Consumer Technology Association President and CEO Gary Shapiro and Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr’s wide-ranging conversation Jan. 8 at CES in Las Vegas gave broadcasters a lot to think about when it comes to their future. It also prompted a couple of my own thoughts.

(If you missed it, C-SPAN carried the conversation, which is available here.)

The future of local TV, general support for ATSC 3.0 at the commission, possible readjustment of the network-affiliate relationship and spectrum use and policy were among the highlights. Here, let’s focus on another: the public-interest obligation of broadcasters.

Setting the stage for discussing the public-interest obligation, Carr reminded the audience of the privilege of having a broadcast license and what that means to broadcasters when it comes to retransmission consent and ultimately must-carry dollars.

“[Broadcasting is] a very, very unique distribution medium…because the government is picking a winner and loser,” he said. “You get a license; you get this microphone; you get to speak; you don’t necessarily get to conduct yourself the same way you would if you run a podcast or a soapbox or a cable channel.”

For broadcasters who don’t like that obligation, Carr offered a couple of solutions: turn in your license and transition to a cable channel, start a podcast, become a YouTube channel or bid on your spectrum in an auction, “maybe let[ting] everyone have a fair and free shot at purchasing that spectrum without the public-interest obligation,” he said.

However, at the risk of revealing my naiveté, how many local TV broadcasters truly are clamoring to shed their public-interest obligation? On the whole, when have local TV stations not lived up to this obligation? Certainly not during tornadoes, hurricanes, incoming missile attacks (remember the Hawaii false alarm?), earthquakes and other emergencies.

On the contrary, unprompted by regulators. the TV industry has attempted to up its game in these situations with Advanced Emergency Alerting & Information (AEI&A), a built-in feature of the ATSC 3.0 standard. However, AEI&A—just like other 3.0 enhancements—can’t fully come to fruition until the industry can move forward on sunsetting 1.0.

Nor have they failed to serve the interests of the public each morning, noon and night when it comes to local news. Carr himself acknowledged in his comments that, given the decline of daily newspapers, local newscasts offer “the last of the real ‘gumshoe reporting.’”

My second observation is the 1934 Communications Act didn’t simply mandate
a public interest obligation. There’s also the “convenience and necessity” portion of the phrase.

It seems to me to be counter to the spirit of TV broadcasters’ obligation to serve the “public interest, convenience and necessity” if the TV sets that the public watches are unable to provide the greatest convenience (think personalization and interactivity) and necessity (think AEI&A evacuation maps in flooding) that local TV broadcasters can deliver.

In response to regulatory filings and posts by the Consumer Technology Association opposing a government mandate for NextGen TV tuners and a firm shutoff date for existing broadcast signals, Jerald Fritz, a former ONE Media Technology executive and a broadcaster for more than 50 years, is defending the need for new FCC regulations to speed the transition to NextGen TV broadcasts.

In an article sent to TV Tech, Fritz argues the CTA members and broadcasters should be aligned in supporting the move to NextGen TV and that the CTA’s current arguments against mandates fall apart when seen in a wider, more nuanced context.

The CTA’s current position opposing those mandates “needs some context since the argument over ‘mandates’ is much more nuanced than [CTA CEO Gary Shapiro] portrays,” writes Fritz, a principal at Communications Policy Consulting and who has held multiple staff positions at the FCC, including chief of staff to Chairman Mark Fowler during the Reagan Administration. “In fact, Gary and his CTA members ought to be in lock step with broadcasters in fully realizing the benefits to consumers AND his constituents.”

“Gary understands nuance,” Fritz noted. “He’s been running CTA for almost 35 years and has that excellent legal and Capitol Hill background … And he knows about overregulation—the very situation that has locked broadcasters into the untenable position they are in today.”

In his efforts to describe a more nuanced view of the debate, Fritz stressed that broadcasters and set manufacturers have long operated under government mandates for “rigid standards on both the transmission and reception side” dating back to the period just before World War II. “It needs to be noted that, while Gary stresses over his philosophical opposition to mandates, CTA has been for decades and continues to operate under them as we speak.”

Unfortunately, while technology has been rapidly changing, with mobile phones, personal computers and other devices changing how consumers access content, there has been “until recently 0% change to the mandated TV transmission standard,” Fritz added. ”No mobile applications to watch TV in a car or commuter train. No significant enhancements to picture or sound quality. No hyper-localized or personalized programming, advertising or emergency alerts. And no ability to provide consumers and businesses with an extraordinarily robust one-to-many data platform.”

ATSC 3.0 addresses those issues with many new features, but the current FCC rules governing its implementation create a kind of “a Rube Goldberg implementation plan” that has “the sad effect of requiring all broadcasters to continue to use the old standard in parallel with the new one,” Fritz complained.

This means there are few incentives for “Gary’s CTA companies or TV consumers to implement the new standard if there’s only limited immediate upside,” Fritz wrote. “This hamstrings stations and CTA members from fully realizing the extraordinary capabilities of the NextGen TV standard.”

“This crazy implementation regime is equivalent to saying to Gary’s constituents that no new 5G or 6G phone can be sold until every existing 3G user can use the new tech,” Fritz argued.

This background provides an important context for Shapiro’s other criticisms that broadcasters haven’t heavily invested in or marketed 3.0 broadcasts and that consumers haven’t embraced the technology, Fritz added. “To the contrary, with both hands tied behind their backs broadcasters have deployed the NextGen TV standard to more than ¾ of the U.S. population, and CTA member companies are including the tech in millions of TV sets.”

The current rules also make it nearly impossible for broadcasters to showcase the real advantages of 3.0 broadcast, Fritz argued.

“Fully 88% of the broadcast channel capacity structured to deliver NextGen TV services is stuck behind this nonsensical regulatory wall,” Fritz said. “And there’s the nuance. CTA’s constituent companies should be clamoring to provide products capturing these new services. It means new products to develop and sell. It means new markets to exploit. It means profits. Broadcasters and CTA members are already locked behind an iron curtain wall of government regulations. Let’s free the markets. The government has already approved the standard. Now it needs to ensure that all parties are using it for the benefit of all. To paraphrase President Reagan, ‘Mr. Shapiro, help tear down this wall!’ ”

The president of the Consumer Technology Association is criticizing a proposal from the National Association of Broadcasters to have the FCC mandate that TV sets sold in the U.S. support ATSC 3.0 (aka “NextGen TV”).

In a petition submitted to the FCC this week, NAB is asking the commission to sunset the current U.S. DTV standard—ATSC 1.0 by 2030, paving the way for further adoption of NextGen TV, which is now available within reach of 75% of U.S. households. As part of the proposal the association is asking the commission to mandate the inclusion of tuners that support over the air reception of NextGen TV.

Unlike the first transition to DTV 25 years ago, the transition to 3.0 is voluntary in scope. Like the DTV transition though, the same organization, (then called the “Consumer Electronics Association”), vehemently opposed a mandate, which was eventually approved by Congress. Congress also created a program to provide discounts on low-cost analog-to-digital converters. The campaign was successful enough that the June 2009 analog shutoff registered fewer consumer complaints than feared.

Currently, certain TV sets from Sony, Samsung, TCL, Panasonic, RCA and Hisense and a small but growing variety of dongles and boxes from companies like Atlanta DTH support NextGen TV.

Pearl TV, an advocacy group for ATSC 3.0, estimated that more than 14 million NextGen TV capable devices will have shipped by the end of 2024. The Consumer Technology Association estimates that 120 million NextGen TV sets were sold by 2024. The ATSC says that more than 100 NextGen TV-capable products will be available to consumers in 2025.

CTA President Gary Shapiro, who led the opposition to the mandate the first time around, issued the following statement on Linkedin:

“The National Association of Broadcasters is at it again—first pushing to mandate FM chips in phones, then misleading policymakers about AM radio, and now forcing NEXTGEN TV onto every consumer and manufacturer. This is a product that costs more and consumers have not embraced. This will impose a large percentage increase in costs at a time when the TV set has proved to be the rare deflationary product.

The simple fact is fewer than 10% of Americans rely on antennas for TV viewing. These proposed mandates only add unnecessary costs at a time when affordability is top of mind for American families.

Rather than innovating, broadcasters are lobbying for regulations to prop up their failing business model. It’s also a stark reminder of why they should not be allowed to consolidate and control markets. If their technology had real value, they wouldn’t need government mandates to sustain it.

This administration has made cutting red tape a priority, yet here in 2025, broadcasters are pushing for new regulation to benefit themselves at the expense of competition and consumer choice. What’s next—a mandate for 3D TVs? Instead of working to modernize their industry, NAB is doubling down on outdated policies that stifle innovation.

The Consumer Technology Association remains focused on delivering real value and choice to consumers, not propping up failing business models through regulation.

Broadcasters would be better off paying musicians the royalties they deserve and spend less energy and time trying to restrict technology companies who are better at supporting our economy, innovation, and jobs and reaching consumers on a targeted basis with advertising."

NOTE: In 2017, CTA and NAB jointly opposed an ATSC 3.0/NEXTGEN TV tuner mandate emphasizing that any transition should be voluntary, calling it “counterproductive and unnecessary.”

The Consumer Technology Association says it expects more than 100,000 people to attend the 2023 International Consumer Electronics Show, Jan. 5-8 in Las Vegas, more than double the number of approximately 45,000 who attended the Covid-abbreviated 2022 event. That show marked a 73% decline from the 2020 event when 171,000 attended in one of the last large trade shows to take place before the onset of the pandemic.

In a virtual press conference today, CTA President/CEO Gary Shapiro discussed the trends and major themes of the upcoming show with fellow CTA colleagues John Kelley, VP, CES & Acting Show Director and Kinsey Fabrizio, SVP, Membership & Sales.

Of the buzz in advance of the show, “the momentum is absolutely huge. I've never ever seen anything like this,” Shapiro said. “Now we're looking at hitting about 100,000 [attendees] and from every indication we're on track to get there.”

50% Bigger Show Floor
More than 2,200 exhibitors are expected at the event, slightly down from the 2,300 at the 2022 show; in 2020, more than 4,400 exhibitors were at CES, which takes place in the Las Vegas Convention Center and various Vegas hotels. More than 1,000 of this year’s exhibitors are new, according to Fabrizio. 

“The show right now is 50% bigger than CES 2022,” she said. “We are at 2 million net square feet of exhibit space and we're continuing to grow.”

As for themes at the show, expect many of the same from recent years, including Health, Auto and Metaverse, Fabrizio said, adding that a new product category tied to Web 3 is being added this year. 

"[Web 3] will encompass technologies from the metaverse digital assets and blockchain, and it will be throughout the show floor and conference programming,” she said. “You'll see it show up with shared immersive and virtual experiences as well as the hardware associated with these categories.”

And although the show is no longer dominated by its traditional focus on consumer electronics for entertainment, the sector did get a shout out from the executives. “Another area of the show floor that is a staple for me at CES—and I hope for all of you—is Central Hall,” Fabrizio said. “Here is where you can find our biggest exhibitors featuring the latest and greatest in TV technology and home entertainment.”  

New Attractions
Other highlights include a live stream from the International Space Station, a first for the event, as well as a focus on how technology can impact human rights, according to Shapiro.

“We're partnering with the United Nations affiliate, the World Academy of Art and Science to show how technology can support human securities, or as we usually call them ‘human rights,’” he said. “It's like the right to health care, the right to clean air, the right to clean water, the right to food… and you'll see these themes and others on the shop floor and in many of the keynotes.”

Another new feature at the show will be CTA’s “2023 Global Innovation Scorecard,” which ranks countries into categories, based on innovation prowess. The top countries on the scorecard will be recognized during the opening keynote. “Many ambassadors and ministers from top performing countries will be with me on the opening keynote stage,” Shapiro said.

When asked what was the fastest growing tech category at the 2023 show, transportation technology was among those that topped the list. 

“Vehicle tech is really growing rapidly. CES is going to be the largest auto tech show in North America,” Fabrizio said. “And it's not just cars—it also includes marine tech, agriculture, tech and EV tools. So that's a big category for us.”

Click here to register for CES. 

ARLINGTON, Va.—CTA says it expects CES 2023 will likely be the largest in-person, audited business event to take place in the United States since early 2020. The show footprint is on track to grow more than 40% larger (in terms of floor space) than CES 2022, with more than 1,300 exhibitors confirmed. The event takes place in Las Vegas, Jan. 5-8.

Since it takes place so early in the year, CES is among the only industry trade shows that managed to only miss one year—2021—for its annual in-person show, which, up until 2020 had easily logged more than 100,000 international attendees annually. While the 2021 event was a virtual one, the 2022 gathering returned to an in-person format, attracting about 40,000, with 2,300 exhibitors.

CTA President/CEO said “people are excited to head back to Las Vegas for CES 2023, and it will rock. 

"We are optimistic we can hit our attendance goal of 100,000, which would make it the largest independently-audited post-pandemic tech event. This year's show will feature keynotes from tech visionaries and the opportunity to see and touch the tech that's shaking up industries and changing our lives for the better."

"Global brands including Abbott, Amazon, AMD, Google, John Deere, LG, Qualcomm, Roku, Samsung, Sony, Stellantis, Verizon. They and many others are committed to CES to launch new products and display cutting-edge technologies," said Kinsey Fabrizio, CTA Senior Vice President Membership and CES Sales.

"The robust conference program shows momentum beyond the show floor at CES," said John T. Kelley, Vice President and Acting Show Director for CES. "Hundreds of sessions with industry leaders will highlight advancements in transportation and mobility, digital health, metaverse and sustainability. And new at this year's show: sessions focused on the creator economy, including NFTs, and Web3."

The CES 2023 digital experience will offer access to more than 75 conference sessions and keynotes, digital activations, and a network of CES exhibitors, media and attendees. Digital registration opens later this year.

Key show themes include:

• Transportation and Mobility
• Digital Health
• Web3/Metaverse
• Sustainability
• Human Security for All

DETROIT—The session was titled “ATSC 3.0: Television, Automotive and More” June 9 at the Advanced Television System Committee’s NextGen Broadcast Conference, but few could have predicted the “more” would include exchanges between Consumer Technology Association CEO and president Gary Shapiro and NAB CEO and president Curtis LeGeyt that at times were quite pointed and at others downright confrontational.

Moderated by Digital Tech Consulting (DTC) founder and president Myra Moore, the conversation between both association leaders started off, as might be expected for a conference looking at the NextGen TV standard, on topics like the role of local broadcasters, what motivates CE manufacturers to adopt anything new, the 3.0 build out, how the NextGen TV rollout compares to DTV/HDTV rollout and the availability of NextGen TV sets.

The interaction between Shapiro, who was in person at the event, and LeGeyt, who joined by Zoom, took an unexpected turn when Moore asked the association leaders about how the organizations are working together to promote NextGen TV to consumers.

“First of all, I think we're working tremendously well together, across, you know, numerous different aspects of this,” said LeGeyt. After mentioning recently reading an Op-Ed co-written by former NAB CEO and president Gordon Smith and Shapiro on the 10-year anniversary of the DTV transition and remarking on how it underscored the importance of “collaboration and consensus” between the CE and TV broadcast industries to achieve a shared goal, LeGeyt expressed appreciation for the collaborative efforts of the CE industry and CTA members on NextGen TV.

“…[B]eing on the same page, talking about how do we promote this collectively… the consumer value proposition…in the living room, in the phone and in all of these use cases—where your members are effectively going to be… the consumers’ entryway to the benefits, I think the sky’s the limit here,” said LeGeyt. 

Shapiro, however, expressed there’s a limit. “I agree with everything you’ve said till this point, except that it’s a wonderful collaboration, because I’ve got to be honest with you, it’s tough to collaborate with someone when you’re investing a lot of your resources fighting ideas that they’re pushing forth to policymakers…,” said Shapiro.

The CTA head cited NAB efforts to put a tax “on all devices” using FCC-regulated spectrum. “Who wants their Wi-Fi taxed? Who wants all these equipment taxes? That's not something that makes us very happy when you're out there all the time talking about big tech and how horrible technology is, and trying to push that agenda in Washington,” said Shapiro.

Shapiro also objected to the NAB’s support for taxpayer money to pay journalists, a proposal he characterized as going “to the heart of the First Amendment and where government should be.” NAB is “pushing a lot of ideas which have nothing to do with expanding the industry and more to do with fighting other industries that you somehow feel are against you,” he said.

Other items on Shapiro’s list of grievances included “fighting the music industry” for free performance rights, attacks on technology innovation, including a proposal to prevent a company with more than $100 million from acquiring another company. “Why is it that this past week, you've had `The Washington Post,' far left liberal, and `The Wall Street Journal,' far-right conservative, agreeing that these proposals are absolutely wrong for business?” he asked.

“Well, Gary, listen,” said LeGeyt. “I couldn’t disagree more. First off, as it relates to any advocacy we're doing around technology, it relates to the largest tech companies—Google, Facebook, Apple, Amazon. [L]et's be very honest, [they] are impeding competition and pushing out many of your members who can't compete with them.”

The NAB chief noted that the market dominance of those big tech companies puts them in an information gatekeeper role and that their “market power has finally found a way into breaking down the business model for locally focused journalism. That’s not a broadcast-specific issue.” 

“[W]e’re not focused on… doing anything to technology and innovation in this country; where we are focused is on for companies that have absolutely outsized market power,” said LeGeyt, who suggested the two meet in Washington to discuss “how we [NAB] can finetune our messaging around that to make that clear.”

However, “there is no future of this business model [broadcasting] in which four companies…have an outsized impact on our ability to reach our audiences as those audiences migrate to digital and are turning around and using our own content against us in a local ad marketplace that they dominate as a result of that monopoly power,” said LeGeyt.

Moore tried to pull the conversation back to 3.0, but Shapiro continued. “This is not just an attack on four big companies,” he said. This is an attack on the tech industry saying you don't have a right to develop a platform and make it successful.”

LeGeyt called Shapiro’s description of NAB’s advocacy and proposals a complete mischaracterization of “our anti-trust agenda as it relates to… these broader anti-trust initiatives.”

“Look, there are a lot of proposals out there right now. NAB supports the overarching effort to rein in these tech companies,” he said.

Addressing collaboration between NAB and CTA on NextGen TV promotion, LeGeyt said he was “going to push back.”

“As the head of the CTA trade association, you may not feel like the partnership has been good,” said LeGeyt. “But I can tell you from our members’ perspective, we are grateful for the partnership that we’ve had with your industry as it relates to receiver standards [and] as it relates to joint promotion in the markets where the deployment has happened. And as it relates to broadcast education, consumer education… in this early stage—we are grateful for the work to date, and I need your members to know that."

In reply, Shapiro noted that ATSC is a “wonderful mechanism composed of super-competent people” who came together and agreed on a goal for NextGen TV. “I think that’s great, but when you asked about the partnership between the industries and organizations and how this would be promoted, it’s tough to promote it when someone has a knife, and they keep trying to stab you.”

ARLINGTON, Va.—The last year has brought numerous, massive shifts in how people conduct their daily lives—professionally and personally—because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Almost nothing has been untouched by this impact. However, on the positive, technology has leapt to the forefront in many situations and provided new ways to adapt not only to our current challenges, but provide new opportunities forward as well.

This was part of the key message from Gary Shapiro, Consumer Technology Association president and CEO, as he officially kicked off the virtual CES 2021 (after an exclusive media day on Jan. 11) during a live early morning presentation on Jan. 12.

“The last 12 months have been a challenge like no other for everyone in the world,” said Shapiro. “But in this time of uncertainty, technology has been a stabilizing, unifying force, keeping us connected to our schools, our jobs, our doctors, our families and our friends. The pandemic has sparked astounding innovation in technology.”

He specifically cites technologies like AR/VR, videoconferencing, digital health and more. Many of these technologies will be areas of focus during the 54th, but first virtual, CES conference.

Providing brief previews to some of the main areas of focus for the conference were Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and IBM Global Chief Technology Officer Bridget Karlin. Nadella spoke on the new realities of working and how people and companies will need to adapt, while Karlin shared some details on just how far AI technology can reach.

Other technology trends that Shapiro mentioned during the presentation were the need for high-speed broadband and 5G deployment to more homes, the increased development of IoT technology and the removal of what Shapiro called “unneeded and outmoded rules.”

Beyond innovation, the technology industry has also been making a concentrated effort to increase diversity. CTA announced in 2019 that it would invest in female and minority-focused investment funds to help support this push, with Shapiro saying they have invested in five such funds since then. In addition, he announced a new investment in Plum Alley, a New York-based firm that focuses on advancing technology and health care companies.

Karen Chupka, executive vice president of CES, announced during the presentation the winners of CES’ “World Bank Global Tech Challenge,” a series of programs of competitions designed to showcase how technology impacts sustainable development, with a specific focus on healthcare and bridging the gender divide. After receiving more than 1,000 applications, which were whittled down to 15 finalists, Butterfly Networks, Tricog and Micromentor were announced as the winners.

Chupka also announced that CES is expanding its partnership with World Bank Group to recognize individuals that advocate for the advancement of technology in the developing world for CES 2022.

“Tech is our tool. Let’s get safer, smarter, healthier and happier. We can be more resilient, more compassionate and more empowered,” Shapiro concluded. “And now, we must act, innovate and unite. Technology enables this transformation. An opportunity for our industry to show the world that tech is solving some of today’s and tomorrow’s biggest challenges.”

The full presentation is available to watch on demand through CES 2021’s virtual home. 

Ten years ago, America said goodbye to an old era in TV technology and went all-in on a new form of broadcasting. On June 12, 2009, the federal government discontinued analog broadcasting, and TV stations across the country began broadcasting solely in digital format — the birth of high-definition television (HDTV) as we know it today.

We’re now on the cusp of introducing the American public to the latest set of improvements in the evolution of TV — broadcasting technology that delivers Ultra HDTV video, customizable audio, improved reception and interactive features all via an over-the-air signal. Navigating this national transition will be a challenge, but looking back at the original digital transition offers a clear roadmap to success.

The transition to digital broadcasting took more than 20 years, start to finish, and proved the benefits of government and the private sector working together — a victory for companies in our sectors, the federal agencies that work with us and, ultimately, consumers. But it all could have gone spectacularly wrong.

DECADES IN THE MAKING

Japan had been studying HDTV since the 1970s and was ready to begin analog satellite — but not digital — HDTV broadcasting toward the end of the 80s. Not wanting to be left behind, in 1987 the FCC began working with industry leaders here in the U.S., forming the FCC Advisory Committee on Advanced Television Service (ACATS) to explore how our country could spearhead the next wave of TV innovation.

Through an ongoing, candid conversation with consumers, government leaders and innovators, ACATS — along with the industry’s standards-setting organization, the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) — in 1995 set a standard for digital broadcasting that became the envy of the world, with HDTV as its centerpiece. Our American success story was a groundbreaking change — delivering captivating broadcast imagery, enabling exponential possibilities for content creators in Hollywood and beyond — that convinced the broadcast world our future was digital, not analog. Yet none of this could have happened without trust and collaboration from all parties.

Today, that level of cooperation seems remarkable. In an increasingly divisive political climate, building and sustaining that kind of momentum would be nothing short of miraculous. But it’s exactly what we’ll need to maintain our country’s global lead in innovation.The transformative potential of today’s cutting-edge technologies — from virtual reality to Ultra HDTV, artificial intelligence to robotics — far eclipses that of digital broadcasting. If we want to harness these technologies to strengthen our society and change our lives for the better, we’ll have to find common ground again.

CONSENSUS IS CRUCIAL

Three key elements stand out as reasons for our successful journey to digital television:

The first was its strong, thoughtful leadership model. As head of the ACATS, former FCC chairman Richard Wiley prioritized the need to establish consensus — listening carefully to all parties and “translating” each group of stakeholders’ concerns and ideas to one another. Chairman Wiley made a point of condensing what he’d heard into digestible pieces, so federal policymakers were informed of what was happening with private-sector companies but not inundated with weedy details.

Second, we established clear, shared goals at the outset. On one hand, the simplicity of our goal — build a system better than Japan’s and better suited to the lives of U.S. consumers — belied its complexity. On the other, the fact that our goal was so simple gave us the flexibility we needed to build a quality system, adjusting our approach as the technology itself evolved. Clarity and agility were crucial to implement these technologies quickly and safely.

Third, we prepared Americans for the transition to digital TV. We crafted extensive messaging around the transition, explaining to consumers how this technology made it as easy as possible for them to get more channels, better picture and better sound. We also shared our message with policymakers, giving them a glimpse of how digital TV would transform the media industry and strengthen the job market.

These factors might seem obvious, but in the whirlwind of disruptive ideas and the noise of partisan squabbling, it’s easy for the obvious to be overlooked. Paradoxically, implementing the next round of cutting-edge technology on a national scale — whether that’s the next generation of digital television debuting soon or a game-changing innovation such as self-driving vehicles — requires a return to the basics: consensus in leadership, clarity in goals and communication to consumers.

As the 2020 campaign heats up and our leaders begin to ponder their policy priorities for the coming decade, we urge them to look to the successes of the past. Only by building on these — the public and private sectors working together toward a common goal — can we lay a sure foundation for the innovation of the future.

Gary Shapiro is president and CEO of the Consumer Technology Association. Gordon Smith is president and CEO of the National Association of Broadcasters. 

This op-ed originally appeared in Broadcasting & Cable. 

The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) held its annual kickoff to CES on Thursday, with CES Unveiled New York once again held at the Metropolitan Pavilion.

But invoking the CTA’s infamous mantra of “Innovate or Die,” the organization mixed things up a bit this year, and the event was far from a carbon copy of the past. The introductory press conference was set up in a more casual setting across tables and couches, and the subsequent tabletop portion of the event was transformed into a more “experiential” environment, with attendees given the opportunity to get hands-on with new technology.

Find Out How To Receive Editorial Coverage In The Official CES Daily

Gary Shapiro, CTA president/CEO, kicked things off by highlighting the global environment of CES, describing it both as “the coolest, funnest, greatest tech event in the world” and the “only venue in the entire world where the entire ecosystem comes together.”

On that note, he addressed the CTA’s well-known critical stance on the Trump-imposed tariffs, warning of the “serious ramifications for companies in our industries and many industries” if the tariffs on imports from China rise from the current 10 percent to 25 percent on Jan. 1 as presently scheduled.

Shapiro also highlighted some of the upcoming new areas at CES, taking place Jan. 8-11 in Las Vegas, including the expanded Smart Cities Marketplace and the new Resilience conference, focusing on technologies enabling countries, cities and people to respond to and rebound from calamities, both natural and otherwise.

