WMYD ATSC 3.0 Deployment Offers Test Bed for Auto Industry

DETROIT—WMYD, The E.W. Scripps Company-owned MYNetworkTV affiliate in Detroit, will launch ATSC 3.0 service by the end of 2020 in collaboration with Graham Media Group and other local broadcasters, the station announced today.

“Scripps is a strong supporter of the development of ATSC 3.0 technology as a way to continue to improve the broadcast industry’s offerings for both consumers and advertisers,” said Brian Lawlor, president of Local Media for Scripps.

The Detroit launch of Next-Gen TV service offers the automotive industry an in-market test bed for IP-based broadcasting to deliver data to millions of receivers at the same time without concerns of wireless internet bottlenecks, according to the announcement.

“After our positive experience with KNXV as part of the test and learn initiatives in Phoenix, we are eager to launch this technology with WMYD in Detroit and help move the industry forward,” said Lawlor.

Graham Media Group is also participating in the 3.0 Detroit launch with its WDIV-TV NBC affiliate.

“The collaborative effort needed to launch this new technology requires that broadcasters work together for the benefit of our viewers,” said Emily Barr, president and CEO of Graham Media Group.

“Graham and WDIV look forward to launching the new Next Gen TV station and the eventual launch of our own advanced signals on this platform. The future of television insures a more expansive experience, with high dynamic range video and advanced audio features that will immerse viewers as never before,” she said.

The rollout of Next Gen TV service in Detroit is subject to final engineering and regulatory approvals as well as FCC license modifications. However, participating broadcasters have already identified WMYD as being among the first stations to convert to 3.0 as part of this rollout, the announcement said.

At the 2019 NAB Show in April, a group of broadcasters, including network O&Os and affiliates and public broadcasters, announced their plans to deploy Next Gen TV in the 40 largest TV markets in the United States by the end of next year.

For a comprehensive source of TV Technology’s ATSC 3.0 coverage, see ourATSC3 silo.

Phil Kurz

Phil Kurz is a contributing editor to TV Tech. He has written about TV and video technology for more than 30 years and served as editor of three leading industry magazines. He earned a Bachelor of Journalism and a Master’s Degree in Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism.