WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.—Jericho Receivers, a subsidiary of All 6G, this week launched its Software-Defined Atomic Clock (SDAC), which intelligently fuses multiple independent time references, including the ATSC 3.0 broadcast platform, to deliver atomic-clock-grade timing that remains accurate even when Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals are jammed, spoofed or unavailable.

“The Software-Defined Atomic Clock represents a major leap forward in timing technology,” said Dean Goodman, CEO of Jericho Receivers' parent company, All 6G. “When the primary timing source is lost, conventional systems enter holdover and begin to drift. There has long been a need for a true complement to satellite signals. Our software-defined approach fuses the best available sources—satellite, broadcast, terrestrial and network—into one resilient, atomic-clock-grade solution. This is precisely the kind of innovation All 6G was founded to deliver: bridging decades of broadcast expertise with the secure, resilient infrastructure required for 5G, 6G and beyond.”

“By leveraging the ATSC 3.0 Broadcast as a core terrestrial timing source, Jericho’s Software-Defined Atomic Clock directly supports the resilient national PNT infrastructure that Chairman [Brendan] Carr and the FCC have highlighted as essential,” Goodman added. “We are proud to deliver a made-in-America solution that strengthens timing security for critical networks while accelerating the broader adoption of ATSC 3.0 capabilities.”

Traditional systems that rely on a holdover mode during satellite outages in which the device keeps its own internal time, making time drift inevitable. Unlike those alternatives, the Jericho SDAC continuously cross-references GNSS, terrestrial ATSC 3.0/BPS signals and network-based precision time protocols. This multi-source architecture provides robust, real-time resilience for mission-critical applications.

“ATSC 3.0 was designed from the ground up to support advanced applications far beyond traditional video delivery, including precise time transfer and positioning through the Broadcast Positioning System,” said Madeleine Noland, president of ATSC. “We are thrilled to see Jericho Receivers’ software-defined atomic clock harness the power of the ATSC 3.0 standard as a critical terrestrial complement. This deployment underscores broadcasting’s vital role in building a more resilient national timing infrastructure.”

The Jericho SDAC combines:

• Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) for primary high-precision timing.
• ATSC 3.0 terrestrial broadcasts, including the Broadcast Positioning System (BPS), as a powerful GPS-independent complement.
• Network precision time references and protocols for seamless integration with modern IP infrastructure.

The architecture of the device ensures continuous, high-accuracy synchronization in challenging environments and eliminates the countdown to failure inherent in traditional holdover modes. Designed and manufactured entirely in the United States in accordance with All 6G’s strict no-Chinese-chip policy, the SDAC is well-suited for 5G/6G networks, data centers, power grids, financial systems, defense applications and other critical infrastructure that require assured positioning, navigation and timing (PNT).

The Jericho SDAC is now available for evaluation and deployment.

More information is available on the company’s website.

WASHINGTON—ATSC 3.0 Security Authority, LLC is once again defending the digital rights management features and the Emergency Alert System capabilities of NextGen TV/ATSC 3.0 with a sharp rebuttal of arguments made by Weigel Broadcasting to the Federal Communications Commission.

In a June 26 letter to the FCC, the A3SA stressed that “A3SA-suppported devices are designed to be fully compatible with the Commission’s Emergency Alert System (EAS) and to ensure that emergency alerts are reliably delivered to viewers. That is how the A3SA content protection framework was designed, and that is how it operates across the ATSC 3.0 ecosystem.”

While recent filings by Weigel Broadcasting Co. suggested that issues identified with the delivery of EAS alerts are somehow indicative of fundamental incompatibilities between ATSC 3.0 and EAS, the A3SA stressed that “this is simply not true. All broadcasters, and A3SA, share Weigel’s commitment to ensuring that EAS messages are reliably delivered to all viewers.2 Weigel’s filing, however, fundamentally mischaracterizes the source of the identified EAS issues, since those failures stem directly from implementation choices made by specific manufacturers – and have nothing to do with ATSC 3.0 or its key aspects including digital rights management (`DRM’) and other content protection features.”

The letter stressed that DRM systems in nearly all ATSC 3.0 capable devices are working as designed. “Every ATSC 3.0 television being manufactured today supports DRM and the millions of televisions and other devices operating today demonstrate that DRM does not impede, limit, or affect the reception of EAS messages,” the letter noted.

The problems, the group added, stem simply from two tested devices. “Weigel’s test results reflect the implementation decisions of the two particular manufacturers who produced the devices that were tested,” the group said. “They do not establish that DRM, content protection, or any other ATSC 3.0 features interfere with EAS delivery.”

In the case of the other box, “the BitRouter ZapperBox issue identified by Weigel is a device-configuration matter, not indicative of a DRM or ATSC 3.0 problem,” the group said. “ZapperBox is an outlier among A3SA-enabled set-top devices because, in its current implementation, it requires an initial Internet connection to obtain an over-the-top (`OTT') license needed to process encrypted content on a channel. That choice reflects ZapperBox’s connected-device use case: it is a higher-end set-top product, with DVR capabilities, intended for consumers who typically use it in an Internet-connected environment, where it operates as intended. However, the Internet connection is not a permanent requirement. Once the OTT license is obtained, the license persists and continues to function without an Internet connection. The box can then be disconnected from the Internet and will continue to operate, including decrypting video and audio and displaying EAS messages embedded in the broadcast stream. Weigel’s presentation again takes a connected-use device at a specific pre-license stage, removes the connectivity needed for that initial license acquisition, and then treats the result as evidence of a DRM problem. That characterization is false.”

The letter also complained that “Weigel’s presentation creates the false impression that Internet connectivity is a systemic requirement for ATSC 3.0 content protection. The opposite is true. A3SA specifically designed and engineered its content protection solution for OTA broadcast transmissions without ever needing an Internet connection. All devices that support the A3SA framework are provisioned with factory installed licenses which facilitates the “never-connected” to the Internet mode of operation. There are millions of devices sold into the ATSC 3.0 ecosystem – including all set-top boxes from manufacturers that support the A3SA content protection framework such as ZapperBox, Zinwell, ADTH, Shift2Stream, and GT Media, as well as every ATSC 3.0 television being manufactured today – operate with the same capability with factory installed licenses and the vast majority of those devices operate today without ever requiring an Internet connection.”

“As A3SA stated in its February 18, 2026 Reply Comments in this proceeding – and as Weigel’s own presentation acknowledges – more than 18 million devices can access all NextGen TV content, including EAS, whether encrypted or not, without needing an Internet connection or subscription,” the letter concluded. “Blaming ATSC 3.0 content protection for a device-specific implementation failure is akin to blaming a television broadcast station because its HDTV signal cannot be received on an SD-only television. The broadcaster’s signal is working; the standard is working; the missing capability is in the receiver. So too here: the issue is not ATSC 3.0 or the content protection framework, but the design choices made by particular device manufacturers.”

The full letter can be read here.

Weigel’s filing can be found here and the NAB’s comments on this issue are available here.

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.

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--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.

HUNT VALLEY, Md.—Sinclair’s One Media Technologies has announced that it will host its annual ATSC 3.0 NextGen TV Interoperability Event from June 23-26, 2026, at its headquarters in Hunt Valley, Maryland.

The in-person event will bring together receiver manufacturers, technology partners, broadcasters, and industry stakeholders to test and validate interoperability across a broad range of NextGen TV services and applications.

During the event, participants will have access to live over-the-air ATSC 3.0 broadcasts in the Baltimore market, as well as a comprehensive suite of interoperability and performance testing scenarios designed to support continued advancement of the NextGen TV ecosystem.

“The continued success of NextGen TV relies on interoperability across devices, networks, and services,” said Mark Aitken, senior vice president of advanced technology at Sinclair Broadcast Group and President of One Media Technologies. “Our annual event provides an important opportunity for industry participants to collaborate, validate implementations, and accelerate innovation across the ATSC 3.0 ecosystem.”

During this year’s event areas of focus will include:

• Broadcaster Application interoperability, including Run3 TV Framework testing and Advanced Emergency Information (AEI) functionality
• Digital Rights Management (DRM) and signal signing validation across DASH and MMT environments
• Signaling enhancements, including new service categories, broadband signaling servers, dynamic service changes, and RSAT implementation
• Hybrid broadcast and broadband service delivery
• Physical layer performance, including dynamic ModCod changes, Layered Division Multiplexing (LDM), and Broadcast Positioning System (BPS) testing
• Dynamic Ad Insertion (DAI) implementation and A/344 API testing
• MIMO backward-compatible configurations
• App-based services including ROXi and GameLoop
• Testing of the Broadcast-Enabled Streaming TV (BEST) channel and live Baltimore ATSC 3.0 OTA signals

More information is available at www.onemedia.tech.

HUNT VALLEY, Md.—Sinclair has launched a comprehensive local marketing and consumer education campaign in Columbus, Ohio, that aims to increase awareness and adoption of NextGen TV, the next-generation broadcast standard powered by ATSC 3.0.

The campaign combines a localized microsite, consumer giveaways, on-air promotion and digital engagement to educate consumers on the benefits of NextGen TV and how to access it.

“NextGen TV is the most significant upgrade to broadcast television in decades, delivering a superior viewing experience with enhanced picture quality, immersive audio, and interactive capabilities,” said Del Parks, president of technology at Sinclair. “With this campaign, we are focused on simplifying the path to adoption, providing consumers with clear, practical information and showing them firsthand how to access and experience what’s next in television. Columbus was selected as an ideal market given its strong sports engagement, evolving viewing behaviors, and Sinclair’s local station footprint.”

At the center of the campaign is a dedicated, Columbus-specific NextGen TV microsite that serves as a consumer resource hub. The microsite is designed to remove complexity and provide a clear, accessible pathway for consumers to begin using NextGen TV and includes:

• ZIP code-based availability tools.
• Equipment compatibility guidance.
• Step-by-step setup instructions.
• Recommendations for TVs, antennas and converter devices.

The campaign will also include limited-time incentives to encourage adoption, including converter box and antenna contest giveaways via Channel Master. The campaign will run through July 3.

WASHINGTON—At its annual NextGen Broadcast Conference this week, ATSC honored Julia Kenyon of the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) with the 2026 Bernard J. Lechner Outstanding Contributor Award.

“Julia is an excellent consensus builder and techno-diplomat who is a graceful and very competent leader,” ATSC President Madeleine Noland said. “She knows how to help groups get things done efficiently and collegially, which is a real art. Not only has she led multiple ATSC committees, but Julia also has a terrific sense of humor and is able to blend levity with the serious nature of standards work. She is always curious, and most recently has been helping ATSC participants really lean into the benefits of developing artificial intelligence tools.”

Kenyon has served as Vice Chair of ATSC Specialist Group on Interactive Environment (TG3/S38), Vice Chair of ATSC Implementation on Conformance (IT-3), and Chair of ATSC Specialist Group on Management and Protocols (TG3/S33). Additionally, for more than three years, she has served as CTA’s lead technical representative for the NextGen TV Test Suite development, working not only with ATSC but as chair of CTA’s own groups that work with the test suite.

Kenyon also guided ATSC in the development of A/381, the recommended practice for use of the broadcaster application for NextGen TV.

“Julia Kenyon brings unique skills to the challenge of ensuring NextGen TVs work properly with the advanced services ATSC 3.0 broadcasts provide,” said Brian Markwalter, vice chair of the ATSC board of directors and senior vice president of research and standards for the CTA. “Besides her visible leadership in ATSC and CTA standards groups, Julia directs the TV testing program that backs the NextGen TV logo. CTA commends Julia on this recognition of all she has done for ATSC and the industry.”

“Julia is an exceptional contributor to ATSC 3.0,” added Dr. Paul Hearty of Technology Advisors, an ATSC board member and ATSC Technical Group 3 (TG3) chair. “She leads and contributes to standards and compliance development both in ATSC and in CTA, covering the spectrum from origination of services at broadcast to consumption at consumer devices. She maintains balance, fairness, and technical rigor—as well as humor—throughout.”

The Bernard J. Lechner Outstanding Contributor Award is given each year to an ATSC member whose technical and leadership contributions have been exemplary. It is named for its first recipient, the late Bernard Lechter, retired staff vice president, Advanced Video Systems at RCA Laboratories, whose 30-year career covered all aspects of television and display research.

Lechner Award recipients:

• 2000 – Bernard Lechner, Consultant
• 2001 – Rich Chernock, Triveni Digital
• 2002 – Regis Crinon, Microsoft
• 2003 – Glenn Adams, Extensible Formatting Systems
• 2004 – Graham Jones, National Association of Broadcasters
• 2005 – John Henderson, Hitachi
• 2006 – Art Allison, NAB
• 2007 – Mark Eyer, Sony Electronics
• 2008 – Michael Dolan, TBT
• 2009 – Wayne Bretl, Zenith/LG Electronics
• 2010 – Pat Waddell, Harmonic
• 2011 – Jim Starzynski, NBC Universal
• 2012 – S. Merrill Weiss, Merrill Weiss Group
• 2013 – Mark Aitken, Sinclair Broadcast Group
• 2014 – James Kutzner, PBS
• 2015 – Luke Fay, Sony
• 2016 – Madeleine Noland, Zenith/LG Electronics
• 2017 – Skip Pizzi, NAB
• 2018 – Mark Corl, Triveni Digital
• 2019 – Adam Goldberg, AGP/Sony
• 2020 – Jae-Young Lee, ETRI
• 2021 – Alan Stein, InterDigital
• 2022 – Youngkwon Lim, Samsung Electronics
• 2023 – Glenn Reitmeier, NBC Universal/Sarnoff Labs
• 2024 – Ali Dernaika, Hewlett Packard Enterprise
• 2025 – Aldo Cugnini, AGC Systems
• 2026 – Julia Kenyon, Consumer Technology Association

WASHINGTON—When the FCC gave the green light for ATSC 3.0 in 2017, the focus was on improving television broadcasting by combining IP with RF to bring a new range of consumer applications, better reception and enhanced picture and audio quality. While there were discussions of datacasting and enterprise solutions at the time, the idea that the standard—also branded as “NextGen TV”—had enormous potential beyond traditional television was still nascent.

Nine years later, any doubt that ATSC 3.0 could impact U.S. communications infrastructure has been erased. That reality took center stage at this week’s annual ATSC NextGen Broadcast Conference here, with three of the six sessions focused entirely on applications outside the traditional broadcast environment.

Nevertheless, the standard remains in a state of policy limbo. Broadcasters are actively petitioning the FCC to set a definitive sunset date for ATSC 1.0 so stations can drop the burden of simulcasting and unleash the full potential of ATSC 3.0.

ATSC President Madeleine Noland aptly characterized this state of transition in her opening speech.

“The current U.S. situation, as one broadcaster in this room put it, feels kind of like 'the worst of both worlds' as we straddle between a 25-year-old technology with ATSC 1.0 and the tremendous opportunities in front of us with ATSC 3.0,” she said.

Maintaining Perspective
Although NextGen TV sets have been on the consumer market since late 2020—with about 18 million units sold, according to the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)—widespread consumer adoption and enthusiasm have lagged. Noland looked to history to contextualize the current conundrum.

“We have to put these things in perspective—the issues we face today are similar to the issues of yesterday,” Noland said. “But perhaps more urgent, as technology and consumer habits are evolving at an ever-increasing pace, we don't quite have the luxury of a decade-plus to get things right in this media landscape.”

Despite sluggish hardware adoption, Noland touted the operational progress broadcasters have made with the standard.

“My estimate is that 1.3 million people in the United States today are enjoying High Dynamic Range (HDR) over the air for free for the first time; over half a million are enjoying Dolby Atmos; 1.2 million have access to interactive services, and over a half a million of those can use ‘Start Over TV,’” she said. “This is today, for free, in the United States over the air for the first time ever. So these numbers are growing, and growing fast.”

Noland also hailed the increased international attention on ATSC 3.0 in light of Brazil's adoption of the physical layer of 3.0 last summer.

“For many years, when we talked about ATSC, we naturally led with better television, better picture quality, better audio, better reception, better emergency information, more interactive viewer experiences,” she said. “And those benefits remain absolutely central to the transition now underway in the United States and Brazil and other countries.

“But around the world, governments, regulators, broadcasters and technology companies are increasingly recognizing something even bigger—ATSC 3.0 is not just a television system; it is a flexible IP-based broadcast communications platform capable of delivering many kinds of data services and public interest applications efficiently, securely and at scale,” she added. “In some countries, that broader capability is becoming the starting point of the conversation, whether it’s educational content delivery, resilient emergency communications, automotive applications, software distribution, positioning technology, smart city infrastructure or direct-to-mobile service.”

Shifting the Bipartisan Conversation
In a fireside chat with Noland, National Association of Broadcasters President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt praised the technology's momentum but offered a cautious perspective on the timeline for an FCC regulatory decision. In February, the NAB asked the commission to mandate an ATSC 1.0 sunset in the top 75 markets by the end of 2028, with the remaining markets following by the end of 2030.

“We understand that at any particular moment the FCC has a lot of competing priorities, and we need to ensure that the nationwide deployment of ATSC 3.0 is at the very top of that list,” LeGeyt said. “Shifting the conversation from whether ATSC 3.0 is going to be the standard of the future to how we are going to get there is tactical, given the Washington environment we are in.”

LeGeyt also emphasized the rare bipartisan support the standard has maintained on Capitol Hill.

“In a very polarized Washington environment, ATSC 3.0 doesn’t register Republican or Democrat; it registers local,” he said. “And that’s why you've got such positive remarks—maybe emphasizing different features of the technology—from each of the commissioners, as well as the Chairman…this is a transition that's going to need to transcend politics."

BPS Spinoff
LeGeyt used the event to announce the NAB’s launch of Merkhet Solutions, an independent company focused on the commercial deployment of the Broadcast Positioning System (BPS). BPS utilizes the NextGen TV standard to deliver precise terrestrial timing and location signals over existing broadcast towers, functioning as a vital backup to satellite-based GPS.

“BPS represents a powerful intersection of innovation, public safety, and opportunity for broadcasters,” LeGeyt said in a statement. “Launching Merkhet Solutions is the next step in commercializing this technology and ensuring it reaches the critical infrastructure operators who need it most, while continuing to create meaningful long-term opportunities for local stations.”

Speaking to attendees, LeGeyt added that BPS offers an opportunity to solve a massive public policy vulnerability while generating an entirely new revenue stream to help accelerate the 3.0 transition.

“We made the determination that for BPS to recognize its full potential—that we at NAB certainly believe that it has, and the NAB member companies on our board of directors believe that it has—not only to solve this important public policy issue, but also as a potential revenue stream for broadcasters, and as an accelerant to ATSC 3.0,” he said.

Sam Matheny, who previously led the NAB’s internal BPS initiatives, has been named CEO of the spinoff.

“BPS solves a problem we can no longer afford to ignore: an entire economy and national security posture resting on a single, contested signal from space,” Matheny said. “We built BPS at NAB because broadcast infrastructure is uniquely suited to deliver assured terrestrial timing at scale. We’re launching Merkhet Solutions because the time to operationalize this technology is now.”

Matheny updated the audience on real-world testing of the system in the Washington, D.C., area.

“We are at an actual critical infrastructure site—that was one of the requirements,” Matheny explained. “Our partner is Dominion Energy. We are at one of the largest power substations on the East Coast and we have put our leader-follower, self-synchronizing network in place with them.”

Plans will initially focus on regional rollouts. “Let’s do more relationships like we have with Dominion Energy, where we can hear directly from critical infrastructure partners on how they want to use it…and how we can best provide BPS as a complement to their GPS,” Matheny said.

Dr. Andrew Hansen, a prominent expert in navigation and timing who was instrumental in developing three global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), was profuse in his praise of BPS, calling the initial testing data "stunning."

“I am jealous—I’ve lived in standards my entire professional career, and 3.0 is a good one,” Hansen remarked. “GPS was a gift to the world; the idea that you can synchronize time around the world to ones of nanoseconds shook physical principles. The idea that we can now do this to ones of nanoseconds with BPS layered on ATSC 3.0 is remarkable.”

Improving the Viewer Experience
While enterprise infrastructure dominated the headlines, the “Better TV” session focused on local enhancements, including interactive applications, content curation and localized accessibility features.

Jason Quinn, director of engineering at New Mexico PBS, highlighted how the technology solves deep structural communication issues in rural, tribal areas. Covering the 27,000-square-mile Navajo Nation, the network is working with partners Ateme and Heartland Video Systems to deploy real-time AI translations and multi-language captioning.

“A lot of unique challenges that communities are facing have nothing to do with broadcast television, but have everything to do with the transfer of information,” Quinn said. Recent over-the-air tests successfully broadcast simultaneous Spanish and Vietnamese AI-translated caption tracks alongside standard English.

On the commercial datacasting side, Joe Fabiano, chief technology officer of EdgeBeam Wireless—a joint venture backed by E.W. Scripps, Gray Media, Nexstar Media Group, and Sinclair—updated attendees on the JV’s tech pipeline.

“We’re helping ATSC advance the standards to bring full IP networking, routing, and peering capabilities into the standard,” Fabiano said, noting that EdgeBeam’s ultimate goal is to blend seamlessly into background consumer ecosystems. “We’re not creating hardware and platforms for the purposes of becoming a hardware manufacturer. We're doing it for the purposes of bridging, so that we disappear into consumer electronics.”

The Race Against Wireless Competitors
The transition isn’t without immediate external competitive threats. During a panel focused on Advanced Emergency Information (AEI), So Vang, vice president of emerging technology at Sinclair subsidiary ONE Media 3.0, issued a blunt warning regarding impending features from the commercial wireless sector.

“We’re talking about keeping broadcasters relevant,” Vang cautioned. “If wireless alerting is going to do exactly what AEI is doing, we better step up and do it…The wireless industry is moving ahead. They will very likely roll out features like AEI—not with full interactivity, but at least with the ability to get a photo or a map to the handset. There’s a live FCC proceeding on that.”

Edward Czarnecki, vice president of global and government affairs at Digital Alert Systems, reminded the room that broadcasters possess a distinct structural advantage. Unlike wireless carriers, which hold blanket legal indemnification from emergency alert liabilities, broadcasters operate under strict statutory local obligations and hold far superior delivery capacity.