He furthermore announced that the CTA’s next book, “Ninja Future,” will officially launch at CES and unveiled the organization’s inaugural Tech Media Trailblazers Class of 2019. This group is made up of new journalists who will have the opportunity to cover CES for the first time. (Among the participants: David Lumb of TechRadar, a TWICE sister publication.)

Karen Chupka, executive VP of CES, provided further details on the upcoming show, which will feature an expected 4,500 exhibitors from 155 countries, regions and territories. New exhibitors include John Deere, JD.com, Procter & Gamble, and Raytheon.

Eureka Park, the dedicated area for start-ups, will host a record 1,200 exhibitors from 40 different countries, Chupka said, while 150 auto exhibitors will be spread across a space larger than four football fields.

Artificial intelligence and robotics will also play prominent roles at this year’s show, as will digital health. As previously announced, CES 2019 will, for the first time, offer attendees the ability to earn Continuing Medical Education (CME) Credits.

WASHINGTON—The talk was mostly about high-tech innovation, with some veiled and unveiled references to tariffs, at the Consumer Technology Association's (CTA) 14th Annual Digital Patriots Dinner in Washington Tuesday night.

That was the same day CTA issued a warning about the impact of the Trump Administration's proposed 25 percent tariff on TV's from China, saying it would increase the cost of TVs to U.S. consumers by most of a billion dollars next year.

CTA CEO Gary Shapiro did not explicitly address the hot-button issue of edge-provider scrutiny, or at least by its most familiar name in Washington over the past couple of weeks: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, but he talked generally about that D.C. climate for those innovators.

"Some of our headlines today, sadly, question the promise of technology," he said, "but the fact is this scrutiny of innovators is not new." He suggested it goes with the territory. "They're the ones who dare to pursue solutions that no one before has thought of." He said those new ideas challenge the status quo."

Among all that querying, he said, the fundamental question is how technology can improve the human condition and "harness technology as a force for good."

He encouraged governments to pursue policies that promote innovation.

Honored at the event were Reps. Susan Brooks (R-Ind.), a member of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, Judiciary Committee member Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), the former the co-founder of the 5G caucus and the Women's High Tech Coalition, the latter saluted for championing patent reform — he co-sponsored the Patent Litigation Reform Act — and promoting ride sharing.

Jeffries, whose district is home to Kickstarter and Etsy, told the crowd at the National Portrait Gallery that when he first came to the Judiciary Committee, he was unfamiliar with the term patent trolls, and thought the term was "a little bit rough. At least until he sat through a hearing with expert witnesses talking about the problem of patent assertion entities (PAEs), and they used terms like "blackmail artists," "extortionists," and even "terrorists." He said he realized "patent trolls" was actually a “kinder, gentler” phrase.

Jeffries emphasized the value of diversity, and said when that diversity is combined with the booming innovation economy, it is "a phenomenal thing to see."

He talked about protecting trade secrets from hostile foreign actors and the effort to "push the CLOUD Act over the finish line" in an effort to strike the right balance between protecting both privacy and innovation and competition.

Jeffries said patent disputes "should be resolved on the basis of the merits of the underlying claim, not based on the high cost of defending frivolous lawsuits," a comment that drew audience applause.

And, in a comment on the general tenor of Congress these days, said he hoped to be able to soon use the "thumbs up" emoji more.

Brooks said technology was about "making people happier." She said at the end of the day that is what her audience did.

She pointed out that she was from the generation that grew up with The Jetsons, and the fictional robot dog, Astro, that today is a reality — she saw it at CES last year. Brooks asked for patience from her tech-savvy audience and acknowledged that some in Congress still needed some schooling on tech issues, as last week's Facebook hearings in the House and Senate demonstrated. "We're catching up, so please bear with us."

She said that whether it is a biometric credit card or an IoT washing machine — tech she saw at the CES on the Hill event this week — "this is about making my life happy."

She also put in a plug for rural broadband deployment as key to not having a world of digital haves and have-nots. She said it is not just a rural issue. "We have to make sure this technology is not leaving anybody behind."

The Austrian ambassador Wolfgang Waldner — Austria was among a quartet of ambassadors in attendance, their countries saluted to their tech-forward policies — briefly brought up its trade surplus, then aveReps. Susan Brooks 

rred that perhaps "we should not brag about too much these days (one of those veiled tariff references).

Among the attendees was FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, fresh from her surprise announcement earlier in the day that she would be exiting the commission, though it was a surprise only in timing since her departure had a subject of speculation for months.

The proceedings were paused for a moment of remembrance for former First (and Second) Lady Barbara Bush, who died Tuesday at 92.

LAS VEGAS—CES 2017 is well underway in Las Vegas, and Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of CTA, helped kicked off the proceedings with an opening keynote. As the industry heads into 2017, Shapiro discussed how technology can transcend industries, transform lives and foster innovation.

Here are Shapiro’s remarks as prepared for presenation:

Welcome to CES 2017 and its 50th anniversary!

That is 50 years of innovation and creating business opportunities – a half-century of introducing life-changing tech products and services to the world.

And we have so much more ahead of us!

This week you will see the world’s best known brands alongside yet-to-be-discovered startups, creating and delivering smarter, more connected products that enrich our lives and better our world.

The first CES was held in 1967 in New York, then the epicenter of the TV and hi-fi business.

The industry showcased three products: radios, televisions and phonographs.

Our choice on television was limited to three networks.

If you wanted to watch something different, you went to a movie theater.

Today, you can stream any movie, TV show or sports event you want, at any time.

And virtual, augmented and mixed reality is now creating stunning visuals and immersive experiences for consumers to enjoy.

CES 2017 is our biggest show ever, more than 2.6 million net square feet of exhibit space.

Our show includes more than 25 different product areas and every industry imaginable.

From mobile connectivity, to sports, entertainment and even travel, CES is the gathering place for all who thrive on the business of technology.

Since that first show, some 700,000 products have been introduced at CES and countless global leaders have taken this keynote stage to give the world a glimpse of the future.

The past is prologue – CES has always been, and continues to be, the best place to see innovation in consumer technology.

Walk the show floor and you can see how our industry has transformed.

Technology is much more sophisticated. More personalized. More intuitive. More impactful. And it’s connected.

We’re witnessing extraordinary advances in artificial intelligence, wireless health, robotics,

3D printing, self-driving and electric cars, AR, VR, biometrics and so much more.

Today’s innovators are working long hours and late nights to change lives for the better.

And in some cases, they’re saving lives.

Self-driving cars are a great example.

As we saw last night with the NVIDIA - Audi announcement, self driving cars will soon be a reality.

More than one million lives are lost each year in traffic-related accidents.

Self-driving cars will dramatically cut that number. 

