloud control stations
• Four Edge/REMI rooms for flexible remote production
• Redundant power stations serving power
• Four data halls with uninterruptible power supplies and redundant generators
• Four satellite uplinks and six satellite downlinks
• Hundreds of fiber strands from multiple providers
• Capable of operating entirely off-grid without external power
• 30 minutes from Denver International Airport; few natural disaster risks

More information is available on the company’s website.

MELBOURNE, Australia—Mediaproxy has named Heartland Video Systems as its exclusive partner for the television business in the United States.

The Plymouth, Wisc., -based systems integrator will represent the company’s full range of technologies, including LogServer and Monwall as well as offer them as part of its installation portfolio.

"HVS has an enviable record in U.S. broadcast technology as a systems integrator and trusted supplier. HVS established its reputation in the market and now Dan Whealy is taking the company into the future. We recognized this expertise and knowledge, which makes HVS the ideal partner for us in a vibrant and rapidly developing market,” said Mediaproxy CEO Erik Otto.

Founded in 1997, HVS has established itself as a specialist in NextGen TV with over 60 ATSC 3.0 installations to its credit. In addition to system integration, HVS offers consulting and engineering support services, while also partnering with leading broadcast technology brands and suppliers.

In July 2025, Dan Whealy purchased the company, and it will remain a family-owned business.

Mediaproxy has become the leading developer of compliance and logging systems to major broadcasters and playout facilities. The company's flagship product is the LogServer monitoring platform, which can work with all current terrestrial broadcasting and streaming formats, including ATSC 1.0 MPEG-2 based HD and SD, and ATSC 3.0 NextGen TV 4K/HDR. Mediaproxy's Monwall multiviewer was recently expanded with the introduction of the Monwall Server, which gives capability for producing streams in a variety of low-latency formats and generating mosaics for multi-screen display.

"We are proud to enter into a strategic partnership with Mediaproxy and further the adoption of their innovative solutions throughout the United States television broadcast market," said HVS president Dan Whealy. "Having previously been a customer of Mediaproxy in my role as a broadcast executive, I have seen firsthand the operational value their technology delivers. As broadcasters navigate the increasing complexity of supporting both ATSC 1.0 and ATSC 3.0 services alongside streaming and multi-platform distribution, trusted monitoring and compliance tools are more important than ever.”

More information is available on the Mediaproxy and HVS websites.

WASHINGTON—The Federal Communications Commission has announced the conclusion of its AWS-3 auction for mid-band spectrum, with results the agency said showed the demand for spectrum is high.

Auction bidding beat expectations with significant per-unit prices and gross winning bids exceeding $3.5 billion.

Bidding in the AWS-3 auction, formally designated as Auction 113, began on June 2, 2026. Seventeen qualified bidders participated in the auction, which ran for 72 rounds.

Up to $3.3 billion of the auction’s proceeds will be used to cover amounts borrowed to support the FCC’s “rip and replace” program and other Commerce Department programs.

The auction made available 200 spectrum licenses in the 1695-1710 MHz, 1755-1780 MHz, and 2155-2180 MHz bands which were subject to bid defaults or bid withdrawals in the 2014 auction and thus have remained unused in the FCC’s inventory since then.

Many of the licenses were ones that Dish won in Auction 97 more than a decade ago; the higher than expected proceeds mean that Dish won’t have to cover a shortfall.

In the run-up to forthcoming Upper C-Band auction, the FCC said that the better than expected results shows that the FCC’s Auctions program is running strong, despite the previous lapse in authority and a four-year gap in conducting an auction.

The FCC also said it is on schedule to meet Congress’s deadline to complete a system of competitive bidding for at least 100 megahertz in the Upper C-band no later than July 2027. Those auctions are expected to have a major impact on the way broadcasters and programmers distribute programming and content.

“Today’s successful auction generated billions of dollars in competitive bids to put spectrum to effective commercial use, and it bolsters competition in the wireless marketplace,” FCC Chair Brendan Carr said in a statement. “We will carry this momentum forward as we prepare for the Upper C-Band auction in the year ahead.”

Auction 113 also featured the debut of the FCC’s brand new application system, which represents a step towards the FCC’s goals of increasing efficiency in agency operations.

LEXINGTON, Ky—In a notable advance in the way local broadcast TV stations can monetize their content, Viamedia.ai has announced that it is working with Hearst Television to enable true household-level addressability for broadcast television.

The partnership marks a fundamental shift in how broadcast television inventory can be activated and monetized, allowing advertisers to target specific households utilizing ad inventory of the most-watched linear video outlets in markets across the country.

“Local broadcast TV delivers unparalleled impact for advertisers within targeted markets and we’re adding to our toolkit the capabilities to target not just the whole of the market but specific households within markets,” said John Robertson, Hearst Television vice president, distribution. “As we evolve our business alongside our valued partners in the media-buying and distribution communities, it’s imperative that we use technology that makes our linear inventory even more efficient and impactful. Viamedia has delivered an effective tech solution that enables us and MVPD partners to deliver addressability across broadcast streams coupled with the advanced data, analytics and transparency marketers seek. The result is a holistic ad buy – a one-stop-shop encompassing linear and digital attributes.”

This development follows an extensive market test to enable targeted television advertising via dynamic ad insertion within streams using broadcast spectrum. The test, conducted over several months, involved Viamedia, Hearst Television station WLWT-TV and MediaKind (formerly Harmonic), whose advertising SaaS product provided technology enabling last-mile, household-level ad delivery.

The new tool provides a station like WLWT the ability to participate in previously unavailable markets which could drive a 25% increase in monetizable impressions.

Through Viamedia’s Parrot Ad Decisioning System (ADS) platform and Hearst Television’s architecture of a compatible broadcast technology infrastructure, advertisers gain access to precision targeting and flexible buying models initially on Hearst Television’s inventory in select markets.

Parrot ADS manages and monetizes advertising across linear, CTV, and programmatic environments. It helps broadcasters and MVPDs alike to unify ad delivery, extend campaigns across screens, and simplify reporting and monetization across the TV ecosystem.

As a result of the deployment, Hearst Television can now make select inventory available for dynamic, data-driven activation, meeting advertiser demand for heightened audience addressability and measurability. It also strengthens the already powerful advertising proposition of local TV advertising with added analytics and performance metrics.

“The TV viewing audience remains one of the most attractive scaled opportunities for advertisers to reach engaged consumers, even as the ecosystem grows increasingly fragmented,” said Evan Rutchik, president & chief strategy officer of Viamedia. “While CTV and FAST Channels are growing in popularity among advertisers, linear still accounts for a massive audience. By bringing true addressability to Hearst’s broadcast inventory, we move the market toward a model where broadcast delivers the same level of precision and accountability that advertisers expect from other channels, which can help create additional value for all parties – including broadcasters, MVPDs agencies, and brands. We are excited to work with Hearst Television to bring this inventory to market for advertisers who appreciate premium content and localized ad delivery.”

“TV, especially broadcast, offers great value to advertisers, and the ability to precisely target a specific audience dramatically increases the importance of the channel in media plans,” added Phil Sloan, senior vice president and managing director, Canvas. “Hearst Television, Viamedia and their partners have opened the door to making all of TV a performance-driven channel, meeting advertiser demand. We look forward to continuing to explore this for our clients’ campaigns as they look to raise awareness and measure outcomes.”

Viamedia’s approach operates across a three-part ecosystem: broadcaster inventory, distribution infrastructure, and the Parrot ADS technology layer. Together, these components allow broadcast spots to be delivered dynamically in addressable form within qualifying environments, supporting both local and national campaigns.

Viamedia uses artificial intelligence to unify a process that previously required advertisers to balance multiple vendors and data sources to reach audiences across a plethora of screens. The goal is to unlock faster execution for buyers, but also to open new monetization opportunities for MVPDs, video providers, and now also broadcasters.

Hearst Television is a Supporting Member of the Go Addressable trade organization whose mission is to further accelerate the advancement of addressable TV advertising.

OSLO, Norway—Appear ASA has announced that it is supporting Rede Legislativa de Rádio e TV’s contribution workflow for Brazil’s TV 3.0 activities as part of the country experimental transmissions of the new standard, which are locally branded as DTV+.

The deployment uses Appear’s X5 to transport the broadcaster’s signal from Brasília to the TV 3.0 core infrastructure in São Paulo and are part of the Rede Legislativa trials designed to shape the next phase of Brazilian television.

Brazil’s TV 3.0 program has gathered momentum since the technology was formally adopted in August 2025. In 2026, the Chamber of Deputies hosted experimental demonstrations of DTV+ and the Mais BR public-channel platform, while Empresa Brasil de Comunicação (EBC) confirmed its role in the first public presentation of the TV 3.0 platform. Earlier this year, EBC and the Chamber were authorised to use test stations in Brasília and São Paulo for continuous TV 3.0 transmissions.

In the Rede Legislativa workflow, Appear’s X5 uses HEVC compression and Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) to carry the signal over the public internet from Brasília to São Paulo. The architecture is designed to deliver the content simultaneously to two CDNs operated by the EBC and ALESP (Legislative Assembly of the State of São Paulo).

The project highlights how proven IP contribution technologies can support the operational requirements of Brazil’s emerging TV 3.0 services.

For Rede Legislativa, the deployment provides a practical and cost-efficient way to connect existing broadcast operations into a new delivery environment without requiring a bespoke TV 3.0 transmission platform.

“Brazil’s move towards TV 3.0 is creating new requirements not only in transmission, but also in the contribution workflows that feed it,” said Luis Perez, sales director LATAM at Appear. “In this project, our hardware-accelerated SRT technology enables Rede Legislativa to transport high-quality signals securely and reliably from Brasília to São Paulo over the public internet. It demonstrates how broadcasters can use new efficient technologies, such as SRT, to support the next wave of television services in Brazil with the low latency, high density and resilience needed for modern production workflows.”

“The trial has given us an efficient and reliable way to connect Brasília to the TV 3.0 core infrastructure in São Paulo,” added Luiz Flávio Menezes, engineer, Chamber of Deputies, Brazilian National Congress. “Appear’s X Platform has helped us validate a practical contribution architecture for DTV+, preserving quality while simplifying operations as we evaluate how next-generation television services can be best delivered in Brazil.”

WASHINGTON—In the wake of ABC's efforts to combat an Federal Communications Commission probe into whether “The View” deserves a “news exemption” from equal political time rules, fan have been flooding the regulator with comments. The agency's website had 27,885 of them, mostly in support of the show, as of 6 p.m. ET June 23.

ABC reported that most of those came in following ABC’s public push to mobilize fans to defend the show. During the Monday June 22 episode of "The View" ABC began airing an ad calling for viewers to file comments with the FCC. The ad encourages viewers to scan a QR code which directs them to the FCC site where they can file comments.

The case stems from a wider policy by the agency to enforce public interest rules on broadcasters deemed to be airing biased news coverage. That has led to ongoing investigations by the FCC into coverage of President Trump by stations owned by ABC, CBS and NBC.

FCC Chair Brendan Carr has repeatedly defended the agency’s authority to sanction stations and possibly even yank their licences for violating public interest standards even though a number of former FCC commissioners and staffers have called the policy “unconstitutional.”

Separately, the Media Bureau issued an advisory in January casting doubt on the 20-year-old exemption classifying late-night programming and talk shows as news programs, which means that they are not subject to equal time rules. The advisory said that stations airing `partisan' talk shows and late night programs must comply with equal time rules.

In May, the FCC’s media bureau issued a public notice asking for comments on whether ABC’s “The View” is a “bona fide news interview program” exempt from its equal time rules.

The FCC is also investigating Disney’s ABC for its DEI practices and has also ordered the ABC- owned stations to file for early renewal of their licenses. ABC blasted the early renewal demand as “unconstitutional retaliation” for news coverage that has been critical of the Trump administration.

So far the public comments to the FCC’s inquiry into `The View’ indicated significant opposition to Chairman Carr’s policies across the ideological spectrum, including free speech advocates, civil rights groups, conservative groups, journalism organizations, and consumer advocates. Many warned that revisiting the FCC's longstanding precedent amounted to an attack on free speech, with implications far beyond a single TV show.

ACLU, Center for Democracy & Technology, Future of Free Speech, National Coalition Against Censorship argued that the Commission is abandoning 40 years of precedent and that “this proceeding violates the constitutional rights of all our nation’s broadcasters, as well as the public who relies upon them for their access to news and information.”

Likewise, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) noted that “no living former FCC Commissioner has endorsed Chairman Carr’s current view of his regulatory authority, while a bipartisan group of former Chairmen and Commissioners, along with other high-level staff, have condemned it.”

Free Press complained that the “Commission’s actions have poisoned the well, depriving KTRK of a fair enforcement process, and depriving ABC of fair administration of Section 315(a) as it pertains to The View. Carr’s agency’s actions have been capricious, selective, and corrupt. The Commission is targeting KTRK and ABC with punitive action for its lawful speech, in order to chill ABC’s and other broadcaster’s First Amendment-protected speech.”

The group also stressed that while “Carr claims that he’s simply looking out for the public’s interest, and not carrying out a politically motivated vendetta against ABC and the President’s enemies…this claim quickly falls apart when considering Carr’s explicit efforts here to exclude right-wing talk radio broadcast programs from his review of the equal opportunities rule.”

BENTONVILLE, Ark. and NEW YORK—In a major bet on the rapidly growing CTV ad business that could have a long-term impact on local broadcasters, Walmart has announced plans to acquire Vibe.co, a self-serve, connected TV (CTV) advertising platform designed to simplify advertising for small and mid-sized businesses (SMB) and mid-market brands.

Financial terms were not disclosed but the Wall Street Journal reported that Walmart is paying $1.4 billion.

The acquisition is part of Walmart’s ongoing strategy of building more accessible, full-funnel advertising solutions through Walmart Connect, its commerce media business.

Those efforts make it a growing competitor for local broadcasters targeting the same small and mid-sized businesses.

By combining Vibe.co’s self-serve CTV platform with Walmart’s commerce audiences, closed-loop measurement and growing media ecosystem, including the streaming platform Vizio, Walmart Connect hopes to work with more advertisers to launch CTV campaigns and better measure their business impact.

“Walmart Connect is focused on making commerce media more accessible, more measurable and easier to activate for advertisers of all sizes,” said Ryan Mayward, GM and senior vice president, Walmart Connect U.S. “Vibe.co has created a purpose-built platform that simplifies streaming TV advertising, and together, we can help more businesses connect with customers across streaming environments while measuring the impact of those campaigns through Walmart’s commerce capabilities.”

Vibe.co’s platform offers self-serve campaign activation, direct supply partner integrations, proprietary advertising technology and performance-driven optimization that helps advertisers access premium connected TV inventory more efficiently.

The combination is expected to support broader adoption of the CTV ad media among advertisers across Walmart Connect, and the broader connected TV ecosystem, particularly among SMB and mid-market advertisers, including Walmart’s third-party marketplace sellers. The platform can deliver easier campaign activation, greater transparency and stronger measurement between media investment and commerce outcomes.

“Vibe.co was built as the self-serve platform for performance and ecommerce marketers to run streaming TV the way they run paid social: measurable, fast to launch, and optimized for better outcomes,” said Arthur Querou, Co-Founder and CEO, Vibe.co. “Joining Walmart gives us the opportunity to accelerate that mission and bring performance TV advertising to one of the most powerful commerce media ecosystems in the market.”

Combined with Walmart’s acquisition of Vizio, Vibe.co strengthens Walmart Connect’s ability to deliver simplified activation, enhanced targeting and measurable outcomes across its growing CTV ecosystem.

Following the close of the transaction, Vibe.co CEO and Co-Founder Arthur Querou, CTO and Co-Founder Franck Tetzlaff, and the broader Vibe.co team are expected to join Walmart Connect.

Walmart expects the transaction to close by the end of fiscal year 2027. Walmart said it does not expect the transaction to have any impact to FY27 sales and operating income growth guidance, as previously provided.

WASHINGTON—In response to an ongoing inquiry by the Federal Communications Commission to reexamine TV ratings for children’s programming, 68 Democrats in the House of representatives have sent a strongly worded letter to the agency’s Chair Brendan Carr strongly opposing any attempt by the regulator to add labels identifying content as containing transgender or LGBTQ+ themes.

“We write in response to your questions regarding TV ratings and programs that include gender identity themes or topics and to strongly oppose efforts to censor the inclusion of transgender characters or topics, including by rating programming differently just because it includes transgender people,” the June 22 letter stated.

In April, FCC's Media Bureau issued a new Public Notice seeking comments “on any changes that can or should be made to the TV Parental Guidelines age ratings system to ensure that it is responsive to the issues that parents confront today” in determining what programming is appropriate for their kids.

In that Notice, the FCC also asked if it should consider how the systems handles content related to LGBTQ+ and transgender people. That prompted comments from a number of conservative groups and Republican politicians arguing that the system should add labels identifying content with LGBTQ+ or transgender themes.

U.S. Sen Jim Banks (R-Ind.), Center for American Rights President Daniel Suhr and the Concerned Women for America, are among those calling for updates that would flag content with LGBTQ and transgender themes. Separately, 13 Republican state attorneys general filed comments urging the FCC to create a separate system where viewers could rate programs.

In response, the House Democrats wrote that "we are deeply concerned that the questions you pose, such as whether programs should be rated differently because they discuss gender identity, indicate that you believe there is a role for the FCC to play in determining these ratings—despite Congress’ preference that these ratings be determined by the industry and Congress explicitly stripping FCC of any authority to do so if the industry establishes such ratings (as they have). This request for comment appears to be an unlawful attempt by FCC to pressure broadcast licensees to censor content, including representation of transgender people, in their programming and just the latest political attempt of FCC to censor content the Administration does not agree with.”

“Any attempt by FCC to censor content because it includes transgender characters or topics would raise both legal and constitutional concerns,” the letter concluded. “As we previously highlighted, FCC lacks authority to prescribe guidelines and recommendations for TV ratings. The FCC is also barred from engaging in censorship or promulgating regulations or conditions that interfere with the right of free speech. Any attempt to issue rating warnings for depictions and themes related to transgender people would also raise concerns of content-based and viewpoint discrimination in violation of the First Amendment…[W]e urge the FCC to abandon any efforts to seek to impose higher ratings on programs or content warnings because the program includes transgender characters or topics. As FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez stated, `This is a solution in search of a problem, and another example of this Commission prioritizing culture war politics over the real issues that affect consumers every day.’”

In addition to the letter from the House Democrats, the public interest group Free Press has also urged the Federal Communications Commission to abandon its efforts to "silence the voices of the LGBTQ+ community." 

The FCC issued a notice on April 22 to consider whether industry’s voluntary television-ratings system should apply warning labels to programs that feature transgender and nonbinary characters or discuss gender-identity themes. The group argued that the FCC has no authority to dictate these ratings, and that Carr "is merely trying to help Donald Trump further his anti-trans agenda."

In a filing responding to the agency’s inquiry, Free Press wrote that Carr’s proposal to attach warning labels to LGBTQ+ content makes a mockery of Congress’ mandate. The law stipulates that the FCC must allow the broadcast industry to develop its own ratings system, without federal intervention. “The agency should abandon this contrived and morally repugnant exercise, as it has no authority to suggest any changes to the TV ratings system,” reads Free Press’ filing.

ATLANTA—Hoping to tap into growing political ad spending on digital platforms in what promises to be a record breaking election year, Gray Media has launched a new political digital advertising platform powered by Aristotle, a provider of political data and analytics.

The offering integrates Aristotle's political and consumer data into Gray's Political 360 go-to-market strategy that aims to provide candidates, issues, and advocacy organizations ways to reach constituents with greater precision across digital channels.

"We're excited to bring this advanced capability to our stations and to the candidates and media buyers we serve," said Mike Braun, Gray’s chief digital officer. "By combining Gray's local market strength and expertise with Aristotle's trusted, continuously updated voter intelligence, we can help campaigns engage their right voters at the right time with the right message."

The new Political 360 strategy is designed to help advertisers to move beyond broad demographic targeting and activate more precise voter audience segments. The data-driven approach improves campaign efficiency across devices and platforms and reduces wasted impressions, which Gray hopes will set it apart in the competition for what promises to be a record setting political advertising year.

"Successful campaigns depend on reaching the right voters with the right message at the right time," said Aristotle executive vice president of data Andrew Tavani. "By combining Gray's unmatched local market presence with Aristotle's trusted voter and consumer data, Political 360 gives campaigns a smarter, more efficient way to connect with the audiences that matter most."

Through Political 360, Gray leverages Aristotle's large national databases, including:

• The National Voter File, covering more than 235 million registered U.S. voters and sourced from more than 4,000 election jurisdictions.
• The National Consumer File, built from more than 267 million consumer records and enriched with demographic and lifestyle attributes.

These datasets enable Gray to support campaign strategies such as targeting party-specific voters within a district during a primary window. Gray’s Political 360 helps campaigns focus their spend where it matters most, drive frequency, and build awareness and advocacy in the runup to Election Day.

NEW YORK—The IAB Tech Lab digital advertising technical standards-setting body has announced SupplyChain v1.1, a significant proposed upgrade to the OpenRTB SupplyChain Object, commonly known as “schain” that is designed to give advertisers and buyers a more complete view of how programmatic bid requests are generated and handled.

“This is one of the most significant transparency enhancements to the digital advertising supply chain in years,” said Anthony Katsur, CEO, IAB Tech Lab. “Advertisers deserve to understand not only who participates in a transaction financially, but also who takes full control of a given request before it reaches a buyer. By expanding SupplyChain to include technical custody, we're providing the industry with a more complete picture of the programmatic ecosystem and creating a stronger foundation for trust, accountability, and investment in the open internet.”

IAB Tech Lab also invited the industry to participate in the public comment period until August 21, 2026.

The update, developed through extensive work by the Programmatic Supply Chain Working Group and guided by the Programmatic Supply Chain Commit Group, expands the role of schain beyond the traditional payment-flow view of the supply chain.

The change will allow buyers to see not only which companies participate in the commercial flow of a transaction, but also which entities take technical custody of a bid request as it moves through systems such as Prebid, ad servers, SSAI platforms, SDKs, wrappers, and other infrastructure.

The result, the IAB Tech Lab reported, is a more complete and accurate view of the programmatic supply path. The update is expected to help buyers improve supply-path optimization, reduce duplicative bid requests, and better identify all companies involved in the programmatic transaction.

In announcing the update, the IAB Tech Lab also released statements from industry leaders across the buy side, sell side, and advertising infrastructure ecosystem voicing strong support for SupplyChain v1.1. Those statements included:

• “OpenRTB exists to make programmatic advertising more interoperable, more scalable, and more trustworthy,” said Neal Richter, VP, Amazon Ads, and Chair of the IAB Tech Lab Board of Directors. “This update is an important step forward because it gives buyers a clearer understanding of how supply is actually created and transmitted. Greater transparency is how we build a healthier marketplace and give advertisers more confidence to invest in the open internet.”
• “The open internet should be the most transparent, accountable, and efficient place for advertisers to spend money,” said Paul Bannister, Chief Strategy Officer, Raptive. “This change helps make that possible. When buyers can see both the commercial path and the technical path of a bid request, they can make better decisions, reward high-quality supply, and reduce waste caused by opaque or duplicative infrastructure.”
• “Longer supply chains are not automatically worse supply chains,” said Rob Hazan, The Trade Desk. “A longer chain that accurately discloses the parties involved in the impression is better for buyers than a short chain that hides important information. With fully traceable supply chains, the industry can finally move beyond simplistic node-counting and toward a more sophisticated understanding of which supply paths best correlate to advertiser performance and outcomes.”
• “Advertisers should not have to choose between scale and clarity,” said Chris Kane, Founder, Jounce Media. “The best supply paths are the ones buyers can understand. By expanding schain to include technical custody, the industry gets closer to a world where efficiency is measurable, duplication is easier to identify, and value-added partners can be distinguished from unnecessary hops.”

The OpenRTB Working Group considered multiple implementation approaches and recommended a model that adds custody-taking entities directly to the main schain, using the hp=0 designation when an entity is not part of the payment flow.

This approach preserves the integrity of the existing schain model while giving buyers a fuller view of technical participation in the bid request lifecycle.

The Working Group also recognized that, in many cases, schains will become longer as transparency improves. To support adoption and minimize disruption, IAB Tech Lab will provide rollout guidance recommending that SSPs and DSPs coordinate staged testing, validate parsing behavior, monitor bid health, and progressively scale SupplyChain v1.1 traffic.

The proposed update also reinforces the open and collaborative nature of OpenRTB. The specification has long served as the common language for real-time bidding across the digital advertising ecosystem, and this change reflects months of discussion among companies across the buy side, sell side, and infrastructure layers.

SupplyChain v1.1 is intended to help buyers understand three critical dimensions of a bid request: how it originated, who took technical custody of it, and which parties participated in the payment flow. Together, those signals can improve trust, reduce ambiguity, and help the market direct spend toward the most efficient and highest-quality supply paths.

To review the guidance visit https://iabtechlab.com/supplychainv1dot1

COLUMBIA, Md.—LTN, a major provider of IP-based video transport and network services, has been selected by PBS as its IP video partner to modernize and future-proof content distribution and contribution across more than 330 public television stations.

Under the multi-year agreement, LTN will implement a fully managed IP network, providing end-to-end connectivity, ISP services, and two-way video transport across all station locations and service sites.

“PBS is modernizing and strengthening its Interconnection system to future-proof the platform and support the future of public media. Our IP network delivers the scale, reliability, and flexibility required to support that transformation,” said Malik Khan, co-founder and executive chairman, LTN. “LTN is proud to provide the network, reliability, and operational foundation required to support one of the largest and most important media networks in the U.S.”

The LTN Network will support distribution of public television content, including PBS East and PBS West feeds, PBS KIDS, Create, NHK World, and FNX with the ability to deliver up to nine linear feeds to PBS member stations.

The platform will also enable always-on content sharing among stations and support station contribution workflows for regional and national distribution of locally produced content. In addition, LTN will power contribution workflows for OTT distribution platforms, PBS Platforms like pbs.org and PBS Digital.

“Moving to a scalable, IP-based infrastructure will increase reliability, reduce costs, and enable new opportunities for content sharing, collaboration, and audience reach across the entire PBS system,” said Dana Golub, Vice President of Strategic Infrastructure Initiatives at PBS.

The deployment will begin immediately and continue through the end of 2026.

ODENSE, Denmark and Santiago, Chile—Pixop and Dynamics Media Group are reporting that the Pixop platform is the real-time video enhancement layer behind one of the Americas’ only 4K World Cup broadcasts.

Working with Chilevisión, Chile’s exclusive free-to-air rights holder for the tournament, and ClaroVTR, the country’s largest pay-TV operator, Pixop is processing Chilevisión’s live 1080i HD signal and delivering a continuous 4K UHD channel to subscribers throughout the tournament.

The channel, which launched on 1 June 2026, operates 24/7 and is available on VTR channel 710 and Claro channel 557, covering 52 matches of the tournament. In South America, Chile and Brazil are the only territories where viewers can watch the tournament in 4K.

The deployment uses a workflow based as a hybrid cloud architecture. Chilevisión’s live 1080i SDR broadcast signal is contributed via an Appear X20 encoder over secure SRT transport to AWS, where Pixop, the real-time ML-powered video enhancement platform, performs motion-compensated deinterlacing, AI restoration, super-resolution upscaling, and color processing in a single pass at sub-second latency. The resulting signal is encoded and delivered through ClaroVTR’s Harmonic ProStream X, ATEME Titan Live, and Velocix Origin infrastructure to subscribers.

The production configuration delivers 4K SDR at 60fps. HDR conversion was successfully completed during testing; 4K SDR was selected for the production launch based on subscriber device compatibility across ClaroVTR’s installed base.

Several Pixop platform capabilities were developed and strengthened during the project, including a real-time monitoring dashboard, an auto-recovery engine, remote decoder reset controls, and live adjustment of sharpness, clarity and color parameters without requiring encoder restarts.

The origins of the project date back to early 2025, when Dynamics Media Group invited Pixop to conduct live demonstrations in Santiago for Chilean broadcasters and technology partners. Chilevisión attended and subsequently requested a dedicated 4K channel proof of concept, which was completed in March 2026 and demonstrated HD-to-4K upconversion, 60 fps output, long-haul SRT transport, and continuous operation. The PoC led directly to this production deployment.

Dynamics Media Group acted as local integration and coordination partner, organizing the initial demonstrations in Santiago, coordinating technical workshops between all parties, and facilitating the operational deployment.

“At Chilevisión, we are convinced that free-to-air television continues to evolve to stay closer to people every day, especially in today’s highly competitive environment for audience attention,” Edgar Spielmann, chairman of the board, Chilevisión.” That is why we have invested and innovated to make all our programming available in 4K, delivering higher quality in both our content and our audiences' viewing experience. This advancement goes beyond technology: it is an essential part of our brand promise, ‘Vamos Contigo’ (‘We Go With You’). It allows us to be present with greater proximity and detail in our news coverage, entertainment programming, and major sports broadcasts, such as the FIFA World Cup 2026.”

“This is the kind of deployment we built Pixop for. A major live event, a mixed-format contribution chain, a tight latency budget, and an audience that expects premium quality,” added Jon Frydensbjerg, CTO, Pixop. “The team has spent seven years getting the ML processing and the real-time architecture to the point where it can handle this reliably at scale. Delivering 4K World Cup football to Chilean viewers, in one of only a handful of territories in the Americas where that’s possible, is something we’re genuinely proud of.”