“AEI is an informational service, not an alert service,” Czarnecki noted. “We can do a lot more with languages, accessibility and multimedia than the wireless industry can because of our bandwidth and the versatility of the app environment.”

Chicken-and-Egg Redux
NAB’s LeGeyt compared the current 3.0 landscape to the classic “chicken-and-egg” hardware vs. content dilemma that defined the original digital transition decades ago—only this time, the stakes are exponentially higher.

“In order for consumers to see the value proposition of the ATSC 3.0 NextGen TV experience, we need to be implementing and deploying new features that are going to make this really attractive,” LeGeyt said. “And that goes beyond just a great picture. It's all the features that, frankly, may have been an innovation story 10 years ago, but really are just table stakes to compete in this media landscape today.”

The ATSC concluded the day by announcing the recipients of its two most coveted awards. Mark Aitken was named recipient of the Mark Richer Industry Leadership Medal and Julia Kenyon of the CTA received the 2026 Bernard J. Lechner Outstanding Contributor Award.

WASHINGTON—Advanced HDR by Technicolor announced its participation in the Pearl TV NextGen TV Converter Box Program.

Unveiled at the 2026 CES Show, the program aims to support the development of affordable, ATSC 3.0-enabled converter boxes for the U.S. market.

To help advance the program, Advanced HDR by Technicolor said it is adjusting its intellectual property (IP) offering to ensure affordable viewing experiences can be delivered without compromising picture quality.

In addition, Advanced HDR by Technicolor said it is helping lower the cost of devices through a single-stream transmission architecture that carries dynamic range metadata at standard definition bandwidth. Since the vast majority of TV viewers do not require UHD features to enhance their viewing experience, the capability to add high dynamic range (HDR) to Full HD video resolutions through Advanced HDR by Technicolor gives viewers the best possible video quality at the lowest possible converter box cost.

It also helps broadcasters avoid the infrastructure investment required to transmit parallel SDR and HDR streams for different display capabilities, while device manufacturers (including TV, tablet and mobile phone makers) can meet HDR compliance at lower bill-of-materials cost.

As a result, end users automatically receive picture quality scaled to the capability of any display, regardless of whether they own a standard definition (SD), high-definition (HD), or ultra-high definition (UHD) device. This helps to deliver on NextGen TVs promise of further improved viewing experiences while at the same time continuing to support legacy SDR video streams at the best possible quality.

“The unique combination of single stream distribution and dynamic management of HDR and SDR provided by the Advanced HDR by Technicolor solution creates an economically beneficial situation across the ecosystem,” said Rick Dumont, head of business development for Advanced HDR by Technicolor. “We optimize the NextGen TV viewing experience for consumers with HDR or SDR displays, delivering premium video quality in full HD HDR. With Advanced HDR by Technicolor being designed for a low memory footprint implementation, it also relieves part of the tremendous pressure that consumer device makers are under with today's memory device shortages that drive up memory pricing.

For a converter box program targeting price-sensitive households, the combination of backward compatibility and transmission efficiency also means that HDR can be included as a baseline feature rather than an upgrade offered for those who can afford to pay for premium services.

"Getting NextGen TV into every American home starts with making the converter box affordable, and that takes industry leaders willing to step up. Advanced HDR by Technicolor's commitment to special IP pricing does exactly that, lowering the barrier for manufacturers and accelerating the transition. We're grateful that they've joined the growing coalition turning this device from a concept into a reality for store shelves and ultimately for consumers throughout the U.S,” said Pearl TV managing director Anne Schelle.

WASHINGTON—The National Association of Broadcasters has launched Merkhet Solutions, an independent company focused on commercial deployment of the Broadcast Positioning System (BPS).

BPS is a terrestrial timing and positioning technology that uses the NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0) broadcast standard to deliver precise time and location signals over the existing network of U.S. broadcast towers.

First conceived by the technology team at NAB in 2021, the patented terrestrial, GPS-independent timing and positioning technology is designed to leverage the high-power, geographically diverse broadcast infrastructure already covering the United States.

"BPS represents a powerful intersection of innovation, public safety and opportunity for broadcasters,” NAB President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt said. “Launching Merkhet Solutions is the next step in commercializing this technology and ensuring it reaches the critical infrastructure operators who need it most, while continuing to create meaningful long-term opportunities for local stations."

BPS has been designed to address the more than $1 billion-per-day economic and national security risk posed by overreliance on GPS. To push forward the commercial deployment of BPS, Merkhet Solutions is engaging across critical infrastructure sectors, including energy, data centers, telecommunications and financial services where a loss of precision time can trigger grid instability, outages and lost trades.

“BPS solves a problem we can no longer afford to ignore: an entire economy and national security posture resting on a single, contested signal from space,” said Merkhet Solutions CEO Sam Matheny. “We built BPS at NAB because broadcast infrastructure is uniquely suited to deliver assured terrestrial timing at scale. We're launching Merkhet Solutions because the time to operationalize this technology is now."

Under Matheny’s leadership at NAB, BPS advanced rapidly from research concept to real-world deployment.

NAB demonstrated the first BPS prototype to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) in 2022, followed by the first live broadcast demonstration in 2023. In 2024, NAB entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Nexstar Media Group.

In 2025, NIST concluded in a peer-reviewed paper presented at the Institute of Navigation International Technical Meeting that BPS was “comparable to or better than GNSS” for time transfer stability and a “viable complementary PNT solution.” Later that year, the U.S. Department of Transportation awarded NAB a contract to deploy a BPS field trial with critical infrastructure partner Dominion Energy.

BPS is designed as a terrestrial complement to GPS, providing operators with an additional resilient source of timing and positioning that can be used alongside GPS or relied upon when satellite-based services are disrupted by jamming, spoofing, cyberattacks or natural events. The federal government recognized the need for terrestrial complements to GPS through the National Timing Resilience and Security Act and Executive Order 13905.

NAB said Merkhet Solutions intends to serve customers across all critical infrastructure sectors, with an emphasis on the lifeline sectors of energy, telecommunications, data centers and financial services, where timing precision is mission-critical and GPS vulnerability is an unacceptable risk.

Learn more at the Merkhet Solutions website.

“We’ve been here before” stands out among the profound rhetoric that poured into the FCC as it revived its rulemaking exploration of NextGen TV. Those words, from a filing by cable-TV industry groups, captured the frustrating dilemma as regulators try to figure out what to do about the retransmission of ATSC 3.0 broadcast TV signals via cable systems and other multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs).

More than 1,600 comments (including formal submissions, replies to other parties and ex parte letters) have deluged the Federal Communications Commission since October, when it issued its docket on “Authorizing Permissive Use of the ‘Next Generation’ Broadcast Television Standard,” a spokesperson told TV Tech. The arguments came from “broadcasters, MVPDs, equipment manufacturers and retailer groups, consumer groups/advocates, accessibility groups, policy groups, technology/software providers, content producers, other interested parties and individual consumers,” the spokesperson said.

Few Innovative Ideas
This vast array of opinions refrains the familiar arguments of broadcasters vs. cable operators—with substantial input from equipment and software and content suppliers allied with one side or the other. As is increasingly common in such proceedings, there is also an extensive cadre of public-interest organizations and a dollop of Silicon Valley and wireless communications ventures with an appetite for spectrum.

Relatively few innovative ideas seemed to emerge from the reams of formal filings or in conversations with TV Tech, although analysts offered perspectives on what’s ahead.

The FCC hasn’t set a deadline to resolve the ATSC 3.0 retransmission issue. The agency’s only response to a query about a possible timetable: “This is an active proceeding.”

Independent analysts do not expect a quick resolution. As one inside observer said, “The ball is in FCC Chairman [Brendan] Carr’s court.” Another FCC watcher opined that NextGen TV is not a high priority, despite the agency’s public statements.

To complicate the deliberations, the NextGen TV migration also includes uncertainty about if, when or how to turn off the current ATSC 1.0 signals, which do have must-carry requirements. A slew of other factors, such as the absence of a tuner subsidy (as was available in the digital transition nearly two decades ago), add to the complexity—and are familiar themes in the current examination.

When it opened its latest rulemaking, the FCC said it was seeking “to support and accelerate the nation’s ongoing transition to NextGen TV (also known as ATSC 3.0),” which it claims “represents the future of broadcasting and promises to modernize the nation’s free and local over-the-air television service.”

NAB, ATSC Confront Multiple Challenges
In its filing, the National Association of Broadcasters contends the dissent about must-carry and other familiar issues repeats a “problem [that] is circular.” Stations won’t transmit until carriage is assured and receivers are available, and hardware makers won’t make equipment until rules are in place for distributing the enhanced content, NAB asserted.

Moreover, there is the question about the migration from ATSC 1.0 to 3.0.

“Broadcasters cannot offer the full benefits of Next Gen TV service until they can stop simulcasting in ATSC 1.0,” according to NAB’s filing—but there is widespread concern about the problems that would surface if simulcasting ended without viewers able to receive ATSC 3.0 signals.

NAB urged the FCC to adopt a “date-certain ATSC 1.0 sunset” and to “ensure continued MVPD carriage of stations’ primary ATSC 3.0 signals and associated program-related features.”

In its initial comments to the FCC, NAB insisted “extending must-carry to ATSC 3.0 is essential to an efficient and timely transition.” Broadcasters contend stations should be allowed “to assert mandatory carriage rights for their ATSC 3.0 signals.”

“Broadcasters are not looking to expand must-carry obligations but preserve the same framework that applies today as broadcast technology evolves,” NAB said. “As stations transition to ATSC 3.0, must-carry should continue to attach to a station’s primary programming stream regardless of transmission standard…Technical standards are already in place to support MVPD carriage of ATSC 3.0 signals,” pointing to an ATSC Recommended Practice on Delivery of ATSC 3.0 Services for Redistribution.

Alison Martin, NAB’s vice president of innovation and strategy, said ATSC 3.0 broadcast streams contain content-related data that is essential for viewers and should be subject to must-carry rules. Weather reports, emergency evacuation routes, accessibility information and similar local data must be part of the retransmission package, she said, alluding to the support broadcasters have received from social service agencies.

Martin acknowledged that some of the data ventures that broadcasters envision for ATSC 3.0 fit into what the FCC’s Carr calls “the broadcast internet,” which NAB contends is totally separate from the must-carry issues involved with traditional video programming. She said licensees see services such as BitPath, the wireless platform built on ATSC 3.0 architecture developed by Sinclair and Nexstar Media Group, as an extension of broadcasters’ capacity for data delivery.

“They look at it as a supplement for private wireless networks, so must-carry is not necessary,” she said.

That said, cable retransmission is “the most important thing” to assure broadcasters “are able to innovate” and develop enhancements such as “more immersive audio” and sports enhancements, according to Martin.

The Advanced Television Systems Committee added its endorsement to NAB’s arguments.

Although the group insists that its focus is strictly on technical issues, “any regulatory framework must preserve local broadcasters’ ability to innovate, serve their communities, and fully use ATSC 3.0’s capabilities,” ATSC Vice President of Standards Development Luiz Fausto emphasized.

“The absence of clear rules governing the treatment of ATSC 3.0 services in retransmission scenarios could create uncertainty,” Fausto said. “Conversely, a framework that recognizes the technical realities of ATSC 3.0, including its IP-based architecture and support for new services, can help broadcasters and distribution partners plan investments with greater confidence.”

He stressed: “Cable retransmission is part of a larger transition. ATSC 3.0’s value lies in enabling local broadcasters to use a flexible, scalable, IP-based platform to reach viewers and communities in new ways.”

Opposition From Cable, CE Makers
The “been here before” sneer came from NCTA–The Internet & Television Association on behalf of a cadre of cable TV and broadband providers and their collaborators.

In its filing, the group took aim at NAB’s claim that the cable industry opposes broadcasters’ use of new technologies. “We simply believe that broadcasters’ transition to a new standard should not come at the expense of MVPDs, equipment manufacturers, and consumers, with no guarantee of meaningful benefits,” NCTA said.

“Requiring cable operators to carry ATSC 3.0 signals—despite the substantial costs involved and the uncertain consumer value—would further intensify the serious constitutional concerns associated with the must-carry regime,” NCTA Senior Vice President of Strategic Communications Brian Dietz told TV Tech. “Allowing broadcasters to discontinue ATSC 1.0 transmissions at this stage of the current market-based transition would impose real costs on consumers without any assurance of meaningful benefits.”

The Consumer Technology Association and its equipment-making allies take a similar stance. CTA contends the marketplace is working and a 3.0 tuner mandate is unnecessary. It would be “misguided” to impose a mandate “before broadcasters have adopted and promoted NextGen TV on a nationwide basis, and thus before there is adequate indication of consumer interest or demand,” the group argued.

FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, the agency’s sole Democrat, said the new rules would trigger “additional thorny questions” over matters such as “encryption technologies [i.e.] digital rights management.”

She voiced concerns about whether audiences “will be able to continue to enjoy free, over-the-air television as they do today.”

“Technology should not be a bottleneck to innovation,” Gomez said, noting that the “significant costs of the transition” will extend to consumers who must pay for new “equipment to…receive the new signal over the air or potentially pay higher prices for new televisions.”

Does Wall Street Care?
Blair Levin, a former FCC chief of staff and longtime telecom policy expert, identified several barriers to the must-carry requirements for NextGen TV.

“The value to consumers is completely different” from the original DTV transition nearly two decades ago, Levin said. “The streaming networks, which didn’t exist then, are a much bigger factor than alternative content at the time of the earlier transition.

“There will be a point when the MVPDs say ‘It’s over,’” Levin predicted, suggesting that the necessity to retransmit broadcast content may become irrelevant.

Levin, now a policy and regulation adviser at New Street Research, headed the team that wrote the U.S. National Broadband Plan (2009-2010) and was deeply involved in the 1996 Telecommunications Act while at the FCC.

Several barriers will impede the must-carry efforts, Levin told TV Tech, especially the lack of a tuner mandate and a specified turn-off date for the current ATSC 1.0 signals. The transition also lacks momentum because there is no pressure from Congress or the White House, he noted.

Would Wall Street care about such a break with historical models?

“Not really,” Levin said, noting that investors now care more about actions “that affect wireless carriers and Silicon Valley,” citing increasing efforts to open up different spectrum bands to auction for nonbroadcast purposes.

From his Washington perspective, Levin noted, “NAB has been unable to elevate this on Carr’s agenda.” He acknowledged that broadcasters have traditionally been big defenders of the First Amendment, but said NextGen TV does not fit into that category.

Focus on Other Opportunities
Rick Ducey, managing director at BIA Advisory Services, expressed optimism about TV stations finding a role in the emerging environment.

“I think broadcasters would still offer enhanced services over-the-air even if MVPDs wouldn’t provide the service enhancements,” Ducey said. “That might both hasten video subscriber drops from MVPDs and drive more OTA viewing.

“Broadcasters are leveraging ATSC 3.0 to create an enhanced consumer OTA experience, and [they] would love to see that experience also offered via MVPD retransmission of must-carry if necessary.”

As for the contentious stances of the major camps in this debate, “Each group has reasons for their positions,” Ducey explained, citing the “new expenses (and new competition) for MVPDs” when NextGen TV services are launched.

Equipment makers are wary of new expenses for an unproven market and don’t like the government telling them what their bill of materials should be, he acknowledged.

Ducey also pointed to concerns raised by the role of “tax-and-waste” groups such as Americans for Tax Reform, Taxpayers Protection Alliance, Citizens Against Government Waste and American Action Forum as new advocates of the FCC’s effort to create industrial policy.

Wall Street is paying attention to the NextGen TV situation, Ducey said.

“They’ve been listening to ATSC 3.0 plans, forecasts, expectations, and market signals for years,” he said, noting that investors are “waiting to see what happens as we get closer.”

Non-media ventures for data delivery provide “very promising signals that there may yet be an emerging and scalable market for broadcasters,” Ducey said, citing ventures such as EdgeBeam Wireless. That joint venture, involving E.W. Scripps, Gray Media, Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair, plans to use ATSC 3.0 technology for multipoint data delivery.

Meanwhile, the must-carry diatribes continue with no decision date in sight.

The Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) will hold its annual NextGen Broadcast Conference at National Association of Broadcasters headquarters in Washington, D.C., next week.

The two day conference, June 2-3, will explore advances in datacasting, emergency communications, Broadcast Positioning System (BPS) technologies, hybrid broadcast-broadband architectures, cloud-native workflows, AI-enabled operations, and converged ATSC 3.0/5G Broadcast services.

The conference will also recognize individuals whose leadership and technical excellence continue to shape the future of broadcasting, ATSC said. Following tradition, the organization will unveil the winner of the 2026 Bernard J. Lechner Outstanding Contributor Award, which recognizes an individual representative of the membership whose technical and leadership contributions to ATSC have been invaluable and exemplary.

Mark Aitken, president of ONE Media Technologies, senior vice president of advanced technology for Sinclair and the recipient of the Mark Richer Industry Leadership Medal, will also be recognized.

“It will be a great honor to bestow the Mark Richer Industry Leadership Medal to Mark Aitken of ONE Media/Sinclair, recognizing the many achievements he has done to champion ATSC technologies throughout the world,” ATSC President Madeleine Noland said.

“The NextGen Broadcast Conference offers the opportunity to reconnect, exchange ideas, and continue building the future of broadcasting together,” Noland said. “The conversations taking place among engineers, broadcasters, policymakers, researchers, and innovators will help define how broadcasting serves viewers, communities, industries, and nations in the years ahead.”

Click here for more information.

CINCINNATI—GatesAir has announced the successful completion of a three-year Direct-to-Mobile (D2M) field trial in Delhi, India, in collaboration with public broadcaster Prasar Bharati and Tejas Networks.

The project leveraged GatesAir’s Maxiva XTE ATSC 3.0 exciter alongside Tejas Networks’ Broadcast Radio Head platform to successfully demonstrate next-generation terrestrial content delivery directly to mobile and consumer devices.

GatesAir will discuss the trial and how the enabling technology at can support D2M deployment opportunities at BroadcastAsia 2026 from May 20-22nd (Singapore EXPO, Booth 5D1-7).

The Delhi D2M field trial utilized a hybrid transmission architecture combining GatesAir’s High Power High Tower (HPHT) transmission system with Tejas Networks’ Low Power Low Tower (LPLT) Broadcast Radio Heads operating seamlessly in Single Frequency Network (SFN) mode.

The deployment was believed to be the first hybrid HPHT/LPLT D2M network of its kind globally, enabling robust outdoor and deep indoor coverage across a wide range of devices including televisions, set-top boxes, home gateways, laptops, tablets, smartphones and feature phones.

D2M technology enables multimedia content delivery directly to mobile devices without requiring an internet connection, using terrestrial broadcast signals based on the ATSC 3.0 standard. The technology allows broadcasters and public service organizations to deliver live video, audio, educational programming and emergency alerts while significantly reducing congestion on cellular and broadband networks. GatesAir supplied its Maxiva XTE exciter to support the field trial, proving that Prasar Bharati could upgrade existing DVB-T2 transmission infrastructure to ATSC 3.0 through a cost-efficient exciter replacement strategy that preserves prior transmission investments.

“The success of the Delhi D2M field trial clearly demonstrates how ATSC 3.0 broadcasting can extend far beyond traditional television delivery,” said Jacky Yee, head of APAC Sales, GatesAir. “By combining the reliability and efficiency of over-the-air broadcasting with direct mobile reception, the project has validated a scalable approach for delivering multimedia content, educational services and emergency communications to millions of users — including populations in areas with limited internet connectivity. We are proud to collaborate with Prasar Bharati and Tejas Networks on this groundbreaking initiative.”

The Indian government, through the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, collaborated with IIT Kanpur and Tejas Networks to evaluate D2M technology as part of broader national digital inclusion initiatives. The technology also offers important public safety advantages through reliable emergency information delivery independent of mobile network availability.

Dr. Kanwar Jit Singh, vice President, Satellite, Broadcast & Semiconductors of Tejas Networks said, “The ongoing D2M field trial in Delhi, conducted in partnership with Prasar Bharati and IIT Kanpur, combines GatesAir’s ATSC 3.0 exciter technology with Tejas Networks’ Broadcast Radio Head platform in a seamless SFN architecture. This innovative hybrid network delivers strong outdoor and deep indoor coverage for a broad range of consumer devices, including televisions, smartphones, tablets and laptops, demonstrating the tremendous potential of D2M services for digital inclusion and next-generation content delivery.”

WASHINGTON, SAO PAULO, SEOUL, South Korea—ATSC, Sistema Brasileiro de TV Digital Terrestre (SBTVD) Forum from Brazil and South Korea’s Telecommunications Technology Association (TTA) May 12 inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to establish a formal framework for cooperation on the development, harmonization and worldwide promotion of next-generation terrestrial broadcasting standards.

“This agreement represents an important milestone for the global broadcasting industry,” said president ATSC Madeleine Noland. “By aligning efforts across North America, South America and Asia, we are creating a stronger foundation for interoperable next-generation broadcasting technologies that will benefit broadcasters, manufacturers, developers and viewers worldwide.”

The agreement reflects a shared commitment to strengthening global interoperability for advanced broadcasting services and to accelerating international collaboration around the evolution of ATSC 3.0 and related technologies. The collaboration was made official during a signing ceremony in Seoul.

“This MOU reinforces the importance of international cooperation in shaping the future of broadcasting,” said Raymundo Barros, president of SBTVD Forum. “A harmonized standards ecosystem enables greater innovation and creates new opportunities for broadcasters and technology providers globally.”

Under the MOU, the organizations will collaborate on the development of broadcasting standards and recommended practices, support testing and certification activities, exchange technical and strategic information and coordinate joint industry engagement efforts across key global markets. The partnership is particularly significant as broadcasters worldwide continue transitioning toward IP-based, software-defined and integrated broadcast-broadband delivery systems enabled by ATSC 3.0 and related next-generation standards.

All three standards organizations agreed to hold regular coordination meetings aligned with major international broadcast industry events, including NAB Show in Las Vegas, KOBA Show in Seoul and SET Expo in Sao Paulo.“TTA is pleased to collaborate with ATSC and the SBTVD Forum to support the evolution of next-generation broadcasting technologies,” said TTA president Seunghyun Son. “Closer cooperation between standards organizations is essential to ensuring global compatibility and sustainable industry growth.”

The MOU establishes cooperation on:

• Collaboration on next-generation broadcasting standards and recommended practices. 
• Promotion of worldwide interoperability for terrestrial broadcasting services and products. 
• Coordination on testing and certification of broadcasting equipment and services.
• Support for cross-referencing and harmonization of technical standards.
• Exchange of technical and strategic information between organizations.
• Joint communication initiatives, including sharing press releases and member newsletters.
• Appointment of liaison officers to coordinate collaborative activities.

The organization will also consider expanding participation to additional standards development organizations adopting 3.0 or related technologies.

By strengthening coordination among standards organizations in the Americas and Asia, the agreement is expected to help reduce market fragmentation, encourage economies of scale for device manufacturers and accelerate innovation in areas, such as immersive media, advanced emergency information, targeted services, datacasting and mobile reception.The agreement also recognizes the importance of maintaining flexible collaboration structures that can potentially include additional standards development organizations in the future while respecting each organization’s intellectual property policies, governance models and legal frameworks.The MOU takes effect immediately and reflects the Parties’ mutual intent to deepen international cooperation in support of the future of terrestrial broadcasting worldwide.

More information is available on the ATSC website.

At the NAB Show in Las Vegas last month, Pearl TV, the consortium of broadcasters, manufacturers and industry advocates showcased prototypes of new converter boxes that would allow consumers to upgrade to ATSC 3.0 (aka NextGen TV) without having to purchase a new TV or one of the more expensive converter/DVR boxes currently available.

TV Tech Content Director Tom Butts recently discussed the status of the new campaign and reaction at NAB Show with Pearl TV Managing Director Anne Schelle. Here is an edited transcript.

TV Tech: Can you give us an update on what Pearl and the ATSC were showing in terms of NextGen TV advances at the NAB Show?
Anne Schelle: Pearl was focused on the converter box program and meeting with SOC companies that we invited to come to the show, as well as some of the current box makers and others that would be part of the ecosystem. The FCC also had an opportunity to come by and learn about the program. So there were great conversations, and it's just continuing to move the program along in terms of the mechanics, with the special pricing conversations, with the ecosystem that would be involved with making the box, the testing, certification, all of those business parts of the program.

TVT: What's the biggest challenge right now that you face? Is it time or technology?
AS: We’re waiting on a signal from the FCC, which we're hopeful is coming soon. We were also having conversations about just updating the whole [3.0] system, the transmission vendors and everybody that's involved in selling equipment to support a transition to the boxes themselves. And the more time lags on this, resources get reallocated, investments get reallocated. So we've been expressing the urgency to the FCC.

TVT: Will you need government support to bring it to a sub-$60 price level?
AS: We're following the NTIA model [the basis for the ATSC 1.0 converter box program established in the 2000s], where we're establishing specifications, testing rigor around elements that don't exist today for other devices—specifically around sensitivity and recepetibility—and then the program would allow for a certification logo that makes us a very distinct category of a box.

Given its distinction, part of the program is to go out and broadly negotiate lower building material costs, whether that's in IP or in components, and we've been successful on that route. In essence, we're helping to establish a pre-, lower-cost box, or presubsidized in the sense that the industry is doing it, the players (as the component parts), are doing it, knowing that this device is a bridge device. It's very much needed to enable the consumers who can't afford to buy a television to have access to something readily available in the marketplace.

So by coalescing around a program, we're able to sort of recreate what occurred [with the NTIA program], if you look at that pricing point too, that is based on research that might change over time, and overall rises and seed pricing due to supply chain and other global events. But what we're coming in with is essentially almost lower than the NTIA program did back in the day without a subsidy, the economics being such that we're able to deliver something a consumer would be willing to purchase, which is what our study showed. The other part about our study was what really needs to be on this very affordable box, and how do consumers think about features vs. cost vs. value in over the air.

In terms of government funding, that's not available, so I don't know why we would be asking that.

TVT: What kind of feedback have you gotten from broadcasters?
AS: Well, this is broadcast-led, so they're very supportive of this. At the end of the day, we need a signal from the FCC, because consumers will go purchase this box that we've made very affordable if they know that they need to go purchase it. There is no global transition that's ever really happened until there is a transition end date and concurrently an update to standards, so we need that.

We’re getting ready for that by developing and answering the question of the affordable device for the consumer that does not want to change out their television and otherwise wants. That's why we did the [Magid] study to see what their willingness would be to go purchase this device and at what price point. And what we heard was overwhelmingly over 81% saying yes, they would purchase and the price points were $60 and below.

TVT: So is your goal to have this in place and get it moving as soon as you get the word from the FCC?
AS: We’re developing all the program mechanics. We did all the research, and now we have an understanding of the messaging and how the consumer feels about it. We're working with early development set-top box makers to understand what are the components and what are the feature sets that are doable at these price points, and does that match up with willingness from consumers to buy it? The answer is yes, and that's our specification that was announced.

We have a utilization of the current connected TV umbrella logo. All of these require agreements and mechanisms and processes to be able to onboard a set-top box maker for them to understand what the specifications are, to go through the certification to ultimately get the logo, for that logo to have some teeth to it.

So we make sure that the logo, if it's misused, can be revoked, and at the same time, that logo is what these set-top box makers would take to the IP holders, as well as the component makers that we've negotiated with to get that favorable pricing for this device category.

So we're putting in all of the program mechanics and working with three manufacturers [ADTH, Skyworth, and Zinwell] through that process to harden that and ensure that we've got the right systems in place so that once we have the go light, we're able to effectively turn this on. We have not focused fully yet on the go-to-market strategy, other than to say that we do have a website that we currently know works and consumers go to. That would probably be our initial funnel, alongside promotional marketing that the station groups would undertake, but that whole program is really reliant on timelines.

TVT: Pearl TV has joined others in asking for a sunset year, a date of 2028, for the top markets, followed by remaining markets by 2030. How would you characterize your conversations with the FCC in terms of this plan… what kind of feedback have you gotten from them, and do you believe that this is going to help them reach a final decision?
AS: We're looking for something in that range, specifically for a go date, on an update to the receiver rules that could happen, and within three years, the majority of receivers could be upgraded. I think the idea still stands around moving top markets and then looking to smaller markets but the exact timing is really up to the commission.

Pearl has been focused on helping the industry establish a way to find an affordable device path for consumers. We met with the FCC and there's high interest in it that I think helps in terms of getting a favorable rulemaking from the commission.

TVT: The Consumer Technology Association has been very vocal in their opposition to a tuner mandate. Do you believe their concern is justified? In other words, do you see the possibility of a tuner mandate on the horizon?
AS: We are asking for a receiver upgrade. I don't think you have a transition without it. And I think every past transition has proved that this is not the first time that the commission has taken that path, and again, globally, I don't know how you move forward without that.

We're in a situation where the marketplace took it as far as it could, and this is what's needed in order to really fully realize a full transition. So that's basically my answer to that.

TVT: Do you believe retailers have done a good job promoting NextGen TV? Do you think that they'll be ready to market these new boxes?
AS: Again, when there's a signal for a full transition—just like in the last go round, nobody stepped in to really market until that happened, because you have something to organize around, both retailers, CTA and broadcasters. So you can't take one without the other. Retailers are pay to play and they're organized around the manufacturers telling them what to do.

So you can't really fault their involvement, yet. You can just look at history, the last DTV transition, the minute it got organized—between a transition end date and upgrade to the receiver requirements—you had everybody step in with some terrific marketing.

TVT: Will you put these boxes on the market before the FCC makes a decision on the deadline?
AS: We're working on the development with the three main manufacturers and hoping we can get something out by the end of the year, [but] we are facing some headwinds in regards to the supply chain, and that's no surprise. There's memory shortages out there and price hikes, plastic has gone up 20%.

So it's a timing question for us because without the volume guarantee, it's hard for us to be able to come out with a box, and so it just depends.

We’re agnostic to the chip, to the OS, we really leave that up to the box manufacturer. We just have this price ceiling, and they're working right now to figure that out, and getting pretty creative and looking at lowering memory and using various OS systems that take up less memory. I think you're going to see that in everything going forward for a couple years.

[The initiative] is really similar to NTIA. It's just commercially implemented and commercially executed.

A federal court of appeals last week upheld a jury’s finding that LG Electronics infringed on certain Constellation Designs patents in its NextGen TVs and affirmed the jury’s $1.68 million award for past damages as well as a $6.75 per TV royalty for future set sales.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit issued its ruling April 28 after considering the findings of a jury trial before Judge J. Rodney Gilstrap of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. That court found LG willfully infringed upon certain Constellation Designs patents.

The appeals court affirmed some of the lower court’s findings, vacated others related to “optimization claims” and sent the case back to the original district court to re-evaluate the case with the optimization claims removed or reconsidered under the guidance of the appeals court.

Regarding penalties, the appeals court found LG willfully infringed on Constellation’s patents. Frequently, willful infringement can lead to greater damages, but the appeals court made no such recommendation.

LG Electronics announced it would stop selling televisions with NextGen TV support in September 2023, following its loss of the patent dispute with Constellation Designs. Currently, Sony, Samsung, Hisense, Panasonic, TCL and RCA offer NextGen TVs in the United States. Vendors offering NextGen TV set-top boxes include ZapperBox, ADTH, Zinwell, SiliconDust and GTMedia offer NextGen TV set-top boxes or dongles.

An LG spokesman said the company does not comment on “such legal matters.” As of this writing, Constellation Designs has not responded to a request for comment. Other requests for comment are out but have not yet received a response.

The ATSC 3 Signing Authority said last month that nearly 40 NextGen TV models from Hisense, Panasonic, Samsung, Sony and TDL, account for the “vast majority” of the 18.5 million A3SA-enabled TVs sold to date.

“We have to keep in mind that this happens in the C.E. space,” said Anne Schelle, managing director of the Pearl TV business organization representing many of the country’s largest broadcast groups. “That said, the other thing to note is these patents do expire in 2028.”

“From our perspective, the market from the development side of NextGen is moving along,” she said. “We are still continuing to work on the converter box program, and if you look at the overall trend, you can’t blow this out of proportion.”

"When you look at the timing of a Report and Order [advancing the transition from 1.0 to 3.0], there is plenty of time to get devices out there regardless of whatever the outcome is."

The appeals court ruling is available online.

BRISTOL, UK—Ocean Blue Software, a developer of software for Smart TVs, has launched ATSC 3.0 Inspector, a purpose-built tool designed to provide clear visibility into ATSC 3.0 broadcast streams and simplify analysis, debugging, and validation.

As ATSC 3.0 adoption accelerates, engineers working across the smart TV ecosystem face increasing complexity when interpreting and validating broadcast data. The ATSC 3.0 Inspector addresses this challenge by

The ATSC 3.0 Inspector is designed to give engineering teams deeper insight into the structure and behaviour of ATSC 3.0 streams, enabling faster issue identification and more efficient development workflows, according to the company.

Key capabilities include:

• Detailed inspection of ATSC 3.0 broadcast components
• Clear presentation of complex data structures
• Rapid identification of errors and inconsistencies
• Improved debugging and validation efficiency

By making broadcast data easier to understand and navigate, the tool helps reduce development time and minimise integration challenges, Ocean Blue said.

The ATSC 3.0 Inspector has been developed to support a wide range of organizations working in the broadcast eco-system across the smart TV value chain, including:

• Smart TV manufacturers and OEMs want to validate device behaviour
• Broadcasters and operators looking to ensure service integrity
• Semiconductor and platform providers test integrations and compliance

By enabling faster analysis and more accurate diagnostics, Ocean Blue Software helps teams move from issue identification to resolution more efficiently.

“ATSC 3.0 introduces significant advances in broadcast technology, but also increases the complexity of analysing and validating streams,” said Andy Carr, Chief Product Officer, Ocean Blue Software. “The ATSC 3.0 Inspector is designed to give engineers clear, actionable insight, helping them resolve issues faster and accelerate smart TV development.”

ATSC 3.0 Inspector is available now.

Brazil’s announcement in August 2025 that it was adopting the physical layer of ATSC 3.0 represented a significant step for international uptake of the U.S.-based broadcast standard.

Bringing it to a nation of more than 212 million people — where 80% of the population watches over-the-air television — creates a multitude of opportunities to advance ATSC 3.0, which combines broadcast with internet protocol.

The standard, which consists of “best-of-breed” technologies, will reside within Brazil’s new DTV+ (aka “TV 3.0”) protocol, due to begin pilot tests in time for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in June.

Regulators and broadcasters hope “football fever” around the world’s largest sporting event will spur consumers to purchase new sets that support TV 3.0.

This was among many topics discussed by broadcast representatives from Brazil, India, South Korea and the Caribbean in Monday’s “NextGen TV and TV 3.0: A Global Conversation on the Future of Broadcasting” panel.

FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty opened the conference, addressing the importance of broadcasters’ public-interest commitments.

She tied those obligations to the opportunities afforded by ATSC 3.0, which has been deployed to about 75% of the U.S. population.

While broadcasters see increased competition in an expanding television universe, Trusty noted the industry’s “unique place in the media ecosystem.” She said it’s “critical” for the FCC to ensure that broadcasters not only survive in today’s competitive environment, but thrive.

“In a marketplace where competition and technologies are evolving, the FCC needs to get its policies right for broadcasters and the communities they serve — from ownership regulation, to the principles guiding the ATSC 3.0 transition, to continually reevaluating its regulations to ensure their benefits truly outweigh their burdens,” she said.

“If the commission achieves that goal, broadcasters will have both the ability and the right incentives to keep serving the public interest, which I see as the best way of advancing those objectives.”

Frederico de Siqueira Filho, Brazil’s minister of communications, described the importance of broadcasting in the country’s culture.

“For decades, broadcasting has played a central role in Brazil. It’s not just media or entertainment, it’s a pillar of democracy, a tool for social inclusion, familial resilience and the primary source of information,” he said.

“Free-to-air television continues to be the most universal communication service in the country, reaching households across our regions, income levels and geographies. As we move into a new technology era, our objective is clear: to preserve these core values while unlocking entirely new capabilities. And TV 3.0 is how we intend to do that.”

Octavio Pieranti, commissioner at Brazilian regulator ANATEL, discussed new proposals to help ensure that TV 3.0 maintains equal footing with streaming services on smart TVs sold in the country.

These include mandating a button on TV remotes dedicated to the standard, part of a group of rules referred to as the “Prominence of TV,” according to Wilson Diniz Wellisch, secretary of broadcasting services from the Ministry of Communications in Brazil.

“The remote control on new TVs must have a specific button that can access DTV+,” he said. “The main app of DTV+ must be at the first position of the app lists on the setup of the TV.”

ATSC President Madeleine Noland, who led the discussion, described Brazil’s progress with TV 3.0 as remarkable.

“We’re seeing momentum across the Caribbean, India and North America … Against that global backdrop, Brazil’s adoption of ATSC 3.0 as the foundation for DTV+ represents one of the most significant developments in next-generation products.”

© 2026 NAB

LAS VEGAS—Castanet Corp. has announced the launch of a commercial-ready hybrid ATSC 3.0 and 5G Broadcast Internet pilot network in Las Vegas, during the 2026 NAB Show.

The deployment by Castanet and its spectrum partners follows an earlier pilot network in Silicon Valley announced with Major Market Broadcasting.

During the show, company also unveiled a live commercial-ready pilot network, opened its C5G Interactive Live Sports platform to the public and announced progress on its VoDoS wholesale satellite CDN consortium.

Building on its world-first demonstration of 5G Broadcast over ATSC 3.0 at NAB Show New York in October 2025, Castanet said the latest announcements represent measurable progress toward nationwide deployment of a scalable Broadcast Internet platform.

"The broadcast internet era is no longer theoretical. It is here," said Vern Fotheringham, founder and executive chairman of Castanet. "These milestones show the Castanet 5G Broadcast Internet is commercially viable, standards-compliant and ready to create new economics for broadcasters, content owners, sports organizations and the streaming industry."

The pilot network uses ATSC 3.0 as the transport layer for 5G Broadcast in alignment with current FCC regulations and industry standards. Castanet said the deployment demonstrates how LPTV spectrum can serve as a foundational asset in next-generation internet infrastructure.

Castanet said the pilot network showcases:

• High-quality streaming with no buffering across fixed and mobile devices
• Low-latency delivery for live content
• Performance independent of unicast congestion
• Lower cost per delivered bit at scale
• Delivery of live, on-demand and AI-generated content

The Las Vegas deployment also demonstrates how LPTV spectrum owners can transition from existing ATSC 1.0 operations into Castanet's hybrid ATSC 3.0 and 5G Broadcast model without disrupting current service.

Castanet said its consortium of spectrum owners now includes licensees covering about 60% of the U.S. population, with additional expansion planned.

"The Castanet 5G Broadcast Internet provides a compliant path for LPTV stations to better monetize current ATSC 1.0 assets while transitioning into the future of hybrid broadcast internet services," Fotheringham said.

Castanet also announced that its C5G Interactive Live Sports platform is now open to the public after previously being demonstrated privately at NAB Show New York.

The platform is designed as a next-generation second-screen experience that transforms passive viewers into active participants. It delivers interactive, gamified and commerce-enabled content experiences to mobile phones and web users synchronized with live broadcast streams.

Kay platform features, according to Castanet, include:

• Real-time interactive content synchronized with live broadcasts
• Polls, predictions and gamified fan engagement
• Merchandise, ticketing and sponsorship integrations
• Cross-platform deployment using ATSC 1.0 today and 5G Broadcast in the future
• Broadcast-scale delivery to mobile devices and browsers

Castanet said the platform creates an immediate monetization path for broadcasters, sports teams, leagues and content owners using existing ATSC 1.0 infrastructure while providing a built-in upgrade path to Castanet's 5G Broadcast Internet network.

"Our engagement platform enables content owners to deliver next-level experiences that unlock new monetization opportunities," Fotheringham said. "The C5G Interactive Live Sports app demonstrates how second-screen experiences can deepen audience engagement while creating immediate value for spectrum holders."

Major Market Broadcasting and its flagship network, Diya TV, the nation's largest South Asian television network reaching more than 85 million viewers, plan to use the Castanet engagement platform to deliver interactive experiences to audiences nationwide. The company also plans to participate in the C5G Interactive Live Sports initiative.

"The Castanet engagement platform gives Diya TV a powerful new way to connect with our audience," said Deepti Dawar, chief operating officer of Diya TV. "This is what the future of diverse media looks like."

Castanet's third announcement was VoDoS, short for Video-on-Demand-over-Satellite, a multi-partner consortium designed to deliver one-to-many satellite CDN services for both direct-to-consumer and wholesale markets.

The platform combines national satellite distribution efficiency with lower-cost edge-cached storage to improve streaming economics, scalability and service quality.

Castanet said that VoDoS offers:

• Lower delivery costs through satellite multicast at scale
• Consistent quality independent of last-mile congestion
• Improved economics as audiences grow
• Online and offline DRM content protection
• Pre-positioned content in edge caches for faster delivery and usage intelligence

Initial target markets include mobile operators, cable companies, WISPs, satellite ISPs, OTT distributors, legacy direct-to-home providers and broadband companion services for NTN and IoT operators.

"The unicast model that has sustained the internet cannot keep pace with the economics or performance required by today's streaming demand," Fotheringham said. "VoDoS creates infrastructure that becomes more efficient as it scales."

LAS VEGAS—Advanced HDR by Technicolor and Amlogic, a platform provider in the global system-on-chip (SoC) market, have announced that the Advanced HDR solution will be integrated into major NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0) conversion boxes powered by Amlogic platforms.

“Device manufacturers across the industry are recognizing the impact HDR has on consumer perception of video quality,” said Rick Dumont, head of business development for Advanced HDR by Technicolor. “NextGen TV converter boxes extend ATSC 3.0 reception to TVs that don’t have built-in NextGen TV capability, and integrating Advanced HDR by Technicolor enables consumers to maximize picture quality on compatible displays. Because our solution can carry SDR and HDR in a single signal, viewers can receive the best possible experience without needing to worry about TV compatibility. We look forward to continued partnership with Amlogic and other receiver brands to bring NextGen TV content in Advanced HDR by Technicolor to viewers.”

This integration reflects growing industry-wide coordination to increase the availability of ATSC 3.0-compatible devices amid strong U.S. consumer interest in NextGen TV services. Separately, broadcasters announced plans to expand the availability of lower-cost boxes in the run-up to the 2026 NAB Show.

While ATSC 3.0 infrastructure continues its rollout, ecosystem partners are doubling down on the manufacture of NextGen TV converter boxes ensuring greater consumer awareness of and access to enhanced over-the-air (OTA) viewing with high dynamic range (HDR) picture quality. Converter boxes from leading brands, which include: RCA, ZapperBox by BitRouter, MyVeloTV, Zinwell, and ADTH, are using Amlogic platforms to implement Advanced HDR by Technicolor, enabling more viewers to experience HDR from free broadcast television.

The ongoing deployment of NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0) in North America—and the introduction of DTV+ in Brazil, which leverages many elements of ATSC 3.0—signals accelerating global momentum behind next-generation broadcast standards. To enjoy free OTA content in HDR, consumers need an HDR-enabled receiver. By pairing Amlogic-powered converter boxes with Advanced HDR by Technicolor, device makers can help ensure that more households can benefit from improved contrast, brightness, and color performance as broadcasters expand HDR programming.

As a leading system-on-chip manufacturer, Amlogic powers a broad range of operator and retail receiver devices worldwide. This scale helps accelerate ecosystem adoption by enabling multiple converter box manufacturers to deliver consistent HDR experiences on a widely deployed silicon platform.

“As NextGen TV adoption accelerates, consumers expect premium picture quality from free over-the-air broadcasts, including HDR,” said James Xie, senior vice president of corporate business strategy at Amlogic. “By enabling Advanced HDR by Technicolor on our widely adopted converter box platforms, we’re helping OEM partners bring a consistent, high-quality HDR experience to market faster and at scale—supporting a growing ecosystem of consumer devices.”

