LONDON and BALTIMORE—Interactive TV music channel ROXi and Sinclair have formed a strategic partnership to bring ROXi to 31 television markets via ATSC 3.0.

“ROXi is expanding what’s possible on broadcast television, and this partnership brings an interactive music experience to viewers in a simple, accessible way—no apps, logins or subscriptions required,” Skip Flenniken, Sinclair vice president and general manager of technology business development, said. “It’s a clear example of how NextGen TV enhances the broadcast experience.”

ROXi’s interactive channel, powered by FastStream Interactive’s TV platform, will roll out the service in other U.S. TV markets later in the year. Other Pearl TV members are also supporting the rollout.

Viewers watching the ROXi TV channel will find interactive features previously unavailable on broadcast television. They can skip through music videos TikTok style, or search for any artist song, mood or genre with their TV remote. ROXi, which has partnerships with Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group and MERLIN, has a catalog of 100 million licensed songs, including both original and virtual music videos.

“More than 40 years after MTV first hit American TV screens, ROXi is revolutionizing the way we experience music on TV in the U.S., turning the TV into a musical hub for the American family again,” Rob Lewis, CEO of FastStream Interactive, said. “This isn’t just a music channel, it’s a game-changer for television. ROXi is just the beginning, we’ll be launching multiple non-music TV channels, ushering in a new era of interactive TV across America.” 

Anne Schelle, managing director of Pearl TV, said viewers should be delighted with ROXi because it is seamless, interactive and free.

“Today’s TV audiences expect control, personalization, and instant access, and ROXi delivers this in spades,” she said. “We’re thrilled to support ROXi’s launch as a new NextGen TV benefit for our viewers and can’t wait to see it expand across the rest of the country, in partnership with multiple broadcasters.” 

LAS VEGAS—ROXi is teaming up with Sinclair Broadcast Group to offer ROXi’s interactive music apps to Sinclair's ATSC 3.0 (aka NextGen TV) channels, bringing the U.K. based service to the U.S. for the first time. 

Backed by U.K. entertainment icons Simon Cowell and Kylie Minogue, ROXi—which started in the U.K.—is expected to offer broadcast viewers access to an estimated more than 100 million music videos as well as curated music video channels, karaoke and music games, all available free with ads or a monthly subscription. The new channels—ROXi Music Channel, the ROXi Music Karaoke Channel and the ROXi Music Games Channel—will be made available over Sinclair’s 3.0 stations in early 2024.

“The new channels will change what broadcast TV means for millions of Americans,” ROXi said in a press release. “For the first time, linear TV channels will have all the interactive features of a downloadable TV app without consumers having to download or launch an app on the TV.”

The new broadcast TV music channels are powered via ROXi’s new FastStream technology which allows interactive TV channel experiences to be broadcast over the airwaves with the NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0) standard.

“Our partnership with Sinclair will revolutionize what Broadcast TV means for millions of households across the U.S.—viewers will get instant access to TV music channels that feature the interactivity and capabilities of a music app, without having to download or launch an app,” said ROXi CEO, Rob Lewis. “Our viewers will be able to pause, play and skip on Broadcast TV for the first time. It is a true revolution in linear TV, and we’re bringing it to homes across America with Sinclair in 2024.”

“Through our strategic partnership with ROXi, we’re building a better and more interactive broadcast television experience. We’re confident this partnership will help accelerate the adoption of NextGen TV by delivering entertainment features that consumers will increasingly come to demand on their televisions,” said Skip Flenniken VP, GM of Technology Business Development at Sinclair.

ROXi is hosting sneak previews of its NextGen TV interactive music channels at CES2024 in Las Vegas all this week at the ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committee) booth at CES Tech East - Las Vegas Convention Centre Central Hall, booth 19744.

According to ATSC president Madeleine Noland, NextGen TV market launches in Chicago, San Diego, and Tucson, will bring NextGen TV market penetration to 75% of U.S. households by next month. According to a spokesperson, approximately 45 of the station group's 185 TV stations nationwide are now broadcasting 3.0.

ROXi is also launching its new downloadable free ROXi TV Music App on a wide range of Smart TV platforms including Samsung, LG, Roku, Vizio, Sony BRAVIA, Amazon Fire TV, Comcast, Google TV and Android TV. The free ROXi TV App offers additional interactive features including the ability to search and play music from ROXi’s catalogue of 100 million music videos. ROXi TV app users can also upgrade to ROXi Premium for an unlimited ad-free music experience.

NEW YORK—Warner Music Group’s WMX has partnered with Roku to launch three FAST channels exclusively on The Roku Channel, Roku's free ad-supported streaming service that reaches an estimated 80 million people nationwide. 

As a result of the deal, three new channels, WMX Pop, WMX Rock, and WMX Hip-Hop, are now available to stream for free on The Roku Channel through the service's Live TV Guide.

Each of the three music and entertainment live linear channels will focus on a specific genre and will be programmed based on insights around consumer behavior. 

The channels feature music videos and concerts from Warner Music's global catalog of artists, in addition to original programming from WMG's media brands including UPROXX, HipHopDX, Songkick, Cover Nation, The Pit, and Lasso Nation, the companies said. . 

"We're extremely excited to partner with The Roku Channel to bring our robust music video catalog and original programming to every screen,” explained Ben Blank, President, Media & Content Business, WMX. “The FAST channel space is expanding rapidly, and this move enables us to further reach music fans everywhere they are. The Roku Channel has been an incredible partner, and as the market leader in FAST, their ecosystem provides the perfect environment to launch our channels."

Launched in 2017, The Roku Channel is the home of free and premium entertainment on the Roku platform. Reaching an estimated 80 million people in Q4, 2021, The Roku Channel features a diverse lineup of more than 80,000 free movies and programs and over 350 free live linear television channels in the U.S. 

In addition to Roku devices, The Roku Channel is available on Web, iOS and Android devices, Amazon Fire TV and select Samsung TVs.

A lot of my projects are “raw and real” character pieces that don’t call for super-stylized lighting. My approach is often rooted in realism.

Music videos are where I tend to be able to play the most. One video that was actually pretty minimalistic was Hozier’s “Almost (Sweet Music).” Alongside an incredible director and friend, Blythe Thomas, we set out to capture what was essentially a celebration of timeless performers and of music. We photographed different performers in different rooms—a total of seven and all in one shoot day.

Why I would choose to talk about a simpler, naturalistic music video instead of one that was super-stylized is because invisible cinematography is actually very advanced. That is where you know how to build a scene in terms of units and, more importantly, take advantage of the space you are in.

OBSERVATION

When I use a realistic approach in my cinematography, I typically start by observing the space and what it has to offer—windows, practicals, etc. For the video, everything was shot in a large warehouse in New York City and not only had great character but lots of natural light. For the daylight scenes, I leaned on them. Tracking the sun is key for this—I had to pay attention to where it would hit the city beyond the windows and when it would come in directly through a window.

One tool I found myself utilizing more than usual was LED tube lighting. For the pianist scene, for example, all we did was rig up several daylight Quasars and soften them. My crews know you cannot get light soft enough for me. Large sources that are triple broken are my favorite and are especially handy in making things look natural. They feel like a simple return from the windows and not sourcey if you do it right.

In Hozier’s performance scene, all we did was use the ARRI Skypanel as a key and a K5600 Joker 1600W as a backlight.

We shot mostly during daylight and had a mix of both day and night scenes. For night, I went with the omnidirectional route and had a Jem Ball rigged up above. Then other tools such as a Skypanel S60 and Lekos went up for accents and color separation. There were also practicals in the space, which, aside from windows, are usually another starting point for putting up sources. I’ve wanted to do more top light, like in some of these night scenes, on other projects but it’s really a time issue. It’s always faster to stick up something from the ground than rigging or menace arming and then skirting, etc. a source from above.

It was also about 90% Steadicam, so we used furniture and flats to hide stands when we could not take the time to rig or arm out something. Again, we did everything in a day, so an organic, minimalistic approach was not only appropriate but a time saver. Having enough crew to leapfrog into the next setup so I can walk on and just tweak is also key.

BLENDING IN

Color separation is something to always be thinking about. A lot of times in interior spaces, it can feel like skin tones and walls can blend in. This could be from lack of production design elements that help break up the space and pop or simply because the shot is being lit with all warmer color temperatures so everything becomes similar on screen.

In a dance sequence with Cameron Boyce and Christine Flores, we had beige wallpaper that, when lighting them with tungsten from above, would pose a threat in terms of blending their whole room and dancers together. To avoid this, we threw in two practicals that leaned more yellow and we placed a Skypanel shooting out of a small glass door in the back of the room.

I tend to shoot a lot of night scenes around 3,800K or 4,400K to also help balance out a mix of color, but it’s important to also dial in the lights. The Skypanel was warmed up a bit so as not to be too bold a blue. Otherwise, it would compete with the warmth rather than provide subtle separation.

The key to invisible lighting is, in my opinion, really understanding the space. We observe light in life all the time as cinematographers and become very quick at knowing how to recreate an environment known to the average person who lives and works in these different environments every day. We understand space and how to use it. Getting deep into the story you are telling and knowing your tools will allow you to really light invisibly while also enhancing the tone of the piece.

Julia Swain is a cinematographer based in California, whose narrative films include “Killing Animals,” “Jilted” and “Cassidy Red.” She continues to shoot on a variety of formats, seeking to create compelling visuals for every story and brand. She can be contacted throughTV Technology.