The deployment marks Pixop’s first major production in the Americas and the first deployment of the Pixop platform for a live sporting event of this scale in the region.

PORTSMOUTH, N.H.—A new study finds the long-term rise in ad acceptance continues, with ad intolerance falling to a record low across all age groups, and that viewers are supportive of AI tools if they are used to improve discoverability and the viewing experience.

In particular, Hub Entertainment Research’s semi-annual "TV Advertising: Fact vs. Fiction" study found that Gen Z viewers are more accepting of ads when they help reduce the cost of streaming services. Younger viewers also place a higher value on ad relevance and are more open to targeted ad experiences even though they are more likely to be multitasking and potentially distracted while watching TV.

Overall the study found that ad acceptance has reached a five-year high. As subscription prices have risen and ad-supported options have proliferated, the numbers of viewers who would pay to avoid ads, and the number who say they cannot tolerate ads are at all-time lows.

Just under one third of viewers expressed a preference to pay an extra $4-5 dollars per month to avoid ads.

“In the past few waves of this TV Advertising study, we’ve seen viewers concerned with costs and the general direction of the economy,” said Mark Loughney, senior consultant at Hub. “Those concerns have led to more viewers looking for ways to reduce costs. The TV advertising marketplace stands to benefit from consumers’ increased openness to advertising as a means of saving money on subscriptions. If streamers can continue to use tools at their disposal to make the ad experience better by including AI, it’s a win for both them and their viewers.”

At the same time, in the most recent wave, only one in ten viewers said they “can’t tolerate” ads.

When presented with a higher ad load in exchange for lower subscription costs, Gen Z viewers are significantly more likely than older audiences to choose savings over fewer ads.

Gen Z viewers are more likely to prefer fewer, but more targeted ads.

Just over a third of Gen Z viewers say they would prefer to see fewer ads that are targeted to them, significantly higher than older viewers.

Among all viewers, comfort levels vary significantly depending on the type of data used for ad targeting. Audiences are most willing to share information related to their viewing habits, as well as basic demographic details such as age and gender. In contrast, there is considerably less willingness to share more personal information, including social media activity, income, and AI chat history.

Although Gen Z viewers are more likely to multitask during ad breaks, they remain aware of the ads that play.

Nearly all Gen Z viewers report using another device at least occasionally during commercial breaks – significantly more than Gen X and Boomers. The good news for advertisers is that despite this divided attention, eight in ten say they continue listening to ads while engaging with other screens.

As a result, Gen Z viewers are more likely than Gen X or Boomers to report that they are aware of TV ads during breaks.

Across all ages, TV advertising holds a trust advantage over social media when it comes to the use of personal data, with older audiences expressing higher levels of trust.

The majority of Gen Z, Gen X, and Boomer viewers believe TV services will be more responsible than social media platforms in using personal data for targeting. In turn, the targeted ads viewers see on TV feel more appropriate than those that appear in social media.

However, when it comes to ad impact, TV ads deliver better for older viewers. Gen X and Boomers are more likely to say TV ads are more memorable, attention-getting and fun to watch, while Gen Z viewers rate TV and creator videos equally.

AI tools that improve the ad experience are welcome, especially among young viewers. Gen Z are more likely than older viewers to consider generative AI tools as a positive thing.

Regarding TV advertising, the majority of all viewers believe AI can be used in a positive way if it makes the viewing experience better by reducing ad repetition, or making ads feel less interruptive.

Viewers are also positive toward the use of AI if it enhances other aspects of the TV viewing experience by improving content suggestions or making ads more relevant and contextually appropriate.

However, when it comes to the use of AI to create advertising messages, viewers are more skeptical. Over a third are somewhat or very negative toward the idea of commercials or trailers generated by AI tools.

These findings are from Hub’s 2026 “TV Advertising: Fact vs. Fiction” report, based on a survey conducted among 3,000 US consumers age 16-74, who watch at least 1 hour of TV per week. Interviews were conducted in April, 2026 and explored consumers’ attitudes toward advertising, how it differs across video platforms, and how ad strategy affects viewer engagement. A free excerpt of the findings is available on Hub’s website. This report is part of the “Hub Reports” syndicated report series.

Warner Bros. Discovery has announced that it is working with its preferred cloud provider Amazon Web Services (AWS) to develop next-generation advertising experiences built with AWS agentic AI.

As part of the effort, WBD is expanding its advertising technology stack on AWS and deploying an agentic AI-driven approach to how premium inventory across its U.S. linear and digital channels is planned, activated, optimized, and monetized.

By rebuilding its longstanding traditional internal workflows from the ground up with automated, data-driven processes on a single platform, WBD reported that it is reimagining its infrastructure for advertisers in ways that unify "the buying experience across previously siloed business units and enable automated campaign optimization."

"We're embarking on the next frontier of advertising where convergence brings linear and digital together on a single platform – each retaining its own essence, yet with the fluidity to plan, package, and optimize across both — all measurable and optimizable at cloud scale with agentic, AI-native decisioning," said Dr. Nage Sethu, senior vice president of technology - converged advertising and linear systems, Warner Bros. Discovery. "Building with AWS has been critical to streamlining the buyer’s experience across linear and digital, powering critical layers of our data, forecasting, and next-generation agentic advertising stack."

In 2026, WBD began rolling out a new generation of capabilities, including agentic automation for direct response and commercial workflows, advanced audience forecasting, and enhanced measurement and attribution.

Building on those rollouts, WBD said it will introduce unified media planning in Q3, followed by a phased rollout of composable order management, pricing, and stewardship in Q4.

"AWS is proud to deepen our relationship with Warner Bros. Discovery at such a transformative moment in media and advertising," said Samira Panah Bakhtiar, general manager, media, entertainment, games & sports, Amazon Web Services. "By combining WBD's iconic content portfolio and rich audience signals with AWS's cloud and agentic AI capabilities, we're enabling a new era of intelligent, automated advertising that delivers better outcomes for brands and viewers alike."

More specifically, WBD’s new platform features autonomous AI agents for intelligent planning, dynamic forecasting, real-time optimization, and closed-loop measurement. These agents continuously self-optimize, learning from outcomes to drive better results for buyers and sellers alike with every campaign. The system enables flexible targeting approaches, allowing buyers to focus on specific brands or audience segments across linear and digital, with WBD providing optimal inventory allocation recommendations.

The platform streamlines the ad buying process for WBD inventory so that advertisers can more effectively allocate budgets across multiple platforms and brands. Additionally, advertisers can more easily leverage new ad formats, including interactive ads, while viewers receive more customized ad content.

Underpinning WBD's new advertising technology implementation is a composable data and interoperability layer that gives WBD's AI agents the real-time context they need to act, integrate seamlessly across the ecosystem, and deliver buyer transparency. Key AWS services powering the platform include:

Amazon Bedrock hosts the various foundation models employed in WBD’s closed instance

Amazon SageMaker provides the tools for training custom machine learning models for WBD’s exclusive use and in compliance with WBD data protection, segmentation and security controls

Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) stores data in the Apache Iceberg format for the underlying data lake.

In addition, Amazon Elastic Container Service (Amazon ECS) powers application hosting and Amazon Quick provides a personalized, proactive AI assistant that enables Ad Sales teams to interact with data through natural language, uncover actionable insights, receive proactive recommendations, and make faster, data-driven decisions.

NEW YORK—ITN has announced a new initiative to further expand its programmatic local linear TV platform by integrating Comscore's advanced and qualitative data into the ITN NXTv Programmatic Hub.

The move means that later this year, ITN’s data store will enable buyers to move more easily from planning to activation and provide users with greater precision, accountability, and workflow efficiency.

"This represents the next phase in the evolution of local linear TV," said Todd Watson, CEO of ITN. "We've already built the programmatic foundation. By integrating audience data directly into campaign execution, we're making local TV more precise, measurable, and actionable for advertisers."

"Modern measurement is at the core of how media buying and selling continues to evolve. We're proud to power ITN's self-service linear programmatic platform with advanced audience and behavioral data that enables smarter, more efficient planning," added Hanna Gryncwajg, senior vice president, commercial, Comscore. "Audience-based buying helps advertisers reach the consumers who are more likely to engage, improving campaign performance and ROI. With this launch, ITN is making sophisticated linear programmatic capabilities easier and more accessible for the marketplace."

The move was also praised by Dentsu, which is an alpha partner to the NXTv Programmatic Hub. "Buyers want local TV to align with the rest of their video investments—comparable, measurable, and easier to activate," said Jennifer Hungerbuhler, executive vice president, head of local media investment and productivity at Dentsu. "With Comscore data operationalized in NXTv, we can move from planning to programmatic activation faster and with greater confidence."

Dentsu reported that it will apply Comscore-provided advanced audience segments directly in campaign execution.

A key component of the initiative is a data store within the ITN NXTv Programmatic Hub. Powered by Comscore advanced and qualitative audiences, the data store includes more than eight hundred lifestyle and behavioral segments. As part of the initial rollout, Dentsu will leverage these capabilities to execute programmatic local linear TV campaigns using custom audience segments.

The integration preserves broadcaster control while simplifying impression-based buying for local linear TV—expanding value for both local TV and digital buyers and helping stations protect and grow share of investment.

The NXTv Programmatic Hub enables users to:

• Activate programmatic local linear TV using Comscore lifestyle and behavioral audience data across activation and post-campaign reporting.
• Create and manage custom Deal IDs informed by Comscore advanced data.
• Execute detailed programmatic buys through an integration with Magnite's ClearLine enabling activation across linear television.
• Monitor delivery in unified dashboards across linear and digital video.
• ITN's programmatic infrastructure, Comscore's audience intelligence, and Dentsu's sophisticated approach to activation are leading the industry to reduce friction and improve accountability across the local TV supply chain.

ITN also reported that the initiative strengthens local linear TV by adding programmatic intelligence, automation, and transparency to its unmatched reach. In the future, ITN will extend these capabilities to enhanced deal structures, advanced analytics dashboards, and AI buyer-to-seller agents to translate natural language prompts for streamlined submissions, bidding, and delivery.

For more information, visit itn.tv

CHESEAUX-SUR-LAUSANNE, Switzerland, and PHOENIX, Ariz.—Nagravision has launched Nagra Venturi, a new intelligence-led streaming security offering that helps service providers and rights holders detect threats, combat piracy, and safeguard revenue.

Nagra Venturi brings Nagravision’s streaming security capabilities together under a single intelligence-led model, shifting anti-piracy from fragmented, reactive tools to coordinated, data-driven offering.

“With AI in the hands of pirates, the market has reached an inflection point,” said Morten Solbakken, executive vice president and COO at Nagravision. “As piracy becomes faster, more automated, and increasingly intelligent, the industry needs a new approach. Nagra Venturi is built to fight AI with AI, giving operators and rights holders the ability to move faster and with greater precision, providing the clarity to see the full picture, the focus to target the threats that matter, and the impact to protect revenue and the audience experience.”

The new offering is designed to address the fact that today’s pirate operations are automated and increasingly AI-assisted, scaling illegal services globally within minutes and targeting live sports during the narrow window when content is most valuable. That has put operators and rights holders in the difficult position of managing growing volumes of data and alerts, without clarity on which actions will make the biggest difference.

Nagra Venturi answers that challenge by transforming security data into prioritized, decisive action. It aggregates and analyzes data from across the streaming ecosystem to create a real-time view of piracy activity, identifies the highest-value threats, and coordinates targeted intervention where it will have the greatest business impact. Rather than reacting to every signal, teams can focus on the threats that matter most to their business.

Through its managed service option, Nagra Venturi includes Nexus, the Nagra Anti-Piracy Center, where analysts coordinate monitoring, intelligence, investigation, and enforcement against a global view of piracy activity. Because Nagravision tracks the wider ecosystem rather than a single network, it can uncover pirate infrastructure and leaked content that individual operators may never see, then coordinate disruption across multiple points at once to maximize impact. Individual solutions, including forensic watermarking and multi-DRM, remain available as standalone solutions within the Nagra Venturi portfolio.

“For more than 30 years, Nagravision has protected the world’s most valuable content,” adds Solbakken. “Built on that heritage—and informed by decades of front-line anti-piracy intelligence—Nagra Venturi moves content protection from a reactive, tool-based model to a proactive, intelligence-led one designed for today’s piracy landscape. Nagravision is proud to be leading the charge to help its customers demonstrate the impact of their anti-piracy strategy—one that proves its value in commercial terms, not just technical ones.”

To learn more about Nagra Venturi, visit nagra.vision.

DENVER—Imagine Communications has appointed Greg Garmon as senior vice president, Americas video sales, a new position at the broadcast technology, playout solutions and ad tech provider.

Garmon, who most recently was president, media and entertainment at Conference Technologies (CTI), will be responsible for sales and business development efforts for the company’s playout and infrastructure portfolio across the region, with a focus on driving account growth.

“We are very pleased to welcome Greg to the Imagine team and confident that he will make an immediate impact on our business,” Glodina Lostanlen, chief revenue officer at Imagine, said. “Greg brings a rare combination of hands-on channel and SI experience and a proven track record of leading high-performing teams and driving operational and commercial performance. That combination is exactly what we need to accelerate our Americas business and deliver meaningful value for our customers.”

Garmon brings to Imagine more than 20 years of experience in the M&E and technology sectors, the company said, in posts spanning sales leadership, enterprise operations, P&L ownership and investor management.

Prior to CTI, Garmon held several executive leadership roles at Diversified, including chief operating officer and president, media and entertainment. He also founded IT consulting and managed services firm Alltek Holdings, which developed and marketed on-prem and cloud-based offerings, Imagine said.

“What drew me to Imagine was a strong alignment between the company’s strategic direction and the markets I have spent my career serving,” Garmon said. “Having worked on the systems integration side of the business, I understand firsthand what both partners and broadcasters need to succeed. There is tremendous opportunity to strengthen our partner ecosystem and expand into the markets they serve. I look forward to working with the Imagine team to make that happen across the Americas.”

For more information on Imagine, visit its website.

Over the years we have all gone through numerous video content format introductions with new formats raising the bar as the world moved from black and white to color and then the subsequent format and technology increases in quality—sometimes major and at other times incremental—in resolution, frame rate, color sampling, dynamic range, overall color palette and so forth. Some have been easier than others depending on what is needed at each step in the path from content creation to viewing on the display at the end of the chain.

That said, they all involved a collection of components to hold up the advancement’s three-legged stool. One is the bucket of things needed to create content, including cameras, mixing/processing, post and editing. Another is the devices needed to display the content for audio and video; amps speakers and display screens and projectors.

The third leg is often overlooked, but without it the other two can’t hold things up. After all, even when the content is superbly created and devices are available to show it with pristine clarity, you have to have a means of distribution. Imagine farmers, bakers or ranchers with all the things needed for meals and a restaurant on other end ready to cook, prepare and a table to serve without the trucks and other transportation routes to get everything from one end to the other.

The Missing Link
That brings us to 8K. It’s not new. All the elements of the content side and display sides of the stool are there, but for the consumer market that middle segment has for the most part been missing: the delivery playback means to get the content to its end destination.

Now, that has changed with the introduction of the Kaleidescape Strato K Movie Player, the first consumer storage and playback product that can deliver 8K content as part of an ecosystem that will offer a wide range of content in resolution up to 4320/30p. Equally important, with Kaleidescape’s new 4K Cinematic format, this is the first consumer device capable of playing back content in 4K with full 4:4:4 chroma sampling and up to 2160p/60/12-bit delivery.

Fine, you might say, but you’re reading TV Tech from the perspective of a professional, and likely high-end, content creator, not as a home entertainment purveyor or installer so why should you care about this new device? Let’s go into the details before answering the question and hopefully the answer will reveal itself.

If you are not familiar with Kaleidescape they are a 25-year-old company that offers high-end content playback devices that deliver reference quality video and lossless audio with a huge library that includes movies, concerts, TV series and more that are downloaded to the device rather than played from an optical disc or streamed.

Using a “rental or purchase” model, once downloaded, the content is stored locally so there are no compression artifacts, no buffering, and course, no ads. Combined with a masterfully simple user interface, Kaleidescape products have become the de facto standard for content playback in high end home theaters.

The product in question is the new Strato K Movie Player from Kaleidescape.

The Strato K Movie Player’s ability to deliver two media playback formats to consumers that have not previously been available outside of your control and mastering suites is important as it helps justify the complaints about the added file size requirements for 8K and 4:4:4 versions of the content you are involved. It enables the Premium Large Format experience beyond specialized theatrical exhibition that we see with the likes of Dolby Cinema, PRIME and XL at AMC venues and PRX and PLF at Regal Cinemas. What is in large part is now driving the theatrical side of the distribution market is now available in the home.

The Details
As you will see going forward in my new “From The Other Side” articles in TV Tech starting next month, there is another important reason to bring this to your attention. As a content business professional you are someone that friends, relatives, co-workers and those C-Suite executives that depend on you will look at for expert knowledge on how they can get the best images and sound not only in the office and facilities you work in, but also in their homes. For that reason, some additional details on this breakthrough product are in order.

The Strato K is available now and 8K content will soon be available in SDR and HDR10. For the 4K Cinematic format there are already well over 150 movies already available, and it is worth noting that the 4:4:4 material is newly rendered out to 4:4:4 and is NOT interpolated.

The Player itself, can play out immersive audio formats as Dolby Atmos and DTS:X along with other lossless audio such as Dolby TrueHD and Dolby MAT, DTS-HD High Resolution and linear PCM at 96kHz/24 bit. On the video side there is HDR10 up to 8K (SMPTE ST 2084 and ST 2086) and Dolby Vision up to 4K (of course, all formats are dependent on the specific content). Color spaces up to BT.2020 are supported as are a variety of aspect ratios including 1.78:1 and 2.35:1 with automatic or user interface selectability.

For those already familiar with Kaleidescape, while the 4K Cinematic 4:4:4 titles will obviously have a larger file size, the rental or purchase price is the same as the standard 4:2:0 versions. Even better, if a current Kaleidescape owner upgrades to a Strato 4K there is no extra charge to download the newer version. 8K titles will, however, require a new download at a higher price.

On the storage side, the Strato K has enough onboard storage to hold seven 4K Cinematic files or 10 standard 4K files on its internal drive. Additional storage may be added via the Terra or Terra Prime servers or previously downloaded movies that were purchased, rather than rented, from Kaleidescape may be downloaded again.

There is no front panel display as most installations will use Kaleidescape’s own control system over ethernet through the likes of Crestron, Control4 or other systems or with a smartphone app or an optional remote. From an installation standpoint note that the Strato K requires a wired Gigabit network connection drop for the main unit and any additional Strato K or other Kaleidescape players in a multi-zone system.

By providing the needed third leg of the 8K ecosystem stool as well as giving home viewers higher quality image reproduction thanks to the 4K Cinematic mode, professionals may now have yet another rationale for 8K or high-color sampling content creation as a means of playing it back in the home—or in your viewing rooms—is now available.

The price? At $5,000 US, with availability in Canada at $CN7,05, the UK at £4500 GBP or in Australia at $AUS $7,999. For applications that don’t require 8K or 4:4:4 content delivery/display, the price of the existing Strato V has been reduced to $3,995.

Since its introduction, 8K has been derided by some as having great pictures that can be displayed on large projectors, dvLED walls or the growing segment of 88-to over 100-inch flat panel displays but no way to get native or new 8K scanned transfers, not upscaled, content.

The arrival of the Kaleidescape Strato K puts that objection to rest once and for all as those displays now have viable, certified, way to have a library of that long sought after 8K content delivered. For you, as a TV professional, the excuse no longer holds water. 8K as an end-to-end ecosystem is truly complete and those beautiful displays and projectors will no longer be starved for feature content.