Advanced HDR by Technicolor experts will be on hand during the show at Advanced HDR by Technicolor Meeting Room (Invitation Only) located at C3062MR in Central Hall and the ATSC booth located at C1655 in Central Hall

More information is available at https://advancedhdrbytechnicolor.com.

LAS VEGAS—Advanced HDR by Technicolor has announced that it will be highlighting new high dynamic range (HDR) formats and production models as well as new NextGen TV boxes during the 2026 NAB Show between April 18 and 22.

While HDR continues to gain traction with consumers, Advanced HDR by Technicolor’s team believes that many of today’s “premium” video experiences still fail to produce a demonstrably visible or differentiated experience. That’s because, they say, the industry reliance on static look up tables (LUTs) and redundant standard dynamic range (SDR)and HDR pipelines is flattening image quality while introducing operational costs and complexity.

At NAB this year, the Advanced HDR by Technicolor team will showcase an evolution away from these constraints, presenting dynamic HDR workflows and single-stream delivery methodologies that are designed to preserve creative intent, and ensure the seamless transition from SDR and HDR while reducing infrastructure costs across broadcast and streaming operations.

“Production teams selecting the predictable and safe path of legacy SDR workflows and static LUTs HDR are limiting the viewing experience of consumers while undermining the business case for this technology. If HDR is to be considered a premium feature then it must be delivered as the ‘hero’ format rather than the compromise,” said Rick Dumont, head of business development for Advanced HDR by Technicolor.

Deployment of Advanced HDR by Technicolor is also expanding across NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0) and into HDR streaming operations, the company noted. Implementations with partners such as Hisense combine Advanced HDR by Technicolor with NextGen TV capabilities to enhance the viewing experience of live sports. The solution is also supported by core video workflow providers across the ecosystem including Mainconcept, Cobalt, Ateme and Amagi.

During the show demonstrations will focus on a few key developments in how HDR is produced and distributed:

• Dynamic HDR conversion solution that replaces static LUTs processing while optimizing content frame by frame and maintaining contrast, brightness and color depth across varying types of content.
• Single-stream delivery of HDR and SDR which eliminates the need for parallel workflows and enables one signal to serve legacy SDR and HDR-enabled devices.
• HDR delivery within SDR bandwidth constraints using existing 8-bit AVC workflows, removing the requirements for 10-bit HEVC implementations.
• Content provided at UHD/HDR-like quality at less than 25% of the bandwidth usually associated with such formats.
• This approach challenges workflows that have prioritized SDR compatibility over HDR performance.

As broadcasters and streaming service providers compete in an increasingly saturated market, the inconsistent implementation of HDR has weakened the technology’s ability to capture consumer attention, lessening its impact as a driver of subscriptions or advertising dollars.

At the same time, the production teams that choose to maintain separate SDR and HDR workflows introduce added costs to production, storage and distribution. Those parallel workflows are going to be more difficult to sustain as content libraries continue to grow and live production demands become more complex.

By comparison, a single-stream approach reduces the requirements on infrastructure and bandwidth while simplifying operations. There is no longer a need for manual color adjustments and grading decisions which can deteriorate performance across devices, Advanced HDR by Technicolor argues.

Advanced HDR by Technicolor experts will be on hand during the show at Advanced HDR by Technicolor Meeting Room (Invitation Only) located at C3062MR in Central Hall and the ATSC booth located at C1655 in Central Hall

More information is available at https://advancedhdrbytechnicolor.com.

LAS VEGAS—The growing international reach of ATSC 3.0, the next-generation broadcast technology developed by members of ATSC, The Broadcast Standards Association, will be on full display during the upcoming 2026 NAB Show.

“Beyond better, free over-the-air television, ATSC 3.0 can deliver an expansive array of new services and opportunities for broadcasters – from precise Broadcast Positioning System services to datacasting services for new enterprise customers and highly-targeted and informative emergency messages for TV audiences,” said Madeleine Noland, ATSC’s president. “We’re very encouraged by the strong interest from a variety of countries and broadcasters worldwide, and by the potential of ATSC 3.0 as a leading communications system capable of reaching millions of people and devices at once,”

ATSC 3.0 will be the subject of some 30 informational sessions and panels during the NAB Show, including a series of sessions offered in the ATSC booth (LVCC Central Hall 1655) that begins on Sunday. Speakers from Sinclair, Pearl TV, Magid, EdgeBeam Wireless, HCL Tech, Ryarc, USSI, Google, Apple, Grab TV, and Monsen Engineering will be on stage in the ATSC booth for Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. A detailed schedule and comprehensive listing of ATSC 3.0 exhibitors is available on ATSC’s “Guide to ATSC 3.0 at the Show,” which is made possible by Rohde & Schwarz.

Nearly 40 ATSC members are exhibiting at the 2026 NAB Show, including a dozen companies and organizations showing technology and services inside the ATSC booth. Live ATSC 3.0 signals from Las Vegas broadcasters will be brought into the booth by antenna reception expert Televes.

Key ATSC exhibits in booth 1655 in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center include:

• AT&T Business demonstrating enhanced connectivity and engagement with ATSC 3.0, enabling instant and reliable communications at venues and in high-traffic environments.
• HCLTech enabling broadcasters to streamline ATSC 1.0 and ATSC 3.0 operations with a cloud-ready model and unified control plane centralizing monitoring and workflows.
• Pearl TV showcasing low-cost NEXTGEN TV converter prototypes developed with industry partners and announcing the program’s specifications, requirements, and consumer benefits; A3SA introducing new receivers for consumers and broadcasters that are verified to seamlessly work with A3SA content protection, including offerings from MyVelo, Zapperbox, and Airwavz; and Run3TV highlighting the interactive application platform built natively for ATSC 3.0, now deployed by key broadcasters.
• Sinclair showing ATSC 3.0 content delivered simultaneously across TV, tablet, and mobile devices, all with the same high-quality pictures and sound.

Key ATSC exhibits in booth 1655 in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center include:

• Advanced HDR by Technicolor demonstrating how it enables the Standard Dynamic Range to High Dynamic Range transition in ATSC 3.0 and streaming by live dynamic conversion and a single stream SDR/HDR format.
• DTVKit showcasing its standards‑based, royalty‑free ATSC 3.0 solution integrated on an Android White Label Reference Set‑Top Box, developed in partnership with leading set-top manufacturer EKT.
• EdgeBeam Wireless leveraging ATSC 3.0 as a last-mile, one-to-many data distribution network—delivering enterprise data capacity efficiently and cost-effectively.
• Mirakulo featuring AstroTV NEXT, an all-in-one platform for live TV, OTT, hybrid interactivity, metrics and dynamic ad insertion. Built for ATSC 3.0 & Brazilian DTV+.
• Silicondust showing how to bring ATSC 1.0 channels to ATSC 3.0 BEST (Broadcast Enabled Streaming Channels) with Silicondust AVSend, the turnkey no-upfront-cost solution.
• Tolka featuring ATSC 3.0 mobile devices, conditional access, affordable receivers, network tuners, and solutions for datacasting and original equipment manufacturers.
• Triveni Digital showing its complete delivery platform for ATSC 3.0 and TV 3.0, including broadcast chain, stream analysis and monitoring, broadcast chain orchestration, redundancy, and translator solutions.
• VBox Communications highlighting expertise in digital TV, delivering live broadcast services (DVB-T/T2, DVB-C, DVB-S2, ISDB-T, ATSC 1.0 / 3.0) to IP streams with years of product development and manufacturing experience.

The free ATSC 3.0 Guide to the 2026 NAB Show is available here.

LAS VEGAS—Complaints from viewers unable to access free over-the-air ATSC 3.0 broadcast signals are giving the standard (aka “NextGen TV”) a black eye in the view of many consumers and the ATSC is using the NAB Show to address those concerns.

As broadcasters gather in Las Vegas for the 2026 NAB Show, April 19-22, the Security Authority (A3SA), member of the broadcast standards group reiterated the importance of securing ATSC 3.0 over-the-air broadcasts and said that the “vast majority” of the 40 or so NextGen TV sets available on the market are fully capable of accessing decrypted broadcast content.

The announcement comes after the Pearl TV consortium announced the launch of a campaign to develop new low-cost $60 or under NextGen TV devices in an effort to kickstart the transition from ATSC 1.0 to 3.0.

In addition to prototype boxes from DTH, Skyworth, and Zinwell, the A3SA will showcase new and existing upgrade receivers from Airwavz, MyVelo TV, and Zapperbox, to demonstrate secure and reliable delivery of ATSC 3.0 broadcast content while delivering new recording and in-home distribution options for consumers and broadcasters. Attendees can check them out at the ATSC Booth in the Central Hall (C1655)

A3SA Managing Director Joe St. Jean explained the importance of securing 3.0 broadcast signals in an age of ever more sophisticated piracy technologies that have long been a mainstay of streaming companies.

“Free, over-the-air television remains one of the most important and accessible platforms for delivering news, sports, and entertainment to American households,” he said. “Content security is a key enabler of that future, giving content owners the confidence to continue making high-value programming available on broadcast TV. We know that content piracy is a real threat and imposes multi-billion dollar revenue losses on the sports industry, particularly.

“It’s a fact that premium sports and live programming increasingly require content protection as a condition of distribution platforms and that broadcasters are competing directly with streaming platforms that have long used content protection,” St. Jean added. “ Without protection, high-value programming will migrate to subscription-based platforms. And content protection helps preserve free over-the-air television as a competitive platform for premium content.

“We’re also pleased to note that A3SA recently commissioned a focused review, conducted by a certified public accounting firm, of A3SA-enabled televisions in the market today. We confirmed that nearly 40 NextGen TV models from Hisense, Panasonic, Samsung, Sony, and TCL, comprising the vast majority of the 18.5 millions A3SA-enabled televisions sold, are fully capable of decrypting protected content, with or without an Internet connection, ensuring that consumers can reliably access the full benefits of next-generation broadcast services.”

New Receiver Innovations on Display:

• Airwavz.tv will showcase the TvXplorer Suite with decryption capabilities for A3SA-protected content. A broadcaster professional analysis tool, the TvXplorer suite’s support for A3SA’s technology protects premium content while enabling seamless delivery to authorized users. TvXplorer delivers trusted protection at scale with enterprise-level security and authentication, ensuring content stays protected from source to screen.
  
• MyVelo TV, a next-generation broadcast-first platform provider, introduces the MyVelo TV Premiere, designed to seamlessly unify free NextGen TV, streaming apps, and premium picture performance into a single experience. Built for how people actually watch TV, MyVelo TV supports all major HDR formats, including Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HLG, and Advanced HDR by Technicolor.
  
• The ZapperBox Whole-Home Gateway is available in quad-tuner, dual-tuner, single-tuner, and mini configurations to extend ATSC 3.0 signals throughout the home. Zapperbox will show a new hardware model—the first NextGen TV quad-tuner whole home gateway with Zapper Mini receivers for secondary rooms. ZapperBox will also showcase a new software release with Advanced HDR by Technicolor for dual-tuner and quad-tuner receivers.

LAS VEGAS—Pearl TV, a consortium of broadcasters, manufacturers and service providers promoting ATSC 3.0 has announced the launch of a new program to seed the market for NextGen TV with low-cost converter boxes priced $60 and under.

Since the transition began in the late 2010s, broadcasters have struggled to gain traction, primarily because ATSC 3.0 lacks backward compatibility with the existing ATSC 1.0 standard.

According to the Consumer Technology Association's most recent figures, as of late 2024, approximately 10 million TV sets that support 3.0 have been shipped to the U.S. since they hit the market in late 2020, with an additional half a million to a million converter boxes shipped. A number of those boxes purchased by early adopters, however, lacked the capability to handle DRM-encoded programming, leading to a barrage of criticism about copy protection.

Additionally, there is no insight as to how many of the 3.0 TV sets are actually used for over the air reception. The FCC is currently considering steps to accelerate the transition to 3.0, including mandating the inclusion of 3.0 tuners in TV sets sold in the U.S. CTA, which unsuccessfully opposed such a mandate during the transition to 1.0 two decades ago, also opposes the new requirement.

According to the ATSC, more than 75% of U.S. households are within receiving distance of a 3.0 signal and CTA says more than 20 million U.S. households use an antenna on at least one household television to watch local channels.

The ATSC announced its intention to launch the program when it showed prototypes of the boxes during the 2026 International CES in January. Those prototypes from ADTH, Skyworth, and Zinwell will again be on display in the ATSC booth in Central Hall (C1655) at the 2026 NAB Show, April 19-22 in Las Vegas.

Pearl noted that this is a new product category — distinct from existing retail ATSC 3.0 set-top receivers and smart TVs — with its own branding under the NextGen TV umbrella. It will include special pricing considerations from participating IP license holders and component manufacturers and broadcaster promotion of the availability of converter boxes to help drive volume from launch.

“This effort brings together broadcasters who are transmitting in ATSC 3.0 with high-volume consumer electronics companies who see the potential to sell low-cost receivers with a simple purpose – easily and affordably making the jump to NextGen TV with a simple converter box that will connect to a display via HDMI, just like other accessory components. At the NAB Show in Las Vegas, we’re officially launching the NextGen TV Converter Box Program and inviting qualified electronics companies to join with broadcasters to offer a new range of receivers,” said Anne Schelle, managing director of Pearl TV.

“Of approximately 23 million over-the-air households in the U.S., we estimate that at least 15 million will be looking for exactly this kind of easy-to-use device,” Schelle added. “The NextGen TV Converter Box is built to serve that market: a compact, easy-to-use HDMI accessory that delivers the NextGen TV experience on any existing display, at a suggested retail price of $60 or less. We know that not every consumer will want to buy a new TV, which is why the NextGen TV Converter Box Program is so critical for a successful transition from ATSC 1.0 to ATSC 3.0. A device that qualifies under our Converter Box Program will not include an integrated display or a digital video recorder and will have no more than one tuner. This keeps the design lean, the bill of materials manageable, and the $60 price point achievable.

The Fine Print
The NextGen TV Converter Box Program is open to all qualified device manufacturers on a fair and non-discriminatory basis. Pearl TV does not favor any chipset, operating system, software stack, or supply chain approach. Manufacturers are free to propose the technical implementation they believe best meets the program's specifications and economics.

The NextGen TV Converter Box connects between an antenna and a television via HDMI, delivering the over-the-air viewing experience. The core device requirements include:

• Full ATSC 3.0 and ATSC 1.0 reception, supporting both broadcast standards
• 4K-capable HEVC video decoding with High Dynamic Range (HDR) support;
• Dolby surround audio;
• Features support for emergency alerts, closed captioning, audio descriptions, dialog enhancement, and parental controls;
• Over-the-Air delivered electronic program guide;
• Simple, consumer-first user interface;
• No internet connection required.

Additionally, device manufacturers may wish to offer more fully-featured receivers that include broadband connectivity for access to additional programming options.

Devices in the NextGen TV Converter Box Program must meet NextGen TV Converter Box certification requirements that will include applicable standards from the Consumer Technology Association and the ATSC 3.0 Security Authority (A3SA), as well as new radiofrequency (RF) sensitivity and user interface standards.

Pearl TV says it "will work with participating manufacturers to support the certification process to ensure every device delivers a consistent, quality experience that upholds the NextGen TV brand promise."

Detailed draft technical specifications are provided to qualified manufacturers under a non-disclosure agreement. Interested manufacturers should contact converterboxprogram@pearltv.com

PRINCETON, N.J.—Triveni Digital today announced that it has added ISDB-Tb capability for its StreamScope MT-70 MPEG analyzer platform. Designed specifically for Brazilian broadcasters, the solution provides comprehensive monitoring and troubleshooting capabilities for ISDB-Tb services while supporting the country’s transition to TV 3.0 (also known as DTV+), according to the company.

Triveni will showcase StreamScope MT-70 with support for ISDB-tb and TV 3.0 at the 2026 NAB Show, April 19-22, in Las Vegas in ATSC booth C1655.

In 2025, Brazil announced adoption of the physical layer of the ATSC 3.0 protocol for TV 3.0, its next generation broadcast standard.

“As Brazil transitions to TV 3.0, broadcasters need reliable, end-to-end visibility across both legacy and next-generation broadcast television services,” said Mark Simpson, president and CEO at Triveni Digital. “With StreamScope MT-70 ISDB-Tb, we’re extending our proven monitoring and analysis capabilities and empowering Brazilian broadcasters to deliver exceptional quality, quickly resolve issues, and confidently manage the complexities of operating in a dual-standard environment.”

The new version of StreamScope MT-70 seamlessly integrates with Triveni’s StreamScope Enterprise centralized quality assurance system, enabling broadcasters to monitor and analyze quality across their entire broadcast operation—from ISDB-Tb to TV 3.0 services. This unified approach is critical as Brazil enters a lengthy simulcast period where both standards will coexist on air, Triveni said.

Built with Brazil-specific support for SBTVD ABNT NBR 15603 tables and descriptors, StreamScope MT-70 ensures accurate validation and deep visibility into regional broadcast requirements. The solution is available in multiple deployment options, including rack-mount systems, software, and in the cloud, giving broadcasters the flexibility to deploy it based on their operational needs.

WASHINGTON—In a new filing with the Federal Communications Commission, the NAB again urged the agency to adopt policies that would reduce the cost of viewing major sporting events by having them air on broadcast TV. It also blasted the Consumer Technology Association’s defense of streaming platforms that have in recent years acquired many major sports rights.

The NAB made the comments in response to an FCC probe into Sports Broadcasting Practices and Marketplace Developments (MB Docket No. 26-45) that is seeking public comments on a wide variety of issues relating to sports rights and the rising cost of accessing games by consumers.

The inquiry has generated more than 8,600 comments. Those comments are available here.

In its April 13 reply comments, the NAB noted that “the public overwhelmingly agrees with NAB’s views. Commenters of all stripes venerated broadcast media’s consistent, affordable environment for airing live sports programming to all consumers. They also lamented the migration of live sports programming behind paywalled pureplay streaming services. The main contrarian who seems to think higher prices and hard-to-find content are actually good for consumers is the ironically named Consumer Technology Association (CTA). While CTA professes to promote a “consumer-first” mindset, in reality, it only cares about pushing more devices on consumers – even if consumers end up paying thousands of dollars for multiple paywalled pureplay streaming services that make their live sports content harder to find.”

The CTA’s reply comments weren’t immediately available on the FCC website but its original comments stressed the importance of letting the market determine the distribution of sports rights and the FCC’s lack of authority to regulate who airs major sports. The group, which is backed by major consumer electronics companies, also stressed that the rise in popularity of streaming services has also greatly expanded the amount and diversity of sports now available on TV.

“The free market delivers more choices for consumers to view a greater diversity of sports on a wider variety of devices,” the CTA’s March 27 filing argued. “As CTA often states, consumers should choose their own video choices, not a select group of broadcasters and not the Federal Communications Commission (Commission or FCC). The marketplace for sports media shows how a consumer-first mindset that maximizes choice and minimizes the need for government regulatory intervention supports new video services and features that benefit consumers. Americans now view many sports contests that have never been available on traditional broadcast television (or any traditional media platform) on their new smart TV, phone, tablet, or other device. The private marketplace functions to deliver sports fans the content they desire wherever and however they want to view it, and regulatory intervention will not benefit consumers. The Commission also lacks legal authority to regulate the content delivered over online services or their contractual arrangements. There is neither a need nor a legal basis for the FCC to regulate sports programming provided over streaming services.”

In its reply comments, the NAB continued to highlight the benefits of live sports on broadcast TV for fans and leagues alike by arguing that global streaming platforms lock games behind paywalls and create an expensive and confusing viewing experience.

In addition the NAB stressed that live sports support broadcast stations’ ability to provide local content, including news, weather and emergency coverage, by generating crucial revenues and expanding viewership.

In contrast, the shift toward exclusive streaming is driving up costs and confusion for fans, the NAB argued, citing data that a single league or team can now require fans to purchase multiple subscriptions, creating a system that is both expensive and difficult to navigate.

Referring to thousands of comments by sports fans complaining about the cost of streaming sports, the NAB concluded that “the record overwhelmingly supports what NAB explained in our comments: Broadcast TV is the best medium for airing live sports programming. Broadcast TV delivers affordable, accessible, and reliable live sports programming to communities across the country. And live sports programming, in turn, supports the local news and other local programming. By contrast, streaming services impose high costs, create consumer confusion, and diminish access to live sports, and the migration of live sports programming behind paywalled streaming services deprives the public of broadcast TV’s public interest-oriented programming…The Commission should support broadcasters by modernizing the national and local ownership rules and the rules required to complete the ATSC 3.0 transition and take a fresh look at whether the Sports Broadcasting Act is still required.”

The full filing is available here.

HUNT VALLEY, Md.—Sinclair, Inc. and its subsidiary, ONE Media Technologies have announced that their executives and engineers will be participating in demonstrations, multiple panel discussions, and technical paper presentations relating to NextGen TV/ATSC 3.0, BPS and other topics during the 2026 NAB Show between April 18-22 show in Las Vegas.

In addition, Harvey Arnold, Sinclair’s senior vice president of engineering, will be honored with the 2026 Television Engineering Achievement Award from the NAB during the We Are Broadcasters awards ceremony on April 21.

“Sinclair is focused on advancing the future of broadcast through innovation and collaboration. At this year’s NAB Show, we look forward to demonstrating the continued evolution of ATSC 3.0 and the transformative opportunities it creates for broadcasters, consumers, the broader media ecosystem, as well as the national interest with the Broadcast Positioning System,” said Chris Ripley, president and CEO, Sinclair.

Sinclair and ONE Media will participate in ATSC’s booth in the Central Hall #C1655 of the Las Vegas Convention Center, demonstrating the next evolution of broadcast delivery, “Broadcast Once. Deliver Everywhere”: a single ATSC 3.0 transmission reaching every screen, TV, tablet, and mobile device.

The Sinclair/ONE Media leadership team will also participate in the following NAB panels and presentations (all times PT):

• Saturday, April 18, 3:30-4:40pm. Broadcast Positioning System (BPS): Deployment Progress, Industry Collaboration and the Path Beyond GNSS. Harvey Arnold, Senior Vice President-Engineering. N261
• Saturday, April 18, 3:30-4:40pm. Broadcast Positioning System: Experts Gather to Discuss Current State. Harvey Arnold, Senior Vice President-Engineering. N261
• Saturday, 3:40-4:15pm. Devoncroft Executive Summit: Agentic AI in Media: Business Case and Structural Impact. Mike Kralec, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer. Main Stage
• Sunday, April 19, 4:00-5:00pm. American Bar Association: Representing Your Local Broadcaster – Video Distribution in 2026 and Beyond. David Gibber, Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer. Wynn Lower Event Space
• Monday, April 20 2:00-2:45pm. DigiCAP Introduces AlOps for ATSC 3.0. James Willis, NextGen Deployment Manager, ONE Media Technologies. N249
• Monday, April 20, 3:20-3:40pm. Broadcast Positioning System (BPS) as a Complementary Time Source to GPS for Datacenters. Harvey Arnold, Senior Vice President-Engineering. N256
• Monday, April 20, 3:45-4:15pm. Programming Everywhere: LTN and Tennis Channel on Navigating the IP Transition and Driving Reach and Revenue. Del Parks, President of Technology and Paul Spinelli, Assistant Vice President of Corporate Engineering. W213-W214
• Monday, April 20, 4:00-5:00pm. NextGen TV Tech in Motion: Inside Two Live ATSC 3.0 Lab Prototypes. Jason Kim, Senior Systems Engineer, ONE Media Technologies and So Vang, Vice President, Emerging Technologies, ONE Media Technologies. C2450
• Tuesday, April 21, 11:15-12pm. America 250: Owning the Moment — How Radio and TV Will Drive Community, Culture and Revenue in 2026. Ryan Moore, Senior Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer. N259

As part of the Broadcast Engineering and IT (BEIT) Conference track of NAB, Sinclair/ONE Media will present several technical papers:

• ATSC3 B2X: A Way Towards O-RAN Compliance for Broadcasting. Sangsu Kim, Senior Director, ONE Media, (co-author, presentation by Radisys and Freestream). Saturday, April 18 | 11:40am – noon | N256.
• Broadcast Positioning System Deployment in a Single Frequency Network. Nick Hottinger, Senior Systems Engineer and Liam Power (Edgebeam). Sunday, April 19 | 4 – 4:20pm | N256.
• Only SFNs Deliver ATSC 3.0 Everywhere: Turning Broadcast Theory into Nationwide Reality. Louis Libin, VP, Spectrum Strategy and Engineering, ONE Media. Monday, April 20 | 9:30 – 9:50am | N256.
• ATSC 3.0 – B2X Interworking With 5G Core for End-to-End Broadcast Integration. Sangsu Kim, Senior Director, ONE Media, Mike Simon, Director Advanced Technology, ONE Media Technologies; and Rashmi Kamran, Freestream. Monday, April 20 | 10:10 – 10:30am | N256.
• Standardized but Sleeping: Awakening a Forgotten Feature – Wake Up Bits. Jason Kim, Senior Systems Engineer, ONE Media. Monday, April 20 | 11:40am – noon | N256.

WASHINGTON—In response to the Federal Communications Commission’s request for comments on how the sports rights landscape and access to free televised sports might be improved, Sinclair has filed comments highlighting the importance of free access to major sporting events as a way to keep the country unified and detailed some policies that the agency could adopt if it wants to preserve sports on broadcast TV.

“Sports programming carried on broadcast television plays a vital role in fostering civic pride, cultural cohesion, and community engagement at both the local and national levels,” Sinclair’s filing said. “In a large country, a common culture is critical for social cohesion. Sports remain one of the last remaining `monoculture' touchstones that can serve as a common reference point between strangers – the topic that the newest entry-level hire can comfortably discuss with the CEO.”

The filing argued, however, that the traditional media models that allowed broadcasters to air major sporting events are under threat by “the ongoing migration of sports content to subscription-based streaming platforms…This migration is fragmenting access, increasing consumer costs, and undermining longstanding public-interest benefits associated with broadcasting”

The breakdown of this model is also harming local journalism because “live sports programming is a critical component of the broadcast ecosystem, as major sporting events continue to drive the largest audiences and play an essential role in sustaining the economic viability of local broadcast stations. Sports programming is also critical to the financial model that supports local broadcast journalism. Without high-value live sports on broadcast television, local broadcast journalism will suffer.”

More specifically Sinclair noted that “in 2025, 96 of the 100 most-watched U.S. telecasts were sports events, and 92 of those telecasts were NFL or college football games. In an increasingly fragmented media environment, sports continue to dominate the most-watched programs of the year on television. Events such as the Super Bowl, NFL playoff games, the Olympics, the NCAA basketball tournaments, and the World Series regularly attract millions of viewers. These large audiences are in turn critical for advertising dollars for the industry. Advertisers spent approximately $17.7 billion on national linear television sports programming, and NFL games alone generate $6-7 billion in annual advertising revenue across the major broadcast networks. During the 2024-2025 season, NFL games accounted for more than 23 percent of all ad impressions across the big-four networks.”

The shift of media rights to streaming, not only threatens the financial future of broadcasting, it also is creating major problems for viewers and fans. “One survey shows that 87 percent of sports fans find it at least somewhat frustrating to figure out where to watch the games they want to see, and almost 25 percent feel very frustrated,” Sinclair said. “Nearly two-thirds of sports fans say it’s a “hassle” to use multiple services to watch games during a season, and half say that it has become harder to find the games they want to watch compared to a year ago. This fragmentation has consequences for viewers. Almost two-thirds of fans say having games on different platforms makes it more difficult to check on other games being shown at the same time.”

In addition, Sinclair stressed that “professional sports leagues operate within a longstanding public-private compact that includes both substantial taxpayer support and unique regulatory advantages.”

In addition to antitrust exemptions that allow the leagues to negotiate media rights for all the teams, Sinclair noted that “state and local governments have committed tens of billions of dollars, estimated at approximately $30–35 billion, to the construction and financing of major league sports facilities in the United States. The median public contribution to sports venue construction costs between 1970 and 2020 was 73 percent of total construction costs. Public subsidies for professional sports facilities also frequently take the form of property tax abatements and preferential tax treatment, further increasing the public cost of stadium developments. In many jurisdictions, stadiums are either fully exempt from local property taxes or subject to long-term abatements that significantly reduce teams’ tax liabilities. At the federal level, additional subsidies arise through the use of tax-exempt municipal bonds, which have cost the U.S. Treasury billions in foregone revenue. Economic research find that these public investments rarely generate meaningful economic returns in terms of job creation or local growth. Economic research is unequivocal: These subsidies are a boondoggle for taxpayers.”

To address those issues and to strengthen the ability of broadcasters to acquire high-profile sports rights, Sinclair repeated longstanding industry arguments that ending station ownership caps would create larger and more financially powerful station groups. “Modernizing the Commission’s ownership rules would enable broadcasters to achieve the scale necessary to better compete for sports rights,” Sinclair argued.

In addition, the FCC should take steps to speed the transition to NextGen TV/ATSC 3.0.

“NextGen TV will enable broadcasters to offer improved picture quality, enhanced audio, and interactive features that will make broadcast a more attractive and competitive distribution platform for major sports leagues,” Sinclair argued. “NextGen TV also, for the first time, allows broadcasters the ability to offer content protection to rights holders – something literally every other player in the video ecosystem can already do.”

The full filing is available here.

WASHINGTON—In a sign that momentum for setting a firm transition date for NextGen TV/ATSC 3.0 may be building, a large group of 91 members of Congress sent a March 27 letter to the Federal Communications Commission highlighting the importance of NextGen TV and the need to set a firm date for the transition.

NAB president and CEO Curtis LeGeyt immediately praised the move in a statement that said the NAB “applauds the 91 members of the U.S. House of Representatives , led by the bipartisan co-chairs of the Congressional Broadcasters Caucus — Reps. Mark Alford (R-MO-04), Brendan Boyle (D-PA-02), Mike Flood (R-NE-01) and Darren Soto (D-FL-09) — for urging the Federal Communications Commission to take the next steps toward advancing the transition to ATSC 3.0 (NextGen TV). Their leadership reflects a clear understanding of the immense consumer benefits that a modernized broadcast infrastructure will deliver to communities across the country.”

The FCC has acknowledged the importance of the rollout of the next generation broadcast standard by seeking comment from various players on how it can streamline rules to speed along the transition. While FCC Chair has repeatedly highlighted the importance of NextGen TV but he has not committed publicly to setting a firm date when current ATSC 1.0 signals would sunset.

The NAB and a wide variety of broadcast groups and larger station owners have urged the FCC to set a cutoff date of 2028 for many markets and 2030 for all markets. But some smaller and mid-sized station groups, many LPTV station owners and the Consumer Technology Association have opposed a government mandated sunset and ATSC 3.0 tuner mandates.

In their March 27 letter, lawmakers highlighted the benefits of ATSC 3.0 in terms of better image quality, advanced emergency alerts, interactivity, hyperlocalized content and the development of a terrestrial alternative to GPS.

“We now urge the Commission to take the next steps to bring this transition to completion and unlock the full range of benefits enabled by the Next Gen TV platform,” the letter noted. “It is of utmost importance that local broadcast stations throughout the country are able to serve our constituents not only with the improved pictures, sounds, and interactive features that Next Gen TV provides, but also with expanded local news capabilities, advanced emergency alerting, and the ability to deliver hyper-localized content that is the fabric of our local communities.”

“Yet while local markets continue to launch, the lack of a firm transition timeline threatens the broad availability of these benefits to rural and urban markets alike and slows market momentum,” the letter warned. “Broadcasters and device manufacturers alike need regulatory certainty to make long-term investments and fully realize the potential of this technology. Manufacturers may hesitate to scale device production while consumer demand for Next Gen remains limited, yet broadcasters cannot spark that demand until they regain access to their full channel capacity and can showcase the full capabilities of ATSC 3.0.”

“By establishing a clear path forward, the Commission can help overcome these natural market hesitations and ensure that free, over-the-air television continues to thrive and evolve to meet viewers’ needs, rather than risk gradual erosion through inaction,” the letter concluded. “A clear signal from the FCC that the transition is moving forward will unlock greater manufacturer investment in the consumer device marketplace – a win-win that fosters competition and ensures that viewers benefit from a vibrant marketplace of affordable, Next Gen TV-ready products. A firm transition date would catalyze the entire ecosystem, focusing technical development, accelerating deployment, and creating a predictable path forward.”

The full letter and a list of signatories can be found here.

WASHINGTON—The organizers of the 2026 NAB Show have announced that the event will host the Federative Republic of Brazil’s Minister of Communications, Fredrico de Siqueira Filho, and FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty, both of whom will speak at the featured session, NextGen TV and TV 3.0: A Global Conversation on the Future of Broadcasting. The session will cover the future of broadcasting and the international advancement of ATSC 3.0.

“NextGen TV is opening a new chapter for free, over-the-air broadcasting, and this conversation at NAB Show will spotlight the global momentum behind that future,” said NAB president and CEO Curtis LeGeyt. “We are honored to welcome Minister Frederico de Siqueira Filho and FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty for a timely discussion on how policymakers and broadcasters can work together to accelerate ATSC 3.0 deployment, unlock innovation and strengthen the vital service local television stations provide to communities.”

As ATSC 3.0 gains momentum globally, the session will bring together policymakers and standards leaders to explore Brazil’s TV 3.0 initiative, the U.S. experience with NextGen TV and how broadcasters are leveraging the technology as a platform for innovation and new services, the NAB said.

“We are facing a profound transformation in the way television is produced and consumed. The evolution toward TV 3.0 in Brazil opens new possibilities for business models, strengthens the competitiveness of the industry, expands the range of content and services available to citizens, and significantly enhances the technical quality of free-to-air television through greater interactivity,” said Brazil’s Minister of Communications, Frederico de Siqueira Filho. “It will represent the definitive integration of television and the internet. This is an advancement that places Brazil at the forefront of innovation in the sector and reinforces the role of television as an essential service for the population."

Scheduled for Monday, April 20, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. PT, the session will open with remarks from H.E. Frederico de Siqueira Filho and Federal Communications Commissioner Olivia Trusty. The program will also feature international perspectives from markets including India, Korea and the Caribbean regarding next-generation broadcasting technologies.

“This session represents a unique opportunity to bring together leadership from Brazil and the United Stated to advance the global dialogue around next-generation broadcasting,” said Paulo Henrique Castro, president of the Brazilian Society of Television Engineering (SET). “Brazil’s TV 3.0 initiative is a transformative step forward, building on the ATSC 3.0 standard to enable new services, foster innovation and expand digital inclusion through a more connected viewing experience. It also highlights the importance of international collaboration as this technology continues to gain momentum worldwide.”

The program includes two panel discussions: “Bridging Standards — From ATSC 3.0 to Brazil’s TV 3.0 Platform,” focused on standards development and deployment strategies, and “Deploying the Future — International Broadcaster Perspectives on NextGen TV,” highlighting real-world implementation and global collaboration across emerging ATSC 3.0 markets.

This panels are part of the Broadcast Management and Monetization Conference at NAB Show, a program that brings together media professionals across television, radio, podcasting and digital platforms to explore strategies for revenue growth and operations, with a focus on audience development, modern infrastructure and media monetization models.

In addition to this session, NAB Show offers a wide range of global programming and international engagement opportunities, including country pavilions, such as the Great Britain & Northern Ireland Pavilion and the new Romanian Pavilion, global partner collaborations with the Korean Radio Promotion Association and the European Broadcasting Union, and conference sessions focused on cross-border collaboration, emerging markets and worldwide media innovation.

The NAB Show organizers described some of the globally oriented sessions as follows:

• Global Post-Production Workflows: Cloud Collaboration Across Companies and Creative Teams, sponsored by Blackmagic Design, which will walk through a real-world case study demonstrating how multiple post-production facilities worked to maintain a unified pipeline.
• Scaling AI for Global Video Compliance and Cultural Intelligence, which will cover generating territory-specific metadata and age-rating support, multimodal pipelines and training models for sensitive content detection.
• Globalization of Sports: Building Fans Beyond Borders, exploring how to design international media, global sponsorships and cross-border investments.

The 2026 NAB Show takes place April 18–22 (exhibits April 19–22) at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Attendees, exhibitors and sponsors can learn more at nabshow.com/las-vegas/.

SAN JOSE, Calif.—Harmonic has announced significant enhancements to its XOS Advanced Media Processor that lower the cost of broadcast distribution while enabling outstanding viewing experiences.

The expanded capabilities to the media processor are designed to improve operations for the migration from C-Band satellite to Ku-Band and IP distribution, the continued rollout of ATSC 3.0 in the United States and the adoption of DTV+ in Brazil.

"Broadcasters around the world are navigating major transformations, from spectrum reallocations to migrations to next-generation television standards like ATSC 3.0 and DTV+," said Stéphane Cloirec, vice president, video appliances and software product management, video business at Harmonic. "With newly enhanced capabilities, our XOS Advanced Media Processor eases these transitions, helping broadcasters modernize operations, deliver richer viewing experiences and reduce infrastructure complexity."

Harmonic's XOS media processor combines advanced playout, premium encoding and broadcast delivery workflows into a single solution for broadcast distribution.

Harmonic reported that the latest enhancements to the XOS media processor enable broadcasters to:

• Enhance the ATSC 3.0 Viewer Experience. As ATSC 3.0 deployments continue across the U.S., broadcasters are looking to enhance the viewing experience. Harmonic's XOS Advanced Media Processor supports Dolby Vision® advanced HDR with look management, enabling broadcasters to optimize HDR content across display types and preserve creative intent on any screen. The XOS media processor also includes Dolby Atmos object-based audio with support for audio description and dialog enhancement, improving accessibility and allowing for more immersive viewer experiences. These innovations enable broadcasters to deliver richer NextGen TV applications while leveraging the same software-based playout-to-delivery workflow.
• Power Cost-Effective DTV+ Deployment. Harmonic's XOS media processor lowers the cost of DTV+ deployments by integrating playout, encoding and gateway functionality into a single appliance. The solution supports advanced codecs including VVC, LCEVC and MPEG-H audio, enabling broadcasters to deliver low-latency, high-quality video and audio experiences while optimizing bandwidth efficiency. In addition, the XOS media processor integrates ROUTE and STLTP gateway functionality for centralized management of all DTV+ parameters, further reducing deployment costs.
• Simplify the Transition to IP Delivery. Harmonic's XOS media processor supports traditional satellite workflows in addition to IP-based distribution using SRT or RIST together with CDN distribution while maintaining exceptional video quality and low latency. The media processor offers hybrid satellite and IP delivery, leveraging emerging standards like satellite Ku-Band downlink and RIST packet recovery over IP to help broadcasters ensure a smooth migration away from legacy satellite infrastructure while maintaining broadcast-grade service reliability for primary distribution.

Harmonic will demonstrate the latest innovations to the XOS Advanced Media Processor at the 2026 NAB Show, April 19-22, in Las Vegas in booth W2831. To schedule a meeting with the company, visit www.harmonicinc.com/video-streaming/events/nab/.

Further information about Harmonic and the company's solutions is available at www.harmonicinc.com.

PRINCETON, N.J.—Triveni Digital will feature its comprehensive portfolio of NextGen TV and TV 3.0 solutions, demonstrating how broadcasters can operationalize ATSC 3.0 to unlock new revenue-generating services, during the 2026 NAB Show, April 18-22, at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Triveni Digital offers solutions that allow broadcasters to deliver advanced NextGen TV applications, ranging from emergency communications to dynamic advertising, enabling them to turn 3.0 into a revenue-generating platform for long-term growth.

“As the broadcast industry prepares for the next phase of growth, ATSC 3.0 is laying the foundation for new business models that will shape its future, and Brazil’s adoption of the standard is pushing the boundaries of technical and business innovation even further,” said Mark Simpson, president and CEO at Triveni Digital.

“At the 2026 NAB Show, we’ll demonstrate how our complete portfolio of ATSC 1.0, ATSC 3.0, ISDB-Tb and TV 3.0 solutions — backed by world-class local support — help broadcasters transition to NextGen TV seamlessly and unlock additional revenue.”

At the show, Triveni will highlight expanded support for Brazil’s TV 3.0 standard, also referred to as DTV+, within its StreamScope analyzer and GuideBuilder XM platform. Triveni products fully support the TV 3.0 variation of ATSC 3.0, ensuring broadcasters can efficiently validate and manage advanced DTV+ services. Triveni will also showcase an ISDB-Tb variant for its StreamScope MPEG analyzer, providing Brazilian broadcasters with a comprehensive quality assurance solution for both legacy and new over-the-air delivery standards during the transition. The company will demonstrate its end-to-end, highly integrated and fully redundant NextGen TV solution for the U.S. broadcast market, featuring its broadcast chain products. Triveni’s offering includes GuideBuilder XM for signaling, the StreamScope XM analyzer for QoS and monetization, Broadcast Gateway for scheduling and STLP generation, and Station Manager for managing and coordinating complex configuration changes across ATSC 1.0 and 3.0 services, including third-party ecosystem equipment.

As ATSC 3.0 becomes a central component of broadcasters’ business strategies, the complexity of delivering advanced services continues to grow. Triveni’s NextGen TV solutions simplify deployments and ongoing operations, enabling broadcasters to manage ATSC 1.0 and ATSC 3.0 services while laying the foundation for new applications and revenue streams.

At the 2026 NAB Show, Triveni will showcase its advanced ATSC 3.0 emergency communications portfolio, including its SkyScraper XM data broadcasting system. Triveni is partnering with Digital Alert Systems and Device Solutions to enable robust emergency paging and public warning capabilities leveraging broadcast infrastructure. The company’s approach supports ATSC 1.0 and is fully ATSC 3.0-ready, allowing broadcasters and public agencies to deploy resilient, future-proof emergency communication systems.

In collaboration with Brazilian technology provider Mirakulo, Triveni will demonstrate a joint dynamic advertising delivery platform for ATSC 3.0 and Brazil’s TV 3.0 over-the-air ecosystems. The system enables targeted ad selection and playback at the TV receiver based on criteria, such as viewer location and viewing habits. The solution is a significant advancement in broadcast advertising. Mirakulo’s AstroTV NEXT platform powers the solution, which enables addressable advertising through dynamic ad insertion delivered via broadband connectivity, allowing personalized ads to be seamlessly delivered to compatible receivers.

Triveni Digital senior vice president of emergent technology development Mark Corl will participate in the “Broadcast Positioning System: Experts Gather to Discuss Current State” BEIT session, Sunday, April 18, at 4 p.m.

See Triveni Digital at the 2026 NAB Show ATSC booth, C1655

WASHINGTON—A new national study of over-the-air television viewers finds strong interest in an affordable NextGen TV converter box, with 81% of respondents saying they would purchase a converter box to maintain access to their free local broadcast TV stations.

The findings are from a new survey commissioned by Pearl TV that was conducted in January 2026 by Magid among 600 adults ages 25–64 who use an antenna on at least one television in their home and at least two hours per week.

The survey was conducted as the TV station groups backing Pearl TV are ramping up efforts to bring more affordable TV converter boxes to the market. Pearl TV is currently working with several manufacturers to develop a range of low-cost NextGen TV converter boxes, including ADTH, Bitrouter, Skyworth, and Zinwell. Also involved with the converter box project is TV viewing data expert Titan TV, which is consulting on best practices for presentation of program guide data.

The new research indicates that the antenna audience is not only loyal — it is evolving and growing with a new generation of multi-platform viewers.

“This research confirms that over-the-air viewers are diverse, modern and highly engaged,” said Anne Schelle, managing director of Pearl TV. “Local broadcasting is not being replaced — it’s being integrated into broader viewing habits. A converter option ensures these growing audiences can continue receiving trustedlocal news, sports and emergency information as broadcast technology evolves.”

The study did not provide estimates of the total percentage of TV homes that use antennas but in early 2024 Nielsen estimated that about 18% of TV homes have at least one TV that is capable of receiving over-the-air broadcasts.

While all respondents to the survey watch local channels via antenna, nearly two-thirds also subscribe to streaming services, and many use cable or virtual platforms as well. Rather than replacing local broadcast channels, these services are complementing it, the researchers said.

The result is a rising segment of what Pearl TV calls “Omni-Viewers” — consumers who intentionally combine free local broadcasting with digital and subscription platforms.

“This report highlights the evolution of the American consumer and the local television landscape, “ explained Bill Hague, executive vice president at Magid. “We have been researching the benefits of NextGen TV with U.S. consumers with Pearl TV for more than 10 years and one key finding of this study is that the younger end of the adult 25–64-year-old sample was most interested in the converter box.”

The survey also highlighted strong interest in local programming with these findings:

• 92% say they would miss their antenna access if it were no longer available.
• 70% rely on local TV stations for news.
• Nearly two-thirds depend on local TV weathercasts.
• Half watch local sports and national newscasts via an antenna to tune to local TV broadcasters.
• Antenna households span all ages and income levels. The converter box concept shows particularly strong appeal among adults 25–44, those with families, and with higher-income households — demonstrating that over-the-air television is not a legacy-only platform but rather one embraced by digitally fluent consumers who value both flexibility and reliability.
• Viewers cite financial accessibility, access to local news and emergency information, and live sports as primary reasons they value broadcast television.

In terms of interest in NextGen TV converter boxes, the survey found:

• 81% would purchase a converter box.
• 64% would select a low-cost box to maintain access to local channels, which reflects a practical willingness to invest in maintain free local TV service.
• 14% said they were purchase a NextGen TV-capable TV to maintain access.
• 86% (net) would purchase either a TV or a box.
• 18% would go without access to local TV.

Top motivations for purchase of a converter box included the fact that it was a one-time purchase with no monthly fees; it works with current TV and antenna setup; and it provides reliable reception, even when internet service is unavailable.

A summary of the study is available here.

WASHINGTON—In another sign that broadcasters are using the Federal Communication Commission's recently launched inquiry into sports rights and distribution to advance longstanding regulatory concerns, Gray Media used a recent meeting with the agency’s staff to highlight the importance of digital rights management (DRM) being part of NextGen TV deployments and to argue that the agency needs to change rules on how broadcasters negotiate retransmission agreements with vMVPDs like YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV.

The National Association of Broadcasters has taken a similar response to the FCC’s request for public comments on sports broadcasting practices and market place developments by urging regulators and Congress to abolish ownership caps on station groups.

A letter summarizing a March 5, 2026, meeting between FCC staff and Gray representatives explained that “Gray shares the Commission’s concerns about how difficult it has become for consumers to find their favorite sporting event now that so much is moving to streaming and behind paywalls. During the discussion with Commission staff, Gray described the complex sports rights ecosystem. Gray highlighted the following difficulties: (a) professional sports leagues demand those carrying their games to include digital rights management (`DRM’) into the transmission signal to the extent technically feasible, which is why it is critical that the Commission continue to permit the use of DRM in ATSC 3.0 signals, and (b) network affiliates’ inability to negotiate for carriage of local television signals with virtual multichannel video programming distributors, which significantly handicaps local affiliates' ability to competitively bid for local sports rights because affiliates do not control and cannot appropriately monetize the relationship with a significant distributor of their local signals. Shutting out local affiliates from negotiations for sports rights and distribution not only disenfranchises local affiliates, but it also threatens the revenues used to produce local news, weather, and sports programming that is core to Gray’s mission.”

Station groups have long contended that the current practices of letting the media companies like Disney that own broadcast networks like ABC handle retransmission consent deals with vMVPDs harms them financially by reducing the amount of money that they could get in retrans fees, an argument that the broadcast networks reject.

Including DRM in the NextGen TV standard has been opposed by some consumers while broadcasters have long argued that it puts them at a competitive disadvantage to streaming platforms, who use DRM to encrypt streams, in sports rights negotiations because DRM is not part of the existing ATSC 1.0 standard.

The March 5 meeting at the FCC was attended by Robert Folliard, III, Senior Vice President – Government Relations and Distribution for Gray Media, and I met with Ms. Erin Boone, Chief of the Media Bureau; Evan Morris, Deputy Bureau Chief; and Chad Guo, Attorney Advisor.

The full letter is available here.

WASHINGTON—The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has announced that broadcast engineers and executives Bert Goldman and Harvey Arnold are the 2026 recipients of NAB’s Engineering Achievement Awards. They will be honored at the We Are Broadcasters Awards Ceremony, held on the Main Stage of the 2026 NAB Show on Tuesday, April 21 in Las Vegas. 

Each year since 1959, NAB has presented the Engineering Achievement Awards to individuals for their outstanding accomplishments in the broadcast industry, with separate honors for radio and television established in 1991.

Bert Goldman, owner and president of Goldman Engineering Management, will receive the 2026 Radio Engineering Achievement Award in recognition of more than 50 years of leadership and innovation in broadcast engineering.

A nationally respected expert in AM and FM spectrum analysis, Goldman has helped broadcasters improve performance, expand coverage and enhance asset value. His work spans station construction, technical operations and regulatory compliance, and he is widely regarded for his deep expertise in FCC rules, FM booster and translator engineering and directional AM antenna system design.

He previously served as corporate vice president of Engineering for ABC/Disney Radio Division, Nationwide Communications, Patterson Broadcasting and Shamrock Broadcasting. Over his career, he has overseen upgrades in most of the top 25 U.S. markets and managed the design and construction of more than 50 radio stations.

A member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society, the Association of Federal Communications Consulting Engineers (AFCCE) and the Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE), Goldman has also been active with the NAB National Radio Systems Committee and the NAB Radio Technical Committee.

Harvey Arnold, senior vice president of engineering for Sinclair Broadcast Group, will receive the 2026 Television Engineering Achievement Award for his leadership and long-standing contributions to advancing broadcast technology.

Since joining Sinclair in 1998, Arnold has led transmission engineering operations across the company’s television stations, with a strong focus in recent years on accelerating the industry’s transition to ATSC 3.0. He is also working with NAB and industry partners to develop and implement the Broadcast Positioning System (BPS), coordinating field testing at Sinclair ATSC 3.0 stations and promoting awareness of the technology’s potential.

Prior to Sinclair, Arnold spent 17 years with North Carolina Public Television, managing and expanding engineering and transmission operations for one of the nation’s largest statewide public television networks. He also participated in activities of the FCC Advisory Committee for Advanced Television Service (ACATS), helping test the ATSC DTV standard in the field and guide the rollout of digital television in the United States

Arnold is a SMPTE Fellow and member of the SMPTE Board of Editors. A former chairman of the NAB TV Technology Committee, he remains active in ATSC, SMPTE, SBE and AFCCE. He is also a recipient of the Broadcasting & Cable Technical Leadership Award.

Learn more about the 2026 NAB Show at NABShow.com.

SAN JOSE, Calif.—Harmonic will unveil enhancements to its video appliances and SaaS solutions highlighting a next-generation media server and new AI-driven innovations, designed to streamline video workflows and reduce operational costs during the 2026 NAB Show, April 18-22, at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

“At the 2026 NAB Show, Harmonic is bringing practical, readily deployable solutions that help media companies monetize more effectively in an increasingly IP- and AI-driven environment,” said Gil Rudge, senior vice president, solutions and Americas sales, video business at Harmonic.

“Across our portfolio of video appliances, hybrid and SaaS solutions, we’re enabling customers to minimize TCO [total cost of ownership], unlock more meaningful revenue opportunities and stay ahead in an evolving media landscape.”

At the show, Harmonic will unveil the next generation of its Spectrum X media server that simplifies video ingest and playout functions, lowering total cost per channel for broadcast delivery.

Harmonic will also highlight how its XOS Advanced Media Processor supports broadcasters as they transition to ATSC 3.0 and DTV+ or migrate away from C-Band spectrum, offering a simplified, cost-effective, all-in-one solution on a single appliance. XOS media processor combines advanced playout, premium encoding and DTV+ and ATSC delivery and can be deployed in headends and at affiliates.

The company will also showcase its first large production deployment of VOS Media Software on Red Hat OpenShift, further advancing its hybrid streaming solution with central management across private and public cloud environments.

Harmonic will feature its first production deployment of server-side in-stream advertising by a U.S. regional sports network. The solution automatically triggers in-stream ads during live games, boosting monetization without interrupting the viewing experience.

It also will feature a new in-house, server-side multiview solution that can now be configured within Harmonic’s VOS360 Media SaaS to boost fan engagement. The solution can be combined with in-stream ads to monetize multiview channels and increase revenue.

The company will also offer smarter streaming solutions with AI-powered workflows, including:

• A new AI orchestration service that aggregates, orchestrates, maintains and updates best-of-breed third party and in-house AI functions. It coordinates AI-based processing for live content, manages redundancy and synchronizes outputs. Users can configure and schedule the AI functions to be activated on the fly via its intuitive UI.
• The new offering is a broadcast-grade, resilient and fully secured service that works alongside VOS360 Media SaaS, VOS Media Software, XOS media processor and the next-generation Spectrum X.
• Harmonic’s AI service, powered by NVIDIA GPU acceleration, also supports new advanced server-side HD-to-UHD upscaling, delivering superior video quality on 4K displays even when production is limited to full HD.

Harmonic CTO Moore Macauley will discuss how AI is transforming broadcast and streaming workflows during the Broadcast Engineering and IT Conference on April 18.

See Harmonic at 2026 NAB Show booth W2831.

While broadcasters eagerly await an FCC rulemaking they hope brings clarity to a sunset of ATSC 1.0, the TV industry continues incremental progress on ATSC 3.0 with new technology, business and marketing developments that will play important parts on the NextGen TV stage at the 2026 NAB Show, April 18-22, at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

(Editor’s Note: This article was written prior to the Federal Communications Commission rulemaking [MB Docket No. 16-142] reply comment deadline of Feb. 18.)

Among them are the latest developments on the Broadcast Positioning System (BPS), various enhancements to the standard, addressable multicast service, datacasting business progress and the latest on the headway ATSC 3.0 is making outside the United States. These and other 3.0 developments, however, are overshadowed by any FCC movement on its pending Notice of Proposed Rulemaking aimed at the transition to NextGen TV and sunsetting the existing ATSC 1.0 digital television service.

“I think what we need to see happen is a clear sunset date,” said Robert Folliard, senior vice president for government relations and distribution at Gray Media. “Everybody knows from their own personal lives that without a deadline, nothing ever happens. I think consumer electronics, manufacturers, broadcasters, everyone needs a clear road map for us to get this done.”

Leave No Viewer Behind
Perhaps the thorniest issue obstructing bringing today’s DTV to a date-certain conclusion is 3.0’s lack of backward compatibility with 1.0. For an industry that’s built upon serving the public with free news, sports and entertainment—and relies on the ad and retrans revenue they generate—a flash cut stranding over-the-air viewers is simply out of the question.

In January at CES 2026, Pearl TV announced an effort to take on this issue with its Converter Box Initiative, a program that aims to make affordable converter devices with a target price below $60 available to viewers for their existing TVs. At the 2026 NAB Show, the business group representing seven major TV station groups will discuss the progress it’s made on the initiative since then.

“Right now, we’re pulling together the tenets of the program, which provide for set-top box makers to participate where we’ve negotiated special discounts on aspects that would otherwise commercially be higher priced without this negotiation,” Pearl TV managing director Anne Schelle said.

While such lower-cost converters may not include the full attributes of the standard available on a NextGen TV, they will ensure viewers can maintain their over-the-air service and receive “the better audio and video capabilities” of 3.0, she said.

Converter boxes meeting the program’s specifications will qualify manufacturers for special component discounts Pearl TV is negotiating that will help to keep the price down by guaranteeing volume. “Guaranteed volume means everything in the supply chain to drive lower costs,” she said.

At the show, Pearl TV will release details of the devices’ specifications, as well as the findings of a qualitative study conducted by Magid Associates to test the $60 price target against feature trade-offs, Schelle said.

Delivering a lower-cost converter today would be a challenge given the AI server-
driven demand for DDR5 RAM and the associated price spike. However, by the time final FCC 3.0 transition rules are set and implemented, it’s likely memory costs will go back down, she said.

The availability of lower-cost converters addresses one of three main questions the FCC raised in its NPRM, Folliard said. “I think if we as broadcasters were to go to the FCC and say, ‘Give us a sunset date, thank you,’ the answer is going to be ‘no.’

“But if we go in, which is what we’re doing, saying, ‘We’re going to produce a low-cost converter device that makes sure consumers are not left behind,” he said. “We’ve done consumer research that finds over-the-air antenna users today say, ‘Yeah, I would pay that price. That’s a bargain.’ We’ve addressed the DRM concerns that are out there and solved the signal signing concerns that are out there, if we can tick off each of those items, I think it’s a different story.”

Tech Developments
NAB Show traditionally gives vendors the chance to roll out their latest advancements. The same is true of those focused on 3.0 technology with exhibits in their own booths, the ATSC booth in the Central Hall (C1655), the Pilot Pavilion and elsewhere.

At the time of this writing, many of these exhibit details are unclear. However, as in year’s past, the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) is producing a tearsheet that will be available at the show to inform attendees the location of vendor booths with 3.0 technology, the times and locations of 3.0-related presentations and “all the fun stuff, the happy hours and the cool events,” said ATSC President Madeleine Noland.

ATSC’s new vice president of standards development, Luis Fausto, and Noland will present an update on ATSC 3.0 during the SBE Ennes workshop on April 22.

Sinclair will highlight its work on development of “Broadcast-to-Everything” (B2X) in the ATSC booth. “That work is essential for a variety of reasons, the biggest of which is opening up the total available market to our IP platform,” said Mark Aitken, president of ONE Media and senior vice president of Advanced Technology at Sinclair.

Work is underway at ONE Media Technologies and more broadly by ATSC to align the standard with all of the 3GPP platforms and services. Among those is enabling IP multicast via 3.0 with addressable data flows, something datacasting clients can rely upon to ensure their valuable data is only received by those to whom they intend to send it.

“The work going on right now is a bridging technology that will bring us all the way to physical layer addressing, which changes the nature of the waveform itself,” said Aitken, adding that proof-of-concept deployments are expected in the second half of the year.

ATSC 3.0 Network Design
Advancing ATSC 3.0 network design is among the projects going on at the standards organization and will likely be a topic of discussion at its NAB Show booth. “We’re working on Recommended Practices for network design,” ATSC’s Noland said.

“How many transmitters do you need? What kind of robustness do you need? We have some of that work done in A/327 already, but this is a little bit of a bigger project where you’re really thinking about, ‘How can you set up your ModCods and your towers to achieve a given goal,’” she said.

Gray Media intends to tout its efforts to leverage the 3.0 over-the-top back channel to ensure robust OTA reception.

“One of the key things we have heard loud and clear from consumers is that the 1.0 signal is not great,” Gray’s Folliard said. “It’s not robust; it’s not reliable. If you can give me a way to get a more reliable signal that I don’t lose when the wind blows, that alone may be the biggest underappreciated consumer benefit of the 3.0 signal.”

Gray has been working with ATSC and others on updating the 3.0 standard to allow what the station group is calling “recovery channels,” he said. “If you are getting an over-the-air signal and it’s all fine, and then you temporarily lose it—maybe because of the digital cliff effect—what will happen is you’ll be able to get the signal automatically via the internet.”

Calling these recovery channels a “game changer” for OTA television, Folliard said the update to the standard will enable broadcasters to deliver “a perfectly stable and reliable OTA signal to viewers.”

Much work still needs to be done, and “much of what we have done is still theoretical,” he said. “Nonetheless, it is incredibly promising and another example of why we need to push the 3.0 transition forward.”

NAB Show will also give broadcasters the chance to learn the latest advances in BPS, including what’s going on with the U.S. Department of Transportation-funded BPS testing and a realignment of NAB tech leadership to focus on the ATSC 3.0-based backup to GPS. Several papers will be presented on BPS as well as demonstrations in the NAB Pilot booth and vendor booths.

EdgeBeam Wireless, the 3.0 datacasting-focused joint venture of E.W. Scripps, Gray Media, Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair formed in January 2025 and announced later that year, will be at the NAB Show with two goals in mind: supporting its partners and talking to other broadcasters that could help it extend its 3.0 footprint, EdgeBeam CEO Conrad Clemson said.

Expanding the Ecosystem
“From the time I got here [June 2025] up until a couple of months ago, we would look at both the breadth and depth of our ATSC 3 deployments and say, ‘Wow, look at all the places we are. Isn’t this great?’” Clemson said. “Now we have a different conversation: ‘We’re trying to get an opportunity up here, and I don’t have coverage or I don’t have the depth of coverage I need.’”

NAB Show is “a great time” for EdgeBeam to start the process of expanding its coverage ecosystem, he said.

The show will also see a large contingent of broadcasters from other countries on hand to support or investigate the standard. Fresh off success in Brazil, where the ATSC 3.0 physical layer and other components of the standard were selected for that nation’s new DTV+ (formerly known as TV 3.0) standard, the ATSC organization will focus its efforts on the Americas and India, said Noland.

“We’re putting our resources there because our feeling is that in the Americas, there’s more of a clear path,” she said.

All of these 3.0 developments will occur against the backdrop of the FCC rulemaking that many broadcasters hope will bring clarity to an ATSC 1.0 sunset. For his part, Aitken is encouraged by recent Truth Social posts from President Donald Trump and FCC Chair Brendan Carr in support of Nexstar’s acquisition of Tegna, which he said demonstrate the government’s understanding of the vital role local TV broadcasters play in their communities.

“The relevance of local markets, the relevance of what we do in those local markets is increasingly understood,” he said. “Our uniqueness is distinguished by the roles we play there. We’ve now got this platform [3.0] to make a new business and strengthen our ability to serve our local communities. But we are resource-constrained [by the channel-sharing 3.0 rollout].

“There has to be some deference given to ensure the success of that service because an authorized service that cannot be received is not a service. It’s a policy failure.”

WASHINGTON—ATSC has appointed Indian broadcasting executive Anil Bhardwaj as director of Technology & Strategy for India and Emerging Markets, the committee said today.

Bhardwaj’s appointment reinforces the organization’s strategic engagement across India and key international markets and demonstrates its commitment to advancing next-generation broadcast standards, it said.

He will represent ATSC’s interests in India and have a focus on collaborating with the Telecommunications Standards Development Society (TSDSI), India’s telecommunications standards development organization, while driving broader relationship-building efforts across the region.

Bhardwaj is an electronics and communication engineer with postgraduate qualifications in marketing and information technology. He has two decades of broadcast industry experience, specializing in terrestrial broadcasting across South Asia, the Middle East, East Africa, Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. Bhardwaj has successfully led international sales operations, expanded market presence and secured high-value broadcast projects throughout his career.

“Anil’s extensive international experience, strategic mindset, and deep understanding of both technology and regulatory landscapes make him an exceptional addition to the ATSC team,” said Madeleine Noland, president of ATSC. “As Direct-to-Mobile (D2M) commercialization gains momentum in India, his leadership in will be instrumental in building strong partnerships, advancing standards collaboration and accelerating the adoption of next-generation broadcast technologies for mobile and more.”

Bhardwaj has held leadership positions with globally recognized organizations, including GatesAir, Jampro Antennas and Triveni Digital. In these roles, he was instrumental in strengthening market share, cultivating strategic partnerships and advocating for advanced broadcast technologies in emerging markets.

Besides his technical and commercial expertise, Bhardwaj holds a law degree and is a Registered Advocate with the Delhi High Court. His legal background provides valuable insight into regulatory frameworks and compliance requirements, as well as government tender processes—an increasingly important dimension of international standards adoption and market development, ATSC said.

Bhardwaj has also completed an executive program in FinTech and financial blockchain from IIM Calcutta and has been recognized with the Indian Achievers Award and the CEO’s Award for Sales Excellence.

Over the past several months, as ATSC’s senior advisor in India, Bhardwaj has engaged industry stakeholders, strengthened partner networks and contributed strategic insights that support ATSC’s objectives in the region. His focus on collaboration with TSDSI and other key organizations is expected to help ensure alignment between global standards development and regional market needs.

More information is available on the ATSC website.

DURHAM, N.H.—New Hampshire PBS (NHPBS) has completed an air-chain system upgrade to prepare for future statewide ATSC 3.0 operations and converting its Stewartstown, N.H., site to begin broadcasting ATSC 3.0 with the assistance of Heartland Video Systems (HVS).

HVS provided the complete solution, including design and consulting services, all hardware and software, system pre-staging and configuration and remote support for equipment turn-on. NHPBS originates its over-the-air (OTA) signal from its studio facilities in Durham, N.H.

NHPBS operates a statewide OTA system with three full-power sites, including Durham, Keene and Littleton, N.H., and two LPTV sites in Hanover and Stewartstown, N.H.

The public broadcaster set out to achieve four main objectives, including: upgrading its existing 1.0 encoding to improve workflow; adding 3.0-compativle air-chain equipment for its five transmitter sites; providing regionalized EAS messaging capability across the star; and flash-cutting its LPTV site in Stewartstown from 1.0 to 3.0 OTA service.

The project began by replacing the broadcaster’s 1.0 encoders with new primary and backup XOS units from Harmonic. They were equipped with MPEG-2 5xHD program licenses, Dolby audio, EAS processing, PSIP fetch, Nielsen watermarking and audio loudness control, simplifying NHPBS’ workflow.

HVS installed a DTV Innovations TSACO-3000 redundancy switch at the output of the 1.0 encoder to facilitate automated switching of the main and backup encoders.

A separate pair of Harmonic XOS primary and backup encoders with HEVC-DASH outputs was installed for ATSC 3.0 signal processing. These encoders feed a redundant pair of Triveni Digital GuideBuilder XM ROUTE servers, which in turn feed five individual Triveni Digital Broadcast Gateways—one for each OTA transmitter site. The Broadcast Gateways provide the STLTP signals required to feed the 3.0 transmitters.