They have the ability to be better drivers than humans because they can do and "see" things that we physically can't.

And on the way there, many new safety features, including active collision avoidance are already improving our roadways.

Look at this video in Germany where a Tesla vehicle predicted and avoided a collision.

One observer said, "No one could predict the accident but the radar did and acted by emergency breaking."

Another remarkable case is using technology to mimic how our eyes absorb information, giving the gift of sight to those with vision loss.

And 3D bio printing is being used to print tissues and organs, quickly delivering affordable prosthetics and the chance to lead a normal life for children, those wounded in accidents and soldiers who need artificial limbs.

AR and VR systems help people recover from PTSD, dementia, paralysis and other debilitating conditions.

And as NVIDIA showed us last night, AI promises to revolutionize the way we interact with our world.

AI will make smart products even smarter and more accessible.

CES is a cornucopia of innovation improving lives.

Many new and non-traditional companies are at CES 2017 – proof the show is expanding as technology touches nearly every industry and every segment of our lives.

Carnival is at CES for the first time.

You will soon see new technology that will transform the cruising and travel industry.

Under Armour, a company breaking new ground in fitness, technology and health is another first time CES keynoter.

Twitter is at C Space this year.

Formula E is here to test their professional drivers’ skills against qualifying fans on a special virtual track of the Las Vegas strip.

Coldwell Banker is showcasing how technology is changing the way we buy, sell and live in our homes.

Turner Sports is sponsoring a three day conference on Sports Business Innovation, bringing together leading executives and personalities.

And at tomorrow's Super Session senior executives from Time, Flex, Ford and Intel will explore opportunities for the global innovation economy.

These examples highlight how technology has impacted industries from real estate, travel, tourism, new media and professional sports.

We’re on the cusp of great change.

But because we are in the tech industry, we must not fear change.

In two weeks, the 45th president of the United States will be sworn into office.

President-elect Trump will bring a new way of doing things to Washington.

Technology is not political by nature.

But it is our job, as a trade association, to work with the Trump Administration and the new Congress to protect and encourage innovation.

Innovators create jobs, grow the economy and enhance lives.

In the United States, the tech industry is the engine of the economy.

It accounts for 10 percent of GDP.

Our industry supports 15 million jobs, and creates $3.5 trillion in economic output.

To continue our success and our ability to drive economic growth, we need a healthy relationship with the new Administration.

As President Obama said the day after the election, we should want every U.S. president to succeed. 

We see opportunities to work with President Trump on infrastructure, strategic immigration reform and cutting rules that hamstring many businesses – big and small.

We want to do our part.

Today, I’m pleased to announce that CTA is stepping up to support our shared goals with the new administration.

Specifically we want a strong American economy with good paying jobs.

Accordingly, a few weeks ago, CTA’s Executive Board unanimously agreed to invest more than $1 million in:

First, the U.S. Tech Vets Program, a program CTA helped launch, which links U.S. employers and U.S. military veterans.

Second, technical training and certification programs such as the Mobile Electronics Certified Professional (MECP) program, with a specific focus on assisting at risk youth in receiving better paying technical jobs.

Third, a jobs fair to promote better paying U.S. jobs.

Fourth, a contest to promote job creation among CTA’s 2,200 member technology companies.

Awards will go to the companies which produce the highest number and/or highest percentage of new U.S. jobs.

Fifth, we will open new CTA offices in at least two states to support our mission to advance innovation in America and enhance our nation’s leadership in global competitiveness.

These five voluntary investments are a start that we hope other industries emulate.

It’s time we in corporate America take ethical responsibility and ownership for our national future, rather than measuring ethics by our ability to follow increasingly complex rules and laws.

The fact is the U.S. technology industry is in a good place to lead as technology is now a part of every major industry.

You can see that breadth across the show floor and among our keynote speakers.

The frontiers of tech are expanding, as the objects around us are becoming increasingly smarter and more connected.

From smart homes and smartphones to self-driving cars, digital health and connected cities, CES offers an all-encompassing view of the entire connected ecosystem. 

Broadband technology such as 5G will take us to the next level of mobility.

5G means faster and better broadband and home services, faster connectivity for smart cars, affordable smart city infrastructure and deeply interactive AR/VR experiences.

Tomorrow Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf will take the keynote stage to talk about the ground-breaking impact of 5G.

And Ericsson will share insights into the future of 5G during its Stoked about 5G SuperSession.

We’re also experiencing a massive transformation in transportation and the movement of people, whether its Google’s Waymo self-driving car, Elon Musk’s auto piloted Tesla or Uber and Lyft’s ridesharing model.

At CES this week, you will see launches of electric cars, self-driving cars and other new forms of transportation.

CES reflects an increasing pace of change.

This is because intelligence will be built into everything you can imagine to create a smarter more sustainable world.

Imagine a world where every individual, business, service and process will be connected to a cloud of smart products and systems that learn from one another.

They will help people discover new and better ways of doing nearly everything.

Innovation will create new ways to be more efficient and effective in how we do things.

How we run businesses, and how we develop products and solutions.

It is about enhancing how we live and work.

As pioneers, we push technology forward.

And that may make people a little uncomfortable.

With technology advancing so quickly, we, our society and our government have to ask some tough questions.

How do we protect consumer’s privacy?

CTA stepped up and worked with every major wearable maker to agree on a set of privacy principles focusing on transparency, privacy and consumer choice.

We also have to balance protecting privacy and fighting terrorism.

This requires private cooperation and a balance ensuring bad actors don’t get backdoor access to consumer’s private information.

But as technology evolves, especially self-driving cars, how do we recognize and assist those who lose their jobs due to new technology?

We must look at this issue and CTA will soon announce a conference in Washington next May on the Future of Work.

Our society will address these issues and technology should not be our limiting factor.

Rather, how we evolve as a society and how we confront important issues involving privacy, security, safety, and our core values will be our next big challenge.

Great change brings huge opportunities for mankind in terms of what we can do for ourselves and our fellow humans.

Technology will continue to better our world and help us extend the reach of our humanity.

This is why we believe it is important to announce and share our new campaign, Let’s Go Humans.

Let’s Go Humans celebrates the human ingenuity that drives technology advancements.

It showcases the products and technologies that are saving lives – from the grand scale to the individual.

And it celebrates the amazing innovators and entrepreneurs behind these life-changing technologies.

Our goal is to remind policymakers and the public that our industry is about so much more than cool products and helpful new services.

Our industry is changing the world for the better and improving the lives of global consumers.

But we need the right policies in place to enable innovation to continue to grow.

To help the best and brightest continue to develop solutions to the challenges facing our world.

As people, industries and ideas become more interconnected, innovation is the engine powering the global economy.

We will find new ways to solve problems using data and artificial intelligence.

And we will provide new personalized experiences.

And it is so important that CES. Our industry. Our customers. And our colleagues around the world embrace innovation as the healthy, worthwhile and life changing element of our shared future.

Whether it is health care or agriculture or the spread of information, the age of intelligence will allow us to improve lives at a scale we have never seen before.

Imagine, a world with no starvation, access to experience-based healthcare, no driving fatalities, education focused on individual learning styles and capabilities, productive jobs and skills learning for everyone, and no pollution.

A future where everyone can reach their potential.

All of this is within our reach.

We see the building blocks to create a smarter, better future at CES 2017.

A future that will make each of us stop and say "Woah!"

You will now hear one vision of that future.

ARLINGTON, VA.—Longtime Matsushita/Panasonic employee Jack Pluckhahn passed away in February at the age of 82. Having previously served in a number of volunteer leadership roles with Consumer Technology Association’s previous associations, CTA CEO and President Gary Shapiro offered this statement:

Jack Pluckhahn

“Jack Pluckhahn was a highly regarded and influential adviser to me, the CTA family and the consumer technology industry. He helped lead the remarkable growth of CES and expansion of CTA membership through his many leadership positions with our association.

“Jack’s legacy includes his leadership in our nation’s shift to digital and high-definition television. Jack was a key member of the Federal Communications Commission Advisory Committee on Advanced Television Service and served on the Model HDTV Station Project’s Board of Directors. ACATS and the model station helped set the technical underpinnings for DTV and served as critical proofs of concept. Television as we know it today—including the immersive experience of Ultra High-Definition TV—would not be possible without the contributions of Jack and his colleagues.

“We join Jack’s friends and former colleagues in remember an influential leader and valued mentor.”

From 1986-1994 Pluckhahn served in multiple leadership roles with Consumer Electronics Group, including chairman, vice chairman and video chair. He also served as industry vice president from 1990-1998 with the CEG and Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association Executive Committee.

LAS VEGAS—Although the sponsors’ name has changed, one of the stars of CES 2016 promises to remain the same as it has in recent years: Video and the myriad devices used to view it. And although TV set sales are slowing down, optimistic forecasts persist for 4K ultra high-definition screens.

Consumer Technology Association President Gary Shapiro and Karen Chupka, senior vice president for CES and corporate business strategy for CTA unveiled the association’s name change from “Consumer Electronics Association” last month. The show will now be referred to as “CES.”

Demonstrations of the next-gen ATSC 3.0 broadcast technology will pop up on the show floor and in private suites, while the FCC chairman will explain his rush for the broadcast spectrum auction, which may affect 3.0’s market timing.

More than 450 exhibitors list “video” among their product lines at the 2016 show yet the traditional TV giants will focus on significantly different screens at the annual consumer electronics extravaganza. LG is expected to demonstrate a two-sided “rollable” screen, Panasonic will showcase its “value-priced” 4K/smart TV sets and Chinese TV makers will expand their big-screen line-up. Yet much of CES’ screen focus will be mobile and portable devices.

WHAT’S IN A NAME?
CES, which is expected to attract nearly 180,000 attendees during its Jan. 6 to 9 run at the Las Vegas Convention Center and surrounding environs, will be a conundrum filled with contradictions. This is the first major event since the sponsoring organization swapped “technology” for “electronics” as its middle name (now the Consumer Technology Association or CTA) in November and opted to label this event “CES” rather than the “International Consumer Electronics Show” of yore.

“World over, it is CES,” said CTA President and CEO Gary Shapiro about brand recognition of the show when the association announced its name change.

Although the CES centerpiece will be the products from nearly 3,700 exhibitors, the hundreds of ancillary conference sessions and the growing presence of the content industry (about 25,000 attendees) will inevitably shift the techno-economic impact of the event. Vast exhibits and presentations about wearables, automotive electronics, health and wellness technology will overwhelm the audio-video debuts, which were once CES’ highlight.

Video will still be highly visible, albeit often focused on streaming ventures.

“TV and content are really strong,”said Karen Chupka, senior vice president for CES and corporate business strategy for CTA. “We have at least 100 exhibitors showcasing 4K UHD TV,” plus new exhibits for 4-K Blu-ray and smart TVs.

“It’s an exciting time for screens because so many people are trying to figure out how to put their content on multiple screens,” she said. As a result, “content is really the big story” at CES, according to Chupka. Reflecting the focus on non-broadcast video, CES keynoters include Netflix co-founder and CEO Reed Hastings and YouTube’s Chief Business Officer Robert Kyncl. NBC Universal CEO Stephen Burke will keynote the “C Space” program, a fast-growing conference and exhibit program at CES’s newly added third major venue in Las Vegas. C Space is the CES experience for creative communicators, brand marketers, advertising agencies, digital publishers and social networks, CTA said.

Chupka also pointed out that Turner Broadcasting will do a live National Basketball Association program from the convention floor. TV ventures will punctuate the Las Vegas landscape, ranging from a Scripps Networks hospitality tent in front of the main convention center to an audition for “Shark Tank,” the Emmy Award-winning ABC hit show.

Among the broadcasters attending CES will be members of the Pearl TV consortium, according to Ann Schelle, managing director of the alliance of major broadcast groups that is exploring next-generation digital media platforms.

“Pearl TV members will be coming to Las Vegas to see the latest consumer technology innovations,” Schelle said, “not only in television but also in a variety of mobile devices and automobiles that will populate the show floor. We anticipate seeing ATSC 3.0 demonstrations, as well, to begin to educate CES attendees about the forthcoming move to advanced television and the advantages of better video, more choices, integration with the Internet, advanced emergency alerting, and other benefits.”

ATSC 3.0 will be on display in Samsung’s and other booths as well as in private demonstrations, according to several sources. (See “Sinclair Demos HDR 4KTV Over ATSC 3.0 in Vegas.”) The CES show floor will be dotted with other breakthrough devices, such as the rollable LG screen that uses organic light emitting diode, or OLED technology, to enable flexible, thin, light and double-sided screens. Since the expected demo is still a prototype, details of LG’s plan for a working television are not yet available.

POLICY AND INNOVATION
As CTA increasingly focuses on public policy issues that impact innovative technologies and security and privacy, CES is packing its agenda with industrial and regulatory giants. In addition to keynotes from the top executives of Intel, Samsung and General Motors, the agenda includes all of the commissioners from the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission, who will take the stage on opening day. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez will each sit down with CTA’s Shapiro for a 30-minute “SuperSession” discussion. Later that day, all four other commissioners from each agency will participate in a two-part “Commissioner Roundtable” as part of the CES Innovation Policy conference track.

FCC Commissioners Mignon Clyburn, Jessica Rosenworcel, Ajit Pai, and Michael O’Rielly will begin by discussing allocating more licensed and unlicensed spectrum for mobile broadband, improving the accessibility of consumer technologies, increasing broadband adoption and speeds, fostering competition and innovative service offerings for consumers and other topics related to technological convergence and communications.