AMSTERDAM—Axel Gallant has been named as the new CEO of Irdeto, a digital platform cybersecurity firm owned by French media company Canal+.

Gallant succeeds Doug Lowther, who had served as Irdeto’s CEO since 2015 and will step down from the company.

Gallant has worked at The Canal+ Group since 2013, managing various pay TV businesses across Africa, Europe and Asia.

“This track record gives him the experience and perspective to guide Irdeto through its next phase of growth and innovation,” Stéphane Baumier, chief technology officer at Canal+, said.

During Lowther’s tenure as CEO, Irdeto more than doubled its video security market share and developed new businesses in video games and smart mobility, the company said. Prior to being named CEO, Lowther had been executive vice president, digital TV, expanding Irdeto’s product line into new services such as video-on-demand and streaming TV.

“Doug has provided strong leadership during a pivotal period in Irdeto’s history,” Baumier said. “On behalf of the Canal+ Group, we thank him for his contributions and commitment to Irdeto.”

Lowther and Gallant will work together to ensure a seamless leadership transition for customers, partners and employees, the company said.

“The last decade has been marked by constant change in the world and in the industries we serve, and it’s been a great honor to lead the incredible people at Irdeto during that time,” Lowther said of his 11-year tenure. “I’d like to thank our customers, partners, and stakeholders for the trust they have placed in us and the privilege of working with them.”

For more on Irdeto, visit its website.

This week organizers for the annual IBC Show offered a preview of its plans for the upcoming annual event, Sept. 11-14 at the RAI Amsterdam.

IBC CEO Mike Crimp said the show will increase its emphasis on networking opportunities both at the show and online.

To that end, the show is launching the “Braindate Lounge” an initiative that will help attendees prepare in advance of the show.

Braindate Lounge will enable attendees to form their own peer groups online prior to the show and will be seeded with expert discussions from IBC consultants and from the show’s conference program around key topics, according to Crimp.

“People can go on there and form their own key topics and gather a group of people around them to do that,” he said. “I suppose the power of IBC is, in a way, is the power to convene, so all of those people will be able to take their meetings online to create an actual meeting between them on site in the Braindate Lounge, and they will be able to sit down, discuss their topics, discuss what they've seen, create their own knowledge networks.”

The show’s “Future Tech” zone, in Hall 14, will increase its focus on startups with the launch of “Future Tech Ignite,” dedicated to startups, emerging tech, future talent, and the creative community, according to Joe.

“We're also extending our partnership with EIT Culture and Creativity, and they are going to become the Future Tech Ignite innovation partner, which will really help strengthen IBC links with Europe's creative innovation communities,” said Jo Mayer, head of marketing for IBC.

Expanded from a single day to all four days of the show, “Ignite Stage”in the Future Tech area, will feature startup pitches, future-focused sessions, and talent/skills content across all four days of the show, Mayer added.

Key themes for this year’s show are: the transformation of sport, trust and authenticity, and new commercial models, which tie into the show’s three guiding pillars of shifting business models, transformative tech, and increasingly, people and purpose, according to Crimp.

“Those pillars are a consistent framework for the conversations that matter most to the industry,” he said.

Exhibition space itself should exceed 45,000 square meters this year with more than 1,200 exhibitors across 14 halls, according to Steve Connolly, IBC’s director of sales.

Last year, the show had 46,000 square meters of exhibition space and an estimated 1,300 exhibitors.

“Some key areas of the show are performing particularly strongly,” Connolly said. “Future Tech in Hall 14 and Content Everywhere in Hall 5 are both significantly ahead of last year in terms of bookings.”

Crimp said that they’re confident that attendance will be strong and that they'll be able to weather some of the issues that plagued the NAB Show in April, where attendance was softer than previous years.

“I think at the moment we are tracking really strongly against last year,” Crimp said. “We're an international show and a very welcoming show. Who knows what’s going to happen in the Middle East, if that's going to get worse, but I at the moment we're very confident that we will deliver numbers sort of in line with last year."

To register for the show, visit https://show.ibc.org.

NEW YORK, NY—WunderKIND Ads has released a new study analyzing the impact of Pause Ads compared with traditional CTV spots that show Pause Ads delivered nearly two times higher attention than standard 60-second CTV ads.

Pause Ads are ads that appear when users pause programming on CTVs.

Utilizing TVision attention data, the study analyzed millions of programmatic CTV impressions from WunderKIND Ads campaigns run via the OpenGlass platform. The data spanned top verticals—including Auto, QSR, CPG, and Travel—and covered hundreds of premium publishers across Dish, Philo, Plex, and more.

When broken out by category, Pause Ads outperformed traditional 60-second CTV spots across all 13 verticals analyzed. Automotive delivered the strongest results, generating 34.2 seconds of Attention Time versus 12.2 seconds for standard CTV video (+180.3%), followed by Technology at 33.3 seconds versus 12.8 seconds (+160.2%) and Restaurants at 34.0 seconds versus 13.5 seconds (+151.9%).

"Yes, these benchmarks are based on our campaigns, but the scale of the measurement analysis makes it incredibly valuable to the industry at large,” said Adam Gendelman vice president, head of sales, supply and operations at WunderKIND Ads. “We’re moving into the next phase of CTV advertising, where user-first formats are undoubtedly more effective than the historical foundation of interruptive fifteen- and thirty-second video spots.”

WunderKIND Ads’ programmatic solution, offered through OpenGlass’ advanced CTV platform, expands the company’s advertising footprint. These units seamlessly appear the moment a viewer pauses content, transforming a passive screen into an intentional, high-attention ad experience without disrupting the user experience.

More information is available at www.wunderkindads.com/

WASHINGTON--NAB has released the first public report from the NextGen TV News Technology Lab, highlighting how local TV stations are using NextGen TV to make news, weather and emergency information more useful and accessible for viewers.

The lab, made possible by a $2.5 million grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, is helping stations test new features that could allow viewers to receive more localized storm updates, interact with weather coverage, access multilingual emergency resources and receive continuously updated public safety information from local broadcast stations.

The report offers a first look at two station projects focused on practical viewer-centered uses of NextGen TV: an interactive weather experience at WKMG-TV in Orlando, Fla., and an advanced emergency information project at WJLA-TV in Washington, D.C.

Launched in the fall of 2025, the NAB NextGen TV News Technology Lab brings together local television broadcasters, technology partners and industry organizations to test how NextGen TV can strengthen local journalism and public service. Powered by the ATSC 3.0 television standard, NextGen TV enables local stations to explore enhanced video, interactive features and more targeted information through free, over-the-air television.

The newly released public report includes project case studies, executive and participant interviews, video features, implementation insights and lessons learned from participating stations. The online resource will continue to grow as projects evolve and new findings emerge from the lab.

WKMG-TV is exploring how NextGen TV, streaming and artificial intelligence can help viewers get more personalized weather information. The project combines continuous weather coverage, audience interaction, AI-assisted responses and hyperlocal forecasting to help stations answer viewer questions and deliver more relevant updates during fast-changing weather.

WJLA-TV is testing how NextGen TV can improve emergency communications during severe weather and public safety events. The project explores how local stations can provide viewers with more targeted information, including interactive maps, accessibility features, multilingual resources and continuously updated guidance.

The NextGen TV News Technology Lab is scheduled to continue through summer 2028, with additional station projects, case studies and findings to be shared as the work advances.

The report is available online.

GRASS VALLEY, Calif.—AJA Video Systems has unveiled Io Xpand, a high-performance Thunderbolt 5-enabled PCIe expansion chassis for AJA KONA and Corvid video and audio I/O cards, at InfoComm 2026, June 17-19, at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

As demand for higher bandwidth, higher resolution content grows across industries, Io Xpand unlocks the performance of AJA PCIe I/O cards for video professionals leveraging Thunderbolt 5 laptops and mini-PCs on Windows, macOS and Linux.

Io Xpand is well-suited for creative or live production environments where space is limited and portability matters, including on-set, remote production and live switching. Video professionals can pair the new chassis with either a KONA 1, KONA 4or KONA 5 I/O card and a Thunderbolt 5-equipped computer to create a powerful, compact workstation with advanced throughput and video capture/playback functionality. For AJA Developer Partners, most AJA Corvid I/O cards can easily be used with the Io Xpand enclosure to develop smaller-footprint solutions.

The new chassis includes a 0.8-meter Thunderbolt 5 cable, Thunderbolt cable lock, power cable and universal power adapter. It will be offered as a standalone unit or in three bundles that include the Io Xpand and either a single KONA 1, KONA 4 or KONA 5 card. The KONA 5/Io Xpand bundle provides Thunderbolt 5 laptop and mini-PC users with access to the PCIe card’s high-performance 12G-SDI I/O, additional frame stores and full I/O stack, including AES/EBU audio and machine control in a portable, plug-and-play solution.

Io Xpand features include:

• Thunderbolt 5, 4, 3 and USB4 compatibility.
• Windows, macOS and Linux support.
• Support for full height, half length, x4 Gen 4 PCIe cards.
• Compatibility with double-width PCIe cards and PCIe cards with daughter cards.
• Up to 6000 MB/s of bi-directional PCIe bandwidth to the installed card.
• Support for PCIe 4.0, 3.0, 2.0 and 1.1 cards.
• Nearly silent operation via a temperature-controlled fan.
• Thunderbolt daisy-chaining support via a second Thunderbolt port.
• A portable, lightweight and rugged aluminum internal enclosure.
• A two-year warranty.

Io Xpand will soon be available AJA’s reseller network of resellers for $499. Bundle packages that include an Io Xpand chassis and either a KONA 1, KONA 4 or KONA 5 I/O card are also coming soon, with prices ranging from $1,249 to $4,455, depending on the KONA model.

See AJA Video at InfoComm 2026 booth N7744.

More information is available on the company’s website.

DENVER—MediaKind has announced the successful completion of its merger with Harmonic’s video business, creating an independent video infrastructure company with more than $250 million in annual revenue.

The integrated portfolio went live at mediakind.com on June 17.