To enable regionalized EAS messaging in a 3.0 network, a Digital Alert Systems DASDEC-III EAS receiver with Multi-Station and Advanced Emergency Alert (AEA) software options was installed at the Durham studio, along with additional DASDEC-EXR units deployed at each of the five OTA transmitter sites. All DASDEC units are equipped with the company’s EAS-Net protocol for streamlined integration. This architecture allows each regional transmitter site to broadcast only the EAS messages specific to its coverage area.

Before the project, the entire state received the same EAS messages regardless of location. Given the state is 190 miles north to south with diverse terrain and weather conditions, the upgrade significantly improves the ability of NHPBS to serve viewers around the state. With this upgrade NHPBS today can transmit EAS messages specific to Stewartstown where it is on-air with 3.0 and in the future regionalize emergency messages when it begins 3.0 service from its remaining sites.

The Stewartstown LPTV site is situated in the far northern region of the state. The site has been upgraded via a flash cut to begin 3.0 broadcasting. An STLTP signal from the Durham studio feeds the site.

HVS provided a new Rohde & Schwarz TMU9evo air-cooled UHF solid-state transmitter operating on RF channel D34 for the Stewartstown site. The transmitter is capable of up to 1kW total power output (TPO) in either ATSC 1.0 or ATSC 3.0 operation. Features include dual-drive exciters licensed for ATSC 3.0, GPS-based time synchronization and ATSC 3.0 IP monitoring software. Transmitter installation and on-site proof-of-performance testing were subcontracted by NHPBS to a third-party provider.

To help NHPBS monitor the health and performance of its new on-air equipment, HVS supplied a Triveni Digital StreamScope XM analyzer for use at the studio. The StreamScope is configured to monitor IP, ASI and RF signal inputs and is fully equipped to provide performance metrics for ATSC 3.0 signals.

HVS also supplied an Airwavz.tv TVXplorer, which uses a RedZone receiver and a customer-supplied laptop PC for on-the-go testing of the ATSC 3.0 station signal at the Stewartstown site.

WASHINGTON—The NextGen TV transition could be “stranded indefinitely in a regime of regulatory uncertainty and half-measures” without 3.0 tuner mandates, must carry provisions and a sunset date for 1.0 broadcasts, the NAB has told the Federal Communications Commission.

The reply comments by the NAB were made in an ongoing proceeding by the FCC to assess and develop a regulatory framework for the rollout of NextGen TV. That proceeding has produced wide ranging arguments about tuner mandates, must carry provisions, digital rights management and sunset dates for the current ATSC 1.0 broadcasts.

“The record developed here confirms that the Commission’s central task is no longer to debate whether NextGen TV is worth pursuing – stakeholders across the ecosystem recognize that it is – but to decide whether the transition will be allowed to succeed through an orderly, coordinated framework, or instead be stranded indefinitely in a regime of regulatory uncertainty and half-measures, all to the detriment of the viewing public,” the NAB said.

The creation of an “orderly, coordinated framework,” the group added, will require four “core actions” that the FCC needs to adopt if the transition is going to be successful and provide consumers with continued access to free, over-the-air broadcasting.

The four areas are: “(1) establish clear, date-certain sunsets for ATSC 1.0 that provide the focal point necessary for marketplace coordination; (2) modernize the receiver standard so consumers can continue to access broadcast service reliably and consistently as the transition proceeds; (3) ensure continued MVPD carriage of ATSC 3.0 signals and associated advanced features so viewers are not deprived of NextGen TV capabilities through distribution bottlenecks; and (4) protect broadcasters’ ability to deliver high-value programming in a video marketplace where content protection and modern technical capabilities are increasingly prerequisites to obtaining and sustaining premium content.”

The NAB also stressed that “the record also makes plain that the Commission has broad support for taking these steps now. Broadcasters, technology providers, and public-interest stakeholders converge on a simple reality: a voluntary framework has reached the limits of what it can accomplish, and further progress depends on regulatory certainty and coordinated action.”

“Against that record of support, opponents’ submissions are notable for what they do not provide: a workable alternative path to completing the transition,” the NAB added. “Instead, the principal opponents offer a familiar mix of classic delay advocacy: resisting receiver modernization, resisting regulatory certainty, resisting any step that would move the transition from pilot to scale, all while recasting the Further Notice as a forum for collateral disputes and speculative anxieties. In short, these opponents reject any modernization that would impose even minimal effort or adjustment on their part. That is not a serious transition plan. In reality, it is an effort to keep free, over-the-air broadcasting tethered to legacy constraints while other segments of the video marketplace move forward unencumbered and without having to worry about broadcasting as a viable competitor.”

“[T]he Commission should establish a firm sunset for ATSC 1.0, eliminate the regulatory constraints that indefinitely prolong simulcasting and “substantially similar” operation, and modernize the receiver framework so that consumers can continue to access free, over-the-air broadcasting reliably as the transition proceeds,” the NAB concluded. “The Commission should also reject efforts to derail this proceeding with collateral disputes and overstated legal theories that offer no workable alternative transition plan.”

The full filing is available here.

WASHINGTON—The National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) has filed formal comments with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regarding the nationwide transition to ATSC 3.0, also known as NextGen TV that urge the agency to require all new TVs be able to receive 3.0 broadcast signals and reaffirm must-carry provisions for NextGen TV broadcasts.

Tuner requirements and must-carry provisions are also supported by the NAB and major broadcast station groups. But groups representing cable companies and telcos have attacked the must-carry provisions and the Consumer Technology Association has strongly condemned tuner mandates as a measure that would increase the price of TV sets.

In its filing, the NRB stressed that the move to ATSC 3.0 marks one of the most significant technological upgrades for broadcast television in decades, promising improved picture and audio quality, enhanced emergency alerting, and new service capabilities that could deepen local engagement.

NRB told the FCC that it supports the continued deployment of this technology, calling it “the future of broadcasting.”

NRB also came out strongly against filings by NCTA and other telecommunications groups opposing must-carry requirements for 3.0 broadcasts. It urged the FCC to reaffirm the application of must-carry protections to ATSC 3.0. In addition it said the agency needed to establish a tuner requirement and to ensure a fair transition process for mission-driven stations.

“There is no statutory basis for concluding that the congressionally-established must carry rules change when cable television undergoes a technical upgrade,” the NRB argued. In addition, “the FCC does not have the authority to rule that an act of Congress is unconstitutional, especially when the Supreme Court has ruled on the very question raised.”

It also stressed that for many Christian broadcasters, must-carry is essential to sustaining long-term community outreach. Federal law requires cable operators to carry local commercial and noncommercial educational stations, and that obligation does not change simply because of an advancement in transmission technology.

NRB’s comments also noted that ATSC 3.0 is not backward compatible, meaning that viewers without the right equipment would not be able to receive the upgraded signal and argued that without a clear tuner requirement, some households could lose access to programming during the transition process.

Finally, NRB called for a structured and reasonable transition to ATSC 3.0, one that reflects the realities facing smaller, noncommercial, and ministry-focused stations. Too rigid of a transition, it said, may not provide the flexibility smaller stations need in order to comply with FCC requirements in a timely manner.

To this end, NRB encouraged the FCC to adopt a transition timeline that creates a predictable path to end the indefinite simulcasting burden, while providing flexibility for small and low-power stations.

The full NRB filing, which is undated but was announced by the NRB on Feb. 17 is available here.

MUNICH and RIO DE JANEIRO—Brazilian television broadcaster TV Globo has chosen Rohde & Schwarz to supply the first commercial transmitters for Brazil’s DTV+ next-generation television service.

The strategic partnership marks a turning point for free-to-air television in Brazil. Rohde & Schwarz will deliver transmitters that are specifically developed to meet the requirements of DTV+ technology, providing a future-proof, high-performance platform for the next generation of broadcasting.

Brazilian President Luis Inácio Lula da Silva signed a decrees in August 2025 adopting the ATSC 3.0 physical layer for its DTV+ (formerly called TV 3.0) television system.

DTV+ promises a new viewing experience with very high picture quality in 4K and up to 8K in the future. A key differentiator of DTV+ is its app-centric approach, seamlessly integrating over-the-air TV with broadband connectivity to enhance the smart TV experience.

Through the DTV+ App/Globo App, viewers will enjoy a unified experience regardless of the source of the content and will also benefit from advanced features, such as targeted advertising and integrated shopping that can be controlled via the remote. Furthermore, improved spectrum efficiency will ensure broader and more flexible coverage.

“Rohde & Schwarz is proud to support Globo in launching this groundbreaking technology,” said Steven Edwards, vice president of Broadcast Distribution at Rohde & Schwarz. “Our transmitters are the result of intensive research and development – leveraging our unique software defined exciter technology to deliver higher performance and an improved feature set – and will help combine the benefits of terrestrial broadcasting and the digital world.”

The agreement was finalized at the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) 2025 in Amsterdam. The transmitters are scheduled to be installed in time for the 2026 Soccer World Cup, with deliveries beginning initially in the metropolitan regions of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.

By using the higher part of the VHF Band III frequency, this project ensures a smooth transition to DTV+ without interrupting current broadcasts. This marks the world’s first deployment of this frequency spectrum for television applications. The project includes advanced technologies, such as MIMO transmission, which significantly increases the transmitted data rate and signal quality, as well as geographical segmentation.

“DTV+ represents an important step for Brazilian television,” said Raymundo Barros, technology director at Globo. “The innovative technologies associated with it will redefine the television experience for millions of viewers in Brazil. The transmitters from Rohde & Schwarz play a key role in the development of this system.”

More information is available on the company’s website.

WASHINGTON—The National Association of Broadcasters in December realigned its technology-focused leadership to advance development and deployment of the Broadcast Positioning System (BPS), which can complement and backup the Global Positioning System that is increasingly recognized as a potential single point of failure for delivery of precise timing and positioning data critical to national security.

NAB shifted Sam Matheny, former executive vice president for technology and chief technology officer, to his new role as executive vice president for BPS. At the same time, it transitioned Tariq Mondal from his role as vice president of advanced technology to vice president of BPS. Clearly, BPS is a major thrust for NAB and the industry alike.

In this Q&A, Matheny discusses the strategic personnel realignment, U.S. Transportation Department-funded BPS testing, whether BPS may turn out to be the killer app for ATSC 3.0 and other BPS-related issues.

(An edited transcript.)

TV Tech: Last month, NAB announced a strategic realignment of senior technology leadership focused on BPS. Why has NAB made this move?

Sam Matheny: NAB made this move to accelerate development of the Broadcast Positioning System (BPS) and to put dedicated senior leadership behind an initiative that has clear public safety, critical infrastructure and national security implications. BPS has progressed from concept and early demonstrations into a phase where sustained focus, coordination and execution matter. This realignment allows NAB to concentrate technical leadership on advancing BPS while continuing to support broadcasters as they deploy and invest in NextGen TV infrastructure.

TVT: Last year, the Department of Transportation awarded a $744,000 contract to NAB to move forward with BPS field testing. How has that factored in?

SM: The DOT award in August was another validation that BPS is aligned with broader federal efforts to strengthen resilience for position, navigation and timing services. It signaled the continued shift from discussion to real-world evaluation, but importantly, it was part of a larger series of events. In January of 2025, BPS’s time transfer stability was declared “comparable to or better than GNSS [Global Navigation Satellite System]” and a “viable complementary PNT [Positioning, Navigation and Timing] solution” by scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in a peer-reviewed paper presented at the Institute of Navigation (ION) International Technical Meeting. These events, coupled with other indicators, helped drive NAB’s decision to align leadership around BPS so the organization can support field testing, data collection and engagement with government and industry partners in a more focused and sustained way.

TVT: For readers who aren’t familiar with BPS, briefly bring them up to speed.

SM: BPS, a technology invented and developed by NAB, uses NextGen TV broadcast signals to deliver resilient, terrestrial-based timing and location services. One can think of BPS as the terrestrial equivalent of GPS. It is designed to complement GPS. It can provide a backup when satellite signals are disrupted, jammed or spoofed, but it can also be integrated to work with GPS as a hybrid solution. Because BPS leverages high-power broadcast infrastructure that already exists across the country, it has the potential to scale nationally and provide a reliable layer of resilience for public safety, critical infrastructure and other essential services. Other nations that are deploying ATSC 3.0 have also expressed interest in BPS.

TVT: Tell us about the new testing funded by the DOT contract. What will you be looking at?

SM: The field trial supported by the DOT contract is focused on evaluating BPS performance in real-world environments rather than controlled demonstrations. The work is intended to assess how BPS can support critical infrastructure operations when GPS is unavailable or degraded, as well as how the system performs in terms of reliability, coverage and operational integration. NAB has partnered with Dominion Energy with a focus on energy grid resiliency. This testing is a key step in understanding how BPS could function at scale.

TVT: Can you tell us a little more about partnering with Dominion Energy and the broader role of BPS for U.S. industry?

SM: Electric utilities rely heavily on precise timing to operate safely, manage load and maintain grid stability. Power enters the grid from multiple sources and has to be time-aligned for effective distribution. Precision time also plays a huge role in fault detection and helps grid operators identify and fix problems quickly should they occur. Partnering with Dominion Energy allows NAB to evaluate how BPS could help sustain timing and synchronization for electric grid operations during GPS disruptions. More broadly, BPS is being evaluated as a terrestrial complement to GPS that could support a wide range of industries that depend on precise timing, including energy, cellular communications, data centers, financial systems and transportation, where even short disruptions can have significant consequences.

TVT: Is BPS the killer app for ATSC 3.0 that could accelerate deployment by giving the federal government a national security incentive?

SM: BPS is a strong example of how NextGen TV infrastructure can enable services that go well beyond video and entertainment. While ATSC 3.0 supports many new consumer and business applications, the ability to deliver GPS-level resilient timing and positioning highlights its potential role in public safety and national resilience. That broader value proposition reinforces the importance of completing the transition to NextGen TV and ensuring the underlying broadcast infrastructure is fully deployed nationwide.

TVT: Is precise timing or precise positioning the initial priority for BPS? Why?

SM: The near-term priority is accurate, traceable time delivery. Many critical infrastructure systems depend on accurate timing to function properly, and timing disruptions can cascade quickly across networks and services. A 2019 study by NIST estimated the economic impact of a loss of GPS at $1 billion per day. BPS is designed to provide resilient timing as a foundational capability, while positioning and additional services will continue to be developed and refined over time.

TVT: Some in the industry have expressed concerns about the geographic distance between towers affecting positioning. What are your views?

SM: A minimum of three geographically diverse transmissions is needed to perform the multilateration required to determine location, with more towers being better and providing greater accuracy. Our analysis estimates that a typical (median) location in the contiguous U.S., BPS signals from 17 NextGen TV stations might be received at 1.5-meter antenna height. This analysis excluded stations within a kilometer of one another and used only the highest power station from each cluster of stations. So we believe that BPS can provide a useful service for position and navigation. We’re also excited that professors and graduate students at the University of Alabama have begun studying the position and navigation possibilities of BPS and will present early findings at the Workshop on Synchronization and Timing in May.

TVT: At the 2025 NAB Show, there were presentations on the leader-follower architecture and clock configurations for BPS. Can you tell us a bit about what’s being considered?

SM: BPS is designed to be an independent self-synchronizing network that doesn’t rely on the Internet, cellular networks or other connectivity. We’ve designed it as a mesh network where stations listen to one another in a leader-follower configuration. This design is similar to how EAS works. A leader station has a direct connection to UTC traceable time and is equipped with a cesium clock for long holdover, so system integrity can be maintained for months even if there is a total loss of connectivity to traceable time. Follower stations receive time from leader stations and have less expensive rubidium clocks that offer some holdover protection. The result is a network where each station is listening to multiple other stations, and we can monitor individual station health at our network operations center (NOC). A “health bit” is part of the system and can be transmitted if a station is known or suspected to be impaired for maintenance or other reasons, so that it will be ignored until it is healthy again.

TVT: Transmitting BPS addresses the vulnerability of relying solely on GPS, but what is happening on the receiver side?

SM: Reliance on a single timing solution, GPS, is why our nation is at so much risk. GPS has become an invisible utility that has evolved into a single point of failure for critical infrastructure and day-to-day consumer applications. BPS is the terrestrial equivalent of GPS and has been declared to be a “viable complementary PNT solution” by scientists at NIST. We are working with timing solution vendors that want to integrate BPS into their products to offer multiple sources of reliable time in a single product. This lays the foundation for hybrid solutions where BPS and GPS can be used together, not just BPS as a backup. A hybrid approach also offers the ability to use BPS to monitor the health of GPS and detect if there is jamming or spoofing taking place.

TVT: Is there anything else you would like to add?

SM: BPS demonstrates how broadcasters are using their existing infrastructure to support national resilience in new and meaningful ways. This work reflects a broader shift toward viewing broadcast networks as critical infrastructure. NAB is focused on validating that role through real-world testing, partnerships and collaboration with government and industry.

WASHINGTON—In a filing with the Federal Communications Commission, The Advanced Warning and Response Network Alliance has come out in favor of the FCC setting a firm date to end current ATSC broadcasts.

In its Jan. 20 filing, the group, which is made up of commercial and public broadcasters, national trade associations, and technology manufacturers backing the advanced alerting capabilities of ATSC 3.0, also backed some of the security features built into the ATSC 3.0 standard and highlighted improved emergency alerting capabilities of NextGen TV that broadcasters will be able to use to keep local communities safe.

“As the Commission has previously noted, Next Generation broadcasting will permit new ways for broadcasters to connect with and inform their audiences, including more targeted, specific, and helpful alerts and information that can be transmitted from TV stations to viewers within reach of broadcast signals,” the filing said, adding that “the AWARN Alliance emphasizes that the full capabilities of the standard are best implemented once the availability of ATSC 3.0 broadcast signals is ubiquitous across the country. This will allow broadcasters to enhance connections with the public safety community and deliver new alerting tools and capabilities that will save lives and property during emergencies.”

“The introduction and widespread adoption of voluntary Advanced Emergency Information that is possible with the ATSC 3.0 standard requires certainty from the FCC about the likely sunset of ATSC 1.0 signals, so that newsroom and production investments can be made to take advantage of the advanced features of the ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard,” AWARN Alliance, executive director David H. Arland wrote in a letter to the FCC.

The filing did not advance a specific date for that sunset. The NAB has proposed that the signals be ended in larger markets in 2028 and the whole country by 2030.

The filing also defended some of the features of the 3.0 standard that are designed to protect content and broadcast signals from piracy.

“Content security has become a common requirement for high-value content, which also means that receiving devices must be fully security verified to tune to most broadcast ATSC 3.0 content today,” Arland wrote. “Without proper security credentials, a consumer cannot view ATSC 3.0 signals from broadcasters that have enabled content security. For more than 18,000,0000 potential viewers who have purchased a TV receiver equipped with NextGen TV electronics, this is not an issue, as the NextGen TV sets are security verified, enabling audiences to access all NextGen TV content, whether encrypted or not, without needing an internet connection or subscription. It is a seamless experience.”

In addition, Arland stressed that “Many of the set-top receivers are also security verified, also delivering seamless access to all content” and that only one product has “not yet resolved security issues, and those customers are able to tune to ATSC 1.0 broadcasts and related EAS messages from local stations.”

“The use of content security does not in any way impede the delivery of EAS messages or Advanced Emergency Information; emergency alerts and related public safety information are delivered as part of the ATSC 3.0 service and are available whenever the underlying channel is receivable,” Arland concluded. “Since the content security system is agnostic to the content being delivered, the Commission should expect that programming content that includes emergency messages would be transmitted in the same secure manner. Properly implemented, all content is equally secure and accessible.”

The filing also urged the FCC to establish policies so that “local viewers should not have their channel choices hijacked by MVPDs during emergencies, as has previously been the case with some cable operators. Rather, cable operators should let local broadcasters inform local audiences with appropriate EAS warnings and information, since local TV stations are typically staffed to provide more information than a pass-through multichannel provider.”

“Local stations are the best option for keeping local audiences informed during specific emergencies, including providing geolocation targeted information, maps, multilingual and sign language services, and other capabilities that are anticipated in the ATSC 3.0 standard,” the AWARN Alliance argued, adding that “news and weather departments at stations staffed with newsrooms will have these new tools available to keep their viewers informed, including those who are referred to local broadcast TV stations by WEA wireless telephone alerts. The Advanced Emergency Information capability of the ATSC 3.0 standard can also be utilized to supplement brief emergency alerts, including potentially the delivery of rich-media content such as maps, video clips, and other advisories…In summary, advanced emergency information and alerts enabled by ATSC 3.0 – and by FCC rules, requirements and policies that foster innovation – further enhance broadcasters’ capabilities to serve their communities.”

The full filing is available here.

WASHINGTON—Associations backed by the pay TV industry have voiced significant opposition to the NAB’s proposals for speeding up the transition to NextGen TV/ATSC 3.0.

In filing with the Federal Communications Commission, which has launched an inquiry into rules impacting the rollout of ATSC 3.0 broadcasts [FCC GN Docket No. 16-142 Authorizing Permissive Use of the “Next Generation” Broadcast Television Standard], the NCTA, the American Television Alliance (ATVA) and others have criticized NAB proposals that the FCC should set a firm cutoff date for ATSC 1.0 broadcasts and eliminate requirements to simulcast 1.0 content on the newer 3.0 broadcasts.

In its Jan. 20 filing, the NCTA. which represents major cable providers told the FCC that the transition “to ATSC 3.0 should remain market based, and the Commission should reject broadcasters’ requests for government intervention. Instead, the government should continue to prioritize protecting consumers from any harmful impacts.”

More specifically, the NCTA comments argued that “the simulcasting requirements in the Commission’s rules remain essential at this point in the transition given the broadcast industry’s decision to use a non-backwards compatible technology. The Commission should not foist the substantial costs of a premature conversion to ATSC 3.0 on consumers and MVPDs by abandoning the simulcasting and substantially similar protections at this time.”

Filings by the NAB, Pearl TV and other broadcasters have pushed for the end of simulcasting rules because it would free-up spectrum and allow them to better showcase the benefits of the new 3.0 broadcast standard.

The NCTA also argued that the FCC “should also reject any calls to grant must-carry rights to 3.0 signals. In today’s video marketplace, must carry requirements are no longer supportable under the First and Fifth Amendments. Extending must carry requirements to 3.0 signals would only exacerbate these constitutional infirmities.”

The filing argued that “MVPD distribution of ATSC 3.0 signals also presents numerous technical challenges, including issues that implicate the Commission’s existing rules regarding broadcast must carry and retransmission consent. The Commission should remain mindful of these challenges as the transition progresses.”

In terms of must-carry for 3.0 broadcasts, the NCTA argued that “requiring cable operators to incur additional substantial costs to upgrade their equipment to meet new carriage obligations would have significant economic impacts on regulated cable operators and interfere with their investment-backed expectations. In today’s highly competitive marketplace for video, these burdens are more severe and represent a far greater economic impact on cable providers than was the case when courts have considered these issues in the past.”

The NCTA also contended that “The Commission should also ensure that broadcasters’ use of spectrum serves the public interest and meets statutory requirements concerning ancillary and supplementary services, and it should take steps to contain any anti-competitive effects stemming from broadcast stations’ transition to ATSC 3.0.”

The NCTA warned that implementation of the broadcast standard posed a number of anti-competitive threats to the video market and argued that the FCC should adopt policies that would avoid those problems.

“If the Commission decides to permit stations to flash cut to ATSC 3.0 despite the early state of the transition and lack of demand from consumers, it should take additional steps to limit and contain the inevitable anti-competitive effects and harm to MVPDs and consumers,” the NCTA argued.

“The Commission should affirmatively require that patents relevant to the ATSC 3.0 standard be licensed on a reasonable and non-discriminatory (RAND) basis,” the NCTA urged. “Of significant concern, there has already been patent infringement litigation involving alleged ATSC 3.0 functionality where the jury awarded the patentee an ongoing royalty of $6.75 per television for four patents, exorbitantly higher than the rates for the two existing patent pools for ATSC 3.0 patents.

"Specifically, a pool comprising over 11,000 patents operated by Avanci charges $2-$3 per unit, and a pool of 50+ patents administered by Via Licensing Alliance similarly charges under $3 per unit. Constellation’s excessive royalty award prompted LG to suspend inclusion of ATSC 3.0-compatibility in its TVs for the U.S. market. This type of `patent ambush’ is particularly worrying given that many patents in the field claim patent-ineligible subject matter (as LG is arguing in the pending litigation), but it can take years of litigation to invalidate such patents.”

In its filings, the American Television Alliance also argued that the transition posed significant technical issues for pay TV operators and that they should not be required to invest significant amounts of money to comply with Must carry rules.

The ATVA said it “continues to be open to `voluntary and market-driven’ adoption of ATSC 3.0” and said the FCC should continue its “voluntary and market-driven” approach.

“From the MVPD perspective, the most significant concern about ATSC 3.0 is that the format is not backwards compatible with MVPDs’ existing distribution architecture, and many current set-top-boxes and consumer devices cannot support ATSC 3.0 streams and related features,” it stressed. “Developing ATSC 3.0 compatibility would require MVPDs to incur substantial costs for new equipment and system changes to receive and process ATSC 3.0 signals. Even then, most MVPDs could not deliver ATSC 3.0 signals to consumers. In other words, whatever improvements broadcasters might make to their signals using ATSC 3.0 are highly unlikely ever to accrue to MVPD subscribers and thus MVPD expenditures to accommodate ATSC 3.0 would be a dead weight loss.”

“We, therefore, urge the Commission to maintain the simulcasting requirement (and the substantially similar requirement),” the group concluded. “If the Commission were to decide otherwise, however, it should at a minimum require broadcasters—whether electing retransmission consent or must-carry—to deliver signals to MVPDs in a 1.0-compatible format at their cost. Otherwise, the Commission would be asking MVPDs (and their subscribers) to incur substantial costs to downconvert broadcast signals without any benefit to those subscribers. This would be arbitrary and capricious.”

The group also contended that “the primary benefits of the ATSC 3.0 transition appear not to be improvements to broadcast television, but rather the ability of broadcasters to use ATSC 3.0 signals for unrelated services like datacasting. This real possibility that broadcasters could use the vast majority of their spectrum for services other than free, over-the-air television raises significant legal questions, including under the Communications Act, FCC rules, and the Administrative Procedure Act—especially if MVPDs and their subscribers are expected to pick up the tab for such services.”

The full filing by the NCTA is available here.

The full filing by the ATVA is available here.

[This article is part TV Tech’s ongoing coverage of the FCC and NextGen TV; articles about the comments and filings from other companies and associations with different perspectives on these issues can be found here and here.]

WASHINGTON—The Motion Picture Association has filed comments with the Federal Communications Commission urging the regulator to adopt a NextGen TV standard that includes DRM encryption.

“As NextGen TV modernizes OTA television through digital, internet-protocol (IP) based broadcasting technology, the inclusion of DRM encryption in NextGen TV broadcasts will help programmers safeguard their content from theft,” the Hollywood studio backed group told the FCC in Jan. 20 comments filed as part of the FCC’s proceedings on the NextGen TV transition.

“MPA agrees with the ATSC 3.0 Security Authority (A3SA) that the incorporation of DRM encryption into NextGen TV signals is critical to ensure their security,” the filing stated. “While DRM encryption is not available under the current broadcast standard, ATSC 1.0, it is regarded as `an essential component of today’s digital landscape,’ and is used by every other major distribution platform across the modern media ecosystem—including cable television and streaming services—to protect content. DRM encryption is a material”

Broadcasters have stated that protecting content against illegal use and piracy is an essential component of the ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard because they will have a hard time securing rights for content and high profile sports without it.

The MPA’s members include Amazon Studios, Netflix Studios, Paramount Pictures Corporation; Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.; Universal City Studios, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures; and Warner Bros. Entertainment who are among the world’s largest producers of film and TV content.

“The exclusion of DRM encryption in any final ATSC 3.0 standard approved by the Commission would continue to limit broadcasters’ ability to compete, threatening the viability of OTA television,” the MPA also noted. “It could also have a significant negative impact across the media ecosystem…Piracy costs MPA’s members billions of dollars annually in lost revenues, which otherwise could be invested in content production, benefiting viewers, supporting jobs, and boosting the national economy. Currently, content piracy that occurs via OTA broadcasting can hinder our members' ability to earn a return on their investment. Without DRM, pirate operators can extract 4K HDR broadcast feeds and resell them globally within minutes. Sports, premium episodic television, and live events are high-value targets for piracy because they air first in broadcast windows and have immediate viewing demand.”

In comments filed with the FCC Public Knowledge and many individual consumers have opposed the DRM provisions in the ATSC 3.0 standard. Opponents argue that encryption would deny them access to free over-the-air signals and that the market is not ready for a firm cutoff of ATSC 1.0 signals.

“A rushed transition under the terms contemplated by the [FCC’s Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking] would ignore the public interest, jeopardize universal access to broadcasting, and convert what has long been a public service into a platform serving primarily private commercial interests,” Public Knowledge argued. “Instead, the Commission should take a more cautious approach that places consumer protection and universal access at the center of any transition framework.”

That filing also stressed that “the combination of encryption and the elimination of ATSC 1.0 simulcasting will result in blackouts for viewers using general-purpose or legacy receivers…If the Commission eliminates the simulcasting requirement and permits sudden cutoffs while the encryption regime remains in place, viewers without A3SA-certified devices will simply lose access to stations that encrypt their signals. DRM also threatens viewers’ ability to exercise fair use rights protected under copyright law.”

The MPA rebutted those arguments as follows: “Viewers will remain able to access free OTA programming if the ATSC 3.0 standard includes DRM encryption, and the Commission should reject any claims to the contrary. The A3SA’s ATSC 3.0 Security Standard is designed to preserve consumers’ ability to access broadcast programming for free. For example, all A3SA-compliant devices automatically decrypt content and no action, such as individual authorization, subscription, or payment, is required from consumers. From a viewer’s perspective, watching DRM-encrypted content will be as simple as turning on their television.”

“Moreover, DRM encryption is a legally sustainable tool to protect our members’ copyrighted content from piracy,” the group concluded. “Failure to include DRM encryption in the ATSC 3.0 standard would have dangerous consequences for the broadcasting industry, including increased piracy, decreased competition in the video marketplace, and less free, OTA content options for consumers.”

MPA filing is available here:

The Public Knowledge filing is available here.

WASHINGTON—The NAB has filed additional comments with the Federal Communications Commission stressing the urgency of quickly implementing policies that will speed the transition from ATSC 1.0, the current broadcast standard, to ATSC 3.0 aka NextGen TV.

“ATSC 3.0 is the future of free, local broadcasting, and the Commission has a timely opportunity to move the transition from its current, limited implementation phase to a full, nationwide deployment that serves the public interest,” the group noted in a Jan. 20 filing with the agency, which is in the process evaluating policies and rules that might speed up the transition.

“NAB urges the Commission to adopt a date-certain ATSC 1.0 sunset, modernize its receiver standards so consumers can reliably receive authorized broadcast services, ensure continued MVPD carriage of stations’ primary ATSC 3.0 signals and associated program-related features, and reaffirm a stable approach to content protection that supports broadcasters’ ability to secure and deliver the high-value programming viewers expect while preserving longstanding consumer viewing expectations," the NAB argued.

While the agency has signaled that it wants to liberalize some rules in ways that will speed up the transition, it has not taken a position on two of the key issues raised by the NAB filing, namely a cutoff date for ATSC 1.0 broadcast signals and a requirement that all new TV sets be able to receive 3.0 signals.

The most recent comments by the NAB do not mention a specific cutoff date but in the past, the NAB has argued for a 1.0 sunset in 2028 in larger markets and 2030 for the rest of the country in filings with the FCC.

The NAB also argued that setting a clear, date-certain sunset for ATSC 1.0, would enable industry-wide planning that drives down costs, promotes innovation and avoids confusion for viewers. These tuner mandates are, however, opposed by the Consumer Technology Association.

The NAB also pressed the FCC to ensure continued access to free, over-the-air broadcast signals by updating receiver standards and maintaining MVPD carriage of ATSC 3.0 signals and advanced features.

In addition, It weighed in on content security issues that have provoked opposition from some smaller device manufacturers and broadcasters. TV Tech's recent survey of those issues can be found here.

In the filing the NAB said that special broadcast-only privacy rules are unnecessary and counterproductive: “ATSC 3.0 does not create new privacy concerns for viewers who watch broadcast television over the air without an internet connection,” the group argued. “A one-way broadcast signal, with no return path, cannot collect or transmit viewer information. For these viewers, watching ATSC 3.0 is no different from watching ATSC 1.0 from a privacy standpoint.”

It also argued that the transition to 3.0 would not harm EAS systems and that the transition would open up new ways to better utilize spectrum.

“By strengthening broadcasters’ technical capabilities and economic viability, a successful transition to ATSC 3.0 will help ensure the continued availability of these vital services,” the filing said. “More broadly, ATSC 3.0 provides a more efficient use of spectrum, delivering greater value to the American public from this spectrum resource while also enabling the deployment of complementary positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) services via the Broadcast Positioning System (BPS).”

More on BPS can be found here. Our full NextGen TV coverage is available here.

The full filing is available here.

LAS VEGAS—The challenge of attending CES is its size. The convention utilizes all of the enormous Las Vegas Convention Center as well as several other facilities, so often getting from one vendor appointment to another is an exercise in logistics and physical endurance. This was not as much of a problem for me this year as I was focused on what was happening in ATSC 3.0 (aka NextGen TV).

Not that CES wasn’t enormous—it certainly was—but the ATSC booth was located in the new Grand Lobby of the LVCC and that seemed to be where all of the NextGen TV information was. While I didn’t see every vendor at the show, I cannot recall seeing an ATSC 3.0 or NextGen TV reference anywhere on the various floors.

I spent time listening to presentations about the latest and greatest television displays. My consistent question after the presentation was the same: “Does this set include a NextGen TV receiver?” To their credit, I didn’t have anyone say “no,” but I also didn’t hear anyone say “yes”—mostly because I think they didn’t know what I was asking for. The one exception was Sony, which doesn’t even exhibit televisions as a product at CES anymore; they knew the vast majority of their sets are NextGen TV-ready. So after a long day on the floor I went back to the ATSC booth and found out the latest.

The Quest for Cheap Converter Boxes
The biggest news is the work that Pearl TV is doing with its partners iWedia and Skyworth on the creation of a low-cost, plain “vanilla” converter box—think of the coupon-eligible converter boxes of the original DTV conversion two decades ago. Anne Schelle, Managing Director of Pearl TV, says that by creating a model with tailored specifications, it qualifies the units for discount pricing from the IP owners and the chip set manufacturers.

I say “plain vanilla,” but in truth, the final specifications are still being worked out and it is a bit of a balancing act. The idea is to bring the box to market at $60 or less, which presents some interesting challenges. According to Miguel Rivera, Skyworth’s Director of Business Development for North America, the explosion of AI infrastructure has created a supply chain issue on components such as DDR memory chips.

So there are still details to be worked out and according to both Schelle and Rivera they are analyzing what consumers really need and want to get the best trade off of features for price.

Understanding what consumers want is critical for the success of the project. Pearl is working with Magid Associates to analyze consumer data to help ensure that this device ticks the right boxes. Ultimately what will be delivered is a converter box with an antenna input and an HDMI output that will allow any display to present NextGen TV to the viewer.

Target: 50K Boxes for Retails By the End of 2026
One area where this converter box will outperform the original DTV converter boxes is that there are already many successful implementations of ATSC 3.0 tuners in the market so much of the refinement has already been accomplished.

Additionally, Skyworth and their software partner iWedia already have considerable experience since Skyworth is providing the tuners for TV 3.0 in Brazil and Mexico as well as being licensed to provide the receivers for televisions marketed under the Panasonic and Phillips brands. This level of experience should ensure that these new converters function properly.

According to Rivera and Zivko Radonjic, business development manager for iWedia, this CES was technically the first demonstration of a prototype for the project. The target is to have a working demo by the end of the summer when the complete list of specifications is better defined and an initial run of approximately 50,000 units by year end. Schelle expects that promotion of NextGen TV and the units will begin around that same time frame. Of course all of this is dependent on supply chain stability.

I asked Schelle what metric Pearl would use to measure the success of the venture. She offered that success would be “incremental.” Pearl’s belief is that by delivering a working model of an affordable converter, other manufacturers would step up to the plate and deliver similar units under their own branding.

Several times during the conversation, the need to sunset ATSC 1.0 was mentioned so I asked what Pearl would see as the best 1.0 sunset rulemaking. Robert Folliard, Gray Television’s senior vice president of government relations and distribution, offered that broadcasters need a hard date from the FCC as soon as they are comfortable. Neither Schelle nor Folliard believe that maintaining the current status was tenable for much longer.

Given that Pearl was using the DTV CECB (coupon-eligible converter box) model to develop this new device, I asked if they were considering presenting this program to Congress to generate support similar to the coupon program. While the answer wasn’t immediate, it was “yes,” but only as an idea and it wouldn’t be the deciding factor on whether or not to proceed.

A ‘Soft’ Market for NextGen TV
When asked about how satisfied she is with how the consumer electronics manufacturers are approaching NextGen TV, Schelle admitted that the market is certainly soft and that the business model has changed. Folliard also spoke about how set manufacturers have created their own walled gardens and are hoping to get broadcasters to pay to be discoverable within their Home Screen environment.

I postulated that I wouldn’t be surprised if the large manufacturers didn’t adopt the cellular model and give away televisions if the consumer signs up for a multi-year subscription plan. Schelle said he was happy to hear that, since they had been having similar discussions.

While the affordable converter box was the most interesting ATSC 3.0 development I looked at, I have to give an honorable mention to Zapper Mini. One of the challenges that I see to any renaissance of OTA television is the idea that every set in the house has to have an antenna cable drop.

The Mini uses a regular Zapperbox as a gateway and then uses WiFi or Ethernet to connect Mini’s to the gateway. You can put these on every television in the house with the gateway connected to a single antenna. It is an interesting technology that I am looking forward to trying in my home.

Introduction: When Video Compression Meets Physical Layer Innovation
As consumer television sizes continue to expand toward 100 inches and beyond, the demand for improved video experiences that fully showcase the capabilities of modern displays is also increased. Viewers expect images that are crisp, immersive, and lifelike, qualities that go well beyond what legacy High Definition (HD) broadcasting was designed to deliver.

Broadcasters have a unique opportunity to meet this growing expectation by offering cinema-grade Ultra High Definition (UHD) content enhanced with High Dynamic Range (HDR), wide color gamut (WCG), and high frame rates (HFR). Importantly, they can satisfy consumers’ desire for the highest possible visual quality while continuing to uphold the public service mission of universal accessibility.

The convergence of layered video coding and flexible physical-layer design represents a major architectural advance in this direction. Historically, video compression (codec design) and radio transmission (physical layer configuration) were treated as largely independent domains. This separation often forced broadcasters to adopt a single technical compromise, leaving users at the extremes, those with poor reception and those with premium displays, underserved.

Modern standards, however, such as ATSC 3.0 (NextGen TV), blur this separation. The physical layer now permits independently configured Physical Layer Pipes (PLPs), while advanced codecs like Versatile Video Coding (VVC / H.266) are designed to support native scalable bitstreams. When engineered properly, these two domains create emergent capabilities that neither can deliver alone: graceful degradation across receiver conditions, simultaneous baseline universality and premium peak quality, and spectrum-efficient delivery without requiring for simulcast.

Why the Pairing Matters: Addressing Heterogeneity
Both layered codecs and PLP-style physical layers are different technical answers to the same practical problem: how to deliver the best possible user experience across highly heterogeneous receivers and propagation environments. Video codecs must accommodate varying display sizes, decoder complexity, and available throughput; physical layers must accommodate variable propagation, antenna gains, and receiver sensitivity.

Layered architectures allow broadcasters to stop choosing a single, one-size-fits-all compromise and instead deliver differentiated service tiers simultaneously, allowing each receiver to extract the best representation its device capabilities and reception conditions can reliably support.

Understanding Layered Video Coding: From Monolithic to Modular Bitstreams
Traditional broadcast encoders produce a monolithic bitstream: every coded bit contributes to a single target representation, and losing a critical portion of that stream often renders the entire picture unusable. This all-or-nothing behavior is poorly matched to wireless broadcast, where signal quality varies continuously across time and geography.

Layered (scalable) video coding restructures encoded data into a hierarchy of dependencies. A Base Layer (BL) is a complete, independently decodable representation, guaranteeing a minimum service level. One or more Enhancement Layers (ELs) then refine attributes such as spatial resolution, temporal resolution, Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR)/quality, or color/HDR characteristics.

Enhancement layers depend on lower layers, but lower layers do not require the enhancements. A decoder that receives only the base layer presents a complete, usable picture; a decoder that receives additional layers improves quality accordingly. VVC formalizes these capabilities, enabling spatial, temporal, SNR (quality), and color/HDR scalability. The VVC standard was finalized in July 2020, and its constraints for use in ATSC 3.0 are defined in the ATSC A/345 standard [1].

Physical Layer Pipes: Parallel Channels with Tunable Robustness
ATSC 3.0’s OFDM-based physical layer departs from the single-mode approach of legacy systems by enabling multiple PLPs inside one RF channel. Each PLP is an independently parameterized logical channel: modulation order (e.g., QPSK, 256-QAM), Low-Density Parity-Check (LDPC) code rate, interleaver depth, and pilot density are chosen per-PLP to define its robustness.

The transmitter multiplexes these PLPs into a single OFDM waveform. Receivers attempt demodulation of each PLP independently and decode whichever PLPs their instantaneous SNR permits. Because all PLPs are present on the air simultaneously, a receiver never "requests" a PLP, it simply demodulates those PLPs for which its link budget and channel conditions meet the configured thresholds.

A feature that complements PLPs is Layered Division Multiplexing (LDM). While PLPs can be multiplexed using Time or Frequency Division Multiplexing (TDM/FDM), LDM allows two PLPs (a Core and an Enhanced layer) to be transmitted on the same frequency and time, but at different power levels. This provides a significant SNR gain (typically 3–9 dB) for the Core layer, ensuring extremely robust reception for the base service in challenging environments like deep indoors or mobile scenarios [2].

Architectural Synthesis: Mapping Layers to Pipes
When scalable VVC bitstreams are mapped onto PLPs, two hierarchies align: content importance (base vs. enhancement) and transmission robustness (robust PLP → less robust PLP). The canonical mapping is a direct alignment of these two concepts, often leveraging LDM for the most critical base layer.

A receiver in a premium reception area demodulates all PLPs and recombines them into the highest quality picture. A receiver in a moderate area may demodulate the first two PLPs. Crucially, a receiver in a challenging indoor or mobile environment decodes only the robust base PLP and still presents a complete, usable picture. The broadcaster transmits all PLPs in the same RF band simultaneously; there is no per-receiver negotiation or dynamic retransmission.

Spectrum Efficiency: Why Layered Transmission Beats Simulcast
The primary operational and technical benefit of this synthesis is spectrum efficiency without the need for simulcast. In legacy practice, serving multiple quality tiers required broadcasters to either:

• Simulcast separate complete streams (e.g., one SD stream plus one HD stream), which multiplies the per-service payload and wastes capacity by repeatedly carrying overlapping content.
• Select a single operating point, which simplified operations but inevitably left many receivers either underserved or provided unnecessarily robust transmission for everyone.

Layered coding combined with PLPs replaces simulcast by partitioning a single content representation into a compact base layer plus incremental enhancement layers. The base layer contains the essential information necessary for a universal service; enhancement layers carry only the delta information needed for higher fidelity. Because the enhancement layers are incremental, the total transmitted payload to deliver multi-tier service is substantially lower than the sum of separate simulcast streams that would be required to offer the same service tiers.

The efficiency gain comes from data-level sharing (the base + deltas) rather than repeating complete representations. For example, transmitting a base 1080p stream plus