For the second part of the roundtable, FTC Commissioners Julie Brill, Maureen Ohlhausen, and Terrell McSweeny will address emerging policy issues surrounding the Internet of Things, balancing data privacy with consumer adoption of new services and potential upcoming regulatory reform. “This is a great opportunity for CES attendees to hear how the FCC and FTC’s top regulators view their agency’s role in enhancing competition, stimulating entrepreneurship and supporting the kind of disruptive innovation on display at CES,” Shapiro said.

Opening day will also include “Industry Innovators and Government Join Forces,” during which U.S. Chief Technology Officer Megan Smith and Deputy Director for Technology and Innovation Tom Kalil will lead a discussion with global industry trendsetters to examine entrepreneurship, “smart cities” and other issues.

TV’S ROLES
At a “CES Unveiled” preview in New York last month, which included holiday sales forecasts, CTA Chief Economist/Senior Research Director Shawn DuBravac explained that TV sets are slipping in the sales ranking of the Big 5 categories.

Consumers have “less interest in TVs,” DuBravac said, compared to smartphones and tablets, where total spending levels will be higher this season. He said that only 17 percent of consumers plan to buy a new TV set this year, compared to 24 percent during the 2014 holiday shopping season. CTA’s data show that 84 percent of U.S. households now have at least one LCD TV.

Among potential TV set buyers, Internet connectivity is a primary factor. Du-Bravac’s data showed that 78 percent of shoppers want a smart TV, up from 63 percent a year ago.

Despite the overall lackluster forecast for TV set sales, appetite for UHD sets continues to grow, with 59 percent of TV set shoppers in a new CTA survey saying they expect to buy a UHDTV for the holidays.

Despite the lackluster forecast, appetite for UHD sets continues to grow, with 59 percent of TV set shoppers in a new CTA survey saying they expect to buy a UHDTV for the holidays. This year’s expected sales of 4.5 million 4K TV sets is nearly triple the 2014 level, and DuBravac estimated that 8.9 million sets will be shipped in the U.S. in 2016 and just over 13 million in 2017. More significantly, shoppers have mixed views on how big their 4K sets should be. Nearly 80 percent want screens smaller than 60 diagonal inches (reflecting the price and available space), while 35 percent want screens larger than 60 inches, according to CTA’s study. (Since that sum is well over 100 percent, clearly some viewers want screens of all sizes.)

Adding to the UHD buzz will be announcements, such as one expected from DirecTV (now part of AT&T) that it will add more 4K programming to its line-up. The satellite TV provider has been testing UHD sportscasts for more than a year and recently said it has the capacity to carry 50 UHD channels at 30 Mbps in addition to its current HDTV and standard definition channels.

The UHD frenzy at CES comes amidst significant upbeat signals. For example, late last month, Samsung Electronics revealed that it sold more than $1 billion worth of TV sets in North America during October—a new monthly record. Samsung said that 4K UHDTV sets represented 51.2 percent of its third quarter 2015 U.S. sales.

TV manufacturers are also starting to specialize. For example, LG’s line-up includes two HDTV sets with built-in Roku capability, of which a “limited-time” version was made exclusively for sale at Best Buy stores during the holiday shopping season. Roku has introduced 4K-capable streaming players and has TV alliances with several other brands. LG has indicated that the Roku deal is solely for “entry-level” models and that it plans to use its own webOS platform for its core smart TV sets.

C SPACE, DIGITAL HOLLYWOOD AND RELATED TECH CONFERENCES
High dynamic range video, virtual reality and countless other TV technology issues are on the week’s agenda, which is jammed with more than 40 conference tracks plus seminars run by CTA and dozens of affiliated and independent groups. Mature sectors such as video and audio are not as prominent as they once were. Even the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers at its annual International Conference on Consumer Electronics is devoting its entire agenda to consumer healthcare, fitness and personal diagnostics.

The Advanced Imaging Society will run three-session conference about high dynamic range, high frame rate, 4K and virtual reality on Thursday. The sessions are intended to identify “which technologies are in the driver’s seat,” according to event organizers. Presentations from 20th Century Fox, Netflix, Dreamworks and Dolby will examine technical standards as well as Hollywood’s HDR and VR playbook plus 2016 industry forecasts.

C Space, now in its third year, will focus on advertising, marketing and digital media. The agenda explores the relationship between brands, agencies, media and technology partners, with an emphasis on the shifting relationship of technology with innovation.

At the Variety Entertainment Summit, seven sessions will delve into OTT Entertainment, Content Monetization and Digital Audience Engagement. Speakers include executives from Disney/ABC Television Group, Fox Networks Group, Discovery Communications, Hulu and Sony Pictures Entertainment. A keynote conversation within the conference will feature TV host and producer Ryan Seacrest and iHeartRadio Chairman and CEO Bob Pittman.

The venerable Digital Hollywood features more than a dozen sessions this year, spread over three days. “The Future of TV: From Primetime to Multi-Platforms” will hear from NBCUniversal, Starz, Deloitte and other media/business executives. Other sessions will explore “Original Video Programming: Internet TV Goes Mainstream,” “Content and Monetization” and “The Disruption of Internet TV: Programming Everywhere.”

David Leibowitz, CH Potomac

David Leibowitz, managing partner of media and technology firm CH Potomac, will moderate the Internet TV session; he’s focused on the growing challenge of navigating programs across platforms.

“The growing array of over-the-top, ‘TV Everywhere,’ and ‘skinny bundle’ cable packages has made it more difficult for users to find what they want to watch across these offerings,” Leibowitz said. “While universal search is the ‘holy grail’ in solving this problem, competitive interests among the largest providers have complicated making universal search a reality.”

For the “Broadband at CES” conference on Tuesday, just before the show opens, organizer Team Lightbulb has included a session about “5G: Incremental Change or the Next Revolution.”

Despite the “stricter credentialing” (as Chupka calls the show’s attendee ceiling), CES’s attendance will probably be comparable to the 176,676 people who attended the 2015 show. About 30 percent of the attendees—nearly 48,000 people—will come from outside the U.S., Chupka said.

The show has already set a record as the largest show of its kind ever, occupying 2.3 million square feet of floor space in all venues. The start-up section at the Sands called “Eureka Park”—mostly small booths for new and early-stage companies—will have more than 500 exhibitors, about 25 percent more innovators than last time.

“Everyone is going to be blown away by the technology and by the opportunity for people to be looking at more things on more devices,” Chupka said.

To register for the 2016 CES, visit www.cesweb.org.

Also see...
December 21, 2015
“CES 2016 Implements New Security Measures”
Bag checks, body screening and increased security personnel added for conference.