MediaKind reported that the combined company enters the market with more than $100 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR), and over $150 million in annual appliance revenue. Bringing together complementary strengths across SaaS streaming, appliance platforms and cloud video technologies, MediaKind said that it serves a global blue-chip customer base and is uniquely positioned to help the media industry navigate the next era of streaming and video delivery.

“Bringing these two teams together under one roof is a powerful moment, creating a stronger, more capable partner for the media industry at a time of significant change.” said Allen Broome, CEO of MediaKind. “Outstanding technology, deep expertise, and a shared obsession with customer success — we’re ready to build something exceptional.”

To coincide with the merger, MediaKind has launched its new website. Visitors can now explore how the company is bringing together cloud-native software, SaaS services, and proven video infrastructure into a single, integrated offering at www.mediakind.com.

WASHINGTON—The American Television Alliance (ATVA) is blasting Deltavision Media’s decision to demand “egregious” retransmission fees from Verizon for its WSYT Fox affiliate and MyNetworkTV station in Syracuse, N.Y.

“Deltavision Media is a new player in broadcasting, but it’s already trying to score a financial goal while kicking consumers out of the game,” said ATVA spokesman Hunter Wilson. “Ahead of a critical contract deadline next week, Deltavision Media is threatening a TV blackout that would impact FIFA World Cup 2026 programming, demanding exorbitant retransmission fees with no concern for the thousands of families who are excited to watch their favorite match. Holding the world’s biggest sporting event hostage is no way to introduce yourself to the business.”

The ATVA, which is backed by Verizon and other pay TV groups, claimed that Deltavision Media, a Mississippi-based regional media company launched in August 2025, has proven to be an uncooperative negotiating partner with Verizon, “delaying its initial proposal and then demanding staggering rate increases – even compared to the already-inflated standards typical of Big Broadcaster retransmission consent demands.”

If the blackout does occur it would impact nearly 20,000 Verizon customers in the Syracuse, N.Y. market.

In its statement, the ATVA noted that it continues to lobby for reforms in the ways retransmission consent agreements are conducted.

“Since 2010, broadcasters have levied more than 2,500 TV blackouts and increased retransmission consent fees by an overwhelming 2,000 percent,” the group said. “American consumers continue to pay the price for outdated regulations that allow broadcasters to weaponize TV blackouts, deliberately targeting live sports, local news and other popular TV.”

The NAB and broadcasters have pushed back against those arguments arguing that broadcast content is typically the most popular content on pay TV platforms and that increased retrans fees fund important local news and the cost of popular sports rights like the World Cup.

TV Tech has reached out to WSYT for comment.

LONDON—Cascade Studio has announced the Open Beta launch of Cascade, an AI-native production platform that aims to democratize storytelling by bringing Hollywood-grade storytelling infrastructure to creators of any size.

"Too many great stories never make it to screen – and we built Cascade to change that," said Simon Windsor, CEO of Cascade Studio. "We didn't set out to build another AI generation tool. That's not what the industry needs. What we've created is the all-in-one production environment we wished we'd had throughout our careers.”

Cascade was co-founded by Simon Windsor, co-founder and former co-CEO of Dimension Studio; Junaid Baig, former lead of DNEG rendering and pipeline whose credits include “Avengers: Endgame”, “Tenet”, “Fantastic Beasts”, and “No Time To Die”; and Darren Hopkins, technology entrepreneur, former CFO of Dimension Studio, and CEO of AI-focused investment firm Mollyroe PLC. The company has also appointed games industry pioneer Dominic Wheatley, co-founder and former CEO of Eidos, as Chairman.

Described by its founders as "the Unreal Engine of storytelling", the Cascade platform is powered by a proprietary agentic AI framework that acts as a creative co-pilot throughout production, helping creators develop ideas, build assets, manage projects and orchestrate workflows through natural interaction, while keeping every creative decision firmly in human hands.

Cascade Studios stressed that the platform has been built for scaling productions and IP. Its unique asset-based system enables creators to maintain character consistency, visual coherence and IP integrity across entire projects – from shot to shot, series to series, and across expanding story worlds and sequels. Cascade brings AI-generated content, existing creative assets and live-action production together seamlessly in a single platform.

The result is a scalable production environment where solo creators or agile teams can build everything from teasers, trailers and advertising campaigns to episodic series, animation, films and music videos without juggling multiple tools, subscriptions or disconnected workflows.

"The creativity has always been there, but what the industry has been missing is a platform that connects everything – one that supercharges high-grade production while respecting the creative process and helping storytellers bring ambitious ideas to life,” Windsor added. “That's what Cascade is. The production platform modern storytelling has been waiting for. We're redefining who can make films, how fast they can make them, and at what quality."

The Open Beta of Cascade is available now: Sign up at www.cascadestudio.ai.

LAS VEGAS—Pliant Technologies is launching CrewCom Flex, which the company is calling the world’s first frameless matrix intercom system and the only complete matrix IP-based intercom solution that converges wired, wireless, and virtual voice communication on a standards-based AES67 / SMPTE ST 2110 backbone.

Making its official debut at the 2026 InfoComm Show (Booth N6151), Pliant Technologies reported that CrewCom Flex represents a major evolution in professional intercom technology, seamlessly uniting Pliant’s proven CrewCom wireless intercom system with powerful new wired panels, desktop panels, wired belt packs, and browser- or app-based virtual intercom panels that can be deployed in cloud-native or local infrastructures.

Designed for demanding productions and critical communication environments, CrewCom Flex delivers a complete communications ecosystem built for hybrid, remote, distributed, and highly scalable workflows.

“With our truly distributed architecture, there is finally an intercom system with no single point of failure,” says Gary Rosen, vice president of global sales for Pliant Technologies. “CrewCom Flex delivers lower total cost of ownership, reduced hardware inventory, simplified configuration, and effortless remote production workflows. It’s intercom with fewer limitations and far more possibilities.”

At the core of the CrewCom Flex platform is the new CrewCom Flex Main Panel [CKP-16] and Desktop Panel [CDP-16], designed to combine the familiarity of traditional hardware with the flexibility and advantages of frameless distributed IP communications.

Expansion panels can be added to create highly customizable user stations, while each panel and desktop panel functions as its own intelligent distributed matrix. Unlike traditional matrix-based intercom systems that rely on centralized hardware frames, CrewCom Flex utilizes a unique distributed processing architecture, eliminating single points of failure while enabling almost limitless scalability.

CrewCom Flex is standards-based with AES67 and SMPTE ST 2110 support for seamless AoIP and VoIP integration and includes ST 2022-7 redundancy compliance for maximum reliability in mission-critical applications.

During the show, Pliant is also introducing new CrewCom Flex BeltPacks, available in two-channel [CBP-22] and four-channel [CBP-24] versions. Designed for flexible production workflows, the beltpacks feature integrated microphones and speakers, allowing users an option to communicate without requiring a headset.

The platform also includes CrewCom Flex Virtual Intercom, a browser-based VoIP communications solution available in 4-, 8-, 16-, and 36-key virtual user configurations. Flex Virtual Intercom can operate as a standalone communications system or integrate seamlessly into larger CrewCom Flex deployments. Accessible from PCs, Macs, tablets, and mobile devices, it provides unprecedented deployment flexibility for remote and distributed production teams.

CrewCom Flex integrates directly with existing CrewCom wireless intercom systems through CrewCom’s 32x32 Dante/AES-67 Digital Audio Network Interface [CXD-32CF], which provides routing and expansion capabilities into and out of a CrewNet infrastructure using EtherCon copper and dual LC fiber connectivity.

System configuration and management are handled through the updated CrewWare 2.0 software platform, featuring intuitive drag-and-drop tools that simplify deployment, control, and management of all resources within a single unified ecosystem.

“There are virtually no limits on size, geography, or project type with CrewCom Flex,” adds Rosen. “Whether your workflow requires traditional panels, desktop panels, wireless users, virtual panels, site-to-site communications, or cloud-based deployments, every user experiences the same intuitive interface and streamlined communication workflow.”

More information about Pliant Technologies is available at www.plianttechnologies.com.

HUNT VALLEY, MD.—Sinclair has made a strategic investment in IRCODE, a company specializing in computer vision and AI aimed at making television interactive and shoppable.

Sinclair will also roll out IRCODE-powered interactive television through IRCODE Lens at its Salt Lake City and Austin, Texas, stations in July. Stations in other markets will follow throughout the year.

“Television has always delivered the audience. What it could not deliver was the proof of what happened next. IRCODE changes that,” said IRCODE CEO Matty Beckerman. “We give broadcasters and their advertisers the infrastructure to make every moment on screen interactive, measurable and connected to a real outcome. At Sinclair's scale, this is a new foundation for how television drives business results and how viewers connect with what they watch.”

IRCODE Lens is a 24/7 real-time interactive channel that lets viewers engage directly with what they see on screen to buy, win, connect and explore. The interactive TV solution is a white-label engagement and attribution layer that turns any piece of content or advertising into a measurable consumer touchpoint. IRCODE Lens runs entirely inside the broadcaster's existing apps, so every engagement and conversion stays first-party and owned by the station and advertiser.

The rollout will allow the stations to make interactive television a native capability inside their own platforms, giving brands and audiences a direct path to the products and experiences on screen.

IRCODE's real-time image recognition works like Shazam for images. It identifies what is on screen instantly without QR codes and connects the viewer to relevant content and commerce in the moment. The same technology is used today in 52 countries to recognize broadcast and on-screen content in real time at frame-level accuracy. The technology is format agnostic and built to create a frictionless customer journey from ads to premium content live sports and news.

To use IRCODE Lens, viewers in Salt Lake City or Austin will open their Sinclair station app, point their phone at the TV screen and move directly from what they are watching to the product or experience behind it. Because the interaction happens inside the station’s own app, the audience is identified and opted in, and every step of the journey from first scan to conversion is captured as first-party data.

For brands, interactive television closes the distance between awareness and action. An advertiser running a spot in Salt Lake City or Austin will be able to measure who engaged, what they did next and whether it led to a purchase with the same precision expected from a digital campaign. Engagement, conversion and return on investment become visible at the campaign level, and the data that proves it stays first-party to the ecosystem.

“Using their cell phone cameras and our app, viewers can participate in real time polls, comment on local news and interact with our advertisers. IRCODE is a powerful technology that provides an easy-to-use interactive experience that adds enormous value to our content. Now, we can plan on integrating user experience into our traditional over the air broadcasts,” said Del Parks, president of technology at Sinclair.

More information is available on the IRCODE and Sinclair websites.

NEW YORK—Smartly, an AI-powered ad tech platform, and Roku have announced that they are working together to offer tools that will bring the speed, precision, and measurability of social advertising to CTV.

At the core of this partnership is a direct connection between Smartly and Roku Ads Manager, Roku’s outcomes-driven CTV platform, via the Roku Ads API. This allows marketers to run CTV campaigns using the tools they already use for social, making it easy to activate campaigns on TV quickly and reach new audiences with greater ease and measurable impact.

“CTV’s performance era is here,” said Laura Desmond, CEO of Smartly. “The best advertising follows attention across every screen, and streaming is where we can now finally unlock the same proven results. Partnering with Roku brings the same rigor, scale, and incrementality advertisers have built on social to the biggest screen in the home. Together, we are creating a structural shift in how brands grow.”

The partnership also streamlines creative development and execution, allowing advertisers to adapt existing social assets for the TV screen. This saves both time and resources by eliminating the need to rebuild separate ads for each platform.

“Advertisers want CTV to work as hard as their best-performing channels,” said Patrick Harris, SVP, Global Advertising Sales & Partnerships, Roku. “At Roku, we are strategically positioned to deliver that at scale. This partnership with Smartly makes it simple for brands to bring the speed and precision of social into TV, enabling them to turn proven strategies into measurable growth on the biggest screen.”

For more information, visit advertising.roku.com or smartly.io.

New data from Nielsen shows the New York Knicks triumph over the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals attracted the largest audiences since the Michael Jordan era in 1998, with all five games averaging 20.6 million for ABC and ESPN. That was up 157% over last year.

Saturday’s NBA Finals Game 5 on ABC delivered an average audience of 24.5 million viewers and peaked with 33 million viewers watching the closing moments of the New York Knicks Championship victory, the teams first in 53 years. It was the most-watched NBA Finals Game 5 since 1998 as well.

Game 5 also generated the largest viewing audience of the day across all of television and in every key male and adult demo, according to Nielsen Big Data + Panel.

The Game 4, which saw the Knicks make a record breaking comeback from a 29 point deficit, was up 123% from last year’s Game 4 with 20.9 million viewers and peaked with 23.2 million viewers at 11:15 p.m. ET.

WASHINGTON—The NAB Leadership Foundation has graduated its 16-member 2026 Broadcasting Leadership Training class, an executive MBA-style program designed to equip senior-level executives with the strategic and operational skills to lead TV and radio organizations.

With this year’s graduating class, the program—now operating for more than 26 years—brings its alumni network to more than 448 leaders, NABLF said.

The 2026 graduating class was the first under Co-Deans Trila Bumstead and Mark Jaromin, both BLT alumni. The deans have evolved the program’s curriculum to address today’s media landscape, NABLF said, with training on artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies.

This year’s graduates represent a diverse cross-section of the industry, NABLF said. They are:

• Fletcher Brown, operations manager and program director, Big River Broadcasting
• Jerome David Crumpton, general sales and marketing manager, Courtney French Broadcasting LLC
• Jennifer Dale, vice president of recruiting, Gray Media
• Joey Figueroa, vice president and director of sales, Univision Orlando, TelevisaUnivision
• Whitney Grover, general manager and director of sales, KJRH Tulsa, The E.W. Scripps Co.
• Valerie Guyton, president and general manager, KWES; KIDY/KXVA; KYTX and KBMT/KJAC, Tegna
• Ryan Hatch, senior vice president and market manager, Phoenix, Bonneville
• Tiffany Hickman, vice president and general sales manager, Holston Valley Broadcasting
• Andria Langston, founder, Legacy Media Productions; owner, WDKX Radio
• Jaimie León, vice president and general manager, WSLS, Graham Media Group
• Samantha Linn, controller and chief accounting officer, Morgan Murphy Media
• Pamela McKay, vice president and market manager, Radio One Atlanta
• Allison Smith, president and general manager, KETV, Hearst
• Katelin Tinley, vice president and market manager, CMG Long Island Radio, Cox Media Group
• Haley Townsend, regional director of digital content, Northeast, Fox TV Stations
• Scott Trabandt, news director, CMG Pittsburgh TV, Cox Media Group

“This year’s class demonstrated exceptional curiosity, collaboration and strategic vision, particularly in exploring how artificial intelligence and emerging technologies are reshaping media,” Michelle Duke, president of NABLF, said. “Their passion for the business of broadcasting and commitment to innovation give us tremendous confidence for the future of our industry.”

BOTHELL, Wash.—The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) has announced the launch of the Official IPMX Training Series, a free online program designed to help the Pro AV community better understand, design, configure, and deploy IPMX-based AV-over-IP systems. The Official IPMX Training Series is structured across three progressive levels - Foundations, Systems, and Networks - providing a clear learning path that supports both newcomers to AV-over-IP and experienced professionals seeking deeper technical insight.

The courses will balance demonstrations with business and technical information, helping participants understand not only how IPMX works, but how it fits into real-world workflows. The curriculum will also explore how IPMX relates to and builds upon complementary standards such as AES67, SMPTE ST 2110, and AMWA NMOS, while providing insight into the ecosystem clusters emerging around open, interoperable AV-over-IP deployments.

“Our new online training series is designed to provide the Pro AV industry with a practical, shared understanding of how IPMX fits into modern AV-over-IP system design,” said Sam Recine, IPMX Pro AV Working Group Chair at AIMS. “By clarifying how IPMX aligns with related standards and real-world scenarios, the courses will help integrators, engineers, and other stakeholders design and deploy standards-based, interoperable AV-over-IP systems.”

The initial chapters of the Foundations Training module are now available to public with the Systems and Networks modules set to debut in the fall and winter of this year, respectively

To register for the series, please visit training.ipmx.io.

More information about AIMS and its work is available at www.aimsalliance.org.

The XR Sports Alliance (XRSA) has announced that a new cohort of members has joined the strategic initiative: ActionStreamer, Antigravity, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), Freeride World Tour, HOVERAir, Manchester United, Pico, Rezzil, San Diego Wave FC, Specs, Inc, and Trigger XR.

Founded two years ago in June 2024 by Accedo, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and Host Broadcast Services (HBS), the XRSA is designed to accelerate time-to-market and commercialization of XR sports services.

The new members are the fourth group of organizations to join the XRSA, bringing the total number of members up to 33.

"Two years in, XRSA has started to build genuine momentum across sports, media, and technology,” Michael Lantz, CEO, Accedo, commented. “This fourth cohort reflects the breadth of what the alliance is becoming and continues to expand its capabilities across the immersive sports value chain. We are now several deployments in, proving our value as a structured testbed for real-world XR experimentation—with each new member strengthening what we can achieve together in accelerating the time-to-market and commercialization of XR sports experiences."

The new cohort of members spans rights owners, technology and hardware providers, and one of the world's leading sports and entertainment agencies—extending the alliance's reach across action sports rights, professional football, and aerial capture technology.

It includes ActionStreamer, a live-streaming software and wearable technology company, Antigravity, maker of A1, the world’s first 8K 360-degree drone for immersive capture; Creative Artists Agency (CAA), a global sports and entertainment agency; Freeride World Tour, the global series of competition for elite freeride skiers and snowboarders; HOVERAir, a technology and robotics company with a range of self-flying cameras; Pico, a VR technology company; Rezzil, a leading sports technology company focused on performance, insight, and engagement; San Diego Wave FC, a professional women’s soccer team, Specs, Inc. a technology company building the next generation of wearable computer; and Trigger XR, a sports and performance-focused agency. Manchester United, a UK Premier League football team, has also joined, as part of its partnership with Qualcomm.

"Bringing together organizations with expertise spanning capture technology, creative services, sports rights and fan engagement gives XRSA the range it needs to generate learnings that are genuinely transferable across the industry,” added Sylvain Lebreton, head of digital, HBS. “Meaningful experimentation requires diverse environments — different sports, different audiences, different production conditions. This cohort delivers exactly that breadth, and that is what will make our outputs valuable beyond any single deployment."

WASHINGTON—The NCTA has filed comments with the Federal Communications Commission opposing E.W. Scripps acquisition of TV stations from INYO that argue the agency lacks the authority to waive ownership caps on broadcast station groups.

DirecTV has also filed comments opposing the deal.

Earlier this year, Scripps has announced that it is exercising its option to re-acquire 23 ION-affiliated stations for about $54 million. The stations were divested to INYO Broadcast Holdings in 2021 as part of its acquisition of ION so that the deal would comply with Federal Communications Commission ownership caps.

The plan to reacquire them comes at a time when the FCC has been more open to altering or eliminating ownership caps,

The proposed acquisition would, if approved by the agency, create a combined station group covering 40.29% of the country or 1.29 percentage points more than the current ownership cap of 39%. Under FCC Chair Brendan Carr the agency has asserted its authority to waive the ownership caps if they are in the public interest.

Recently, the Media Bureau did waive ownership rules in its approval of the Nexstar/Tegna merger, which would create a combined group covering 54.5% of the U.S. population or 15.5 percentage points over the cap. That decision is now being litigated in Federal courts in California and Washington D.C.

In its filing, the cable-backed NCTA argued that Congress did not give the FCC authority to waive the caps and that even if it did, the agency’s Media Bureau did not have the power to do so on "delegated authority”

“Accordingly, the Commission itself should resolve any `questions regarding the Commission’s authority in this area.’” the group argued. “And, as discussed above, that resolution should make clear that the Commission lacks authority to repeal or modify the National Cap.”

The full filing is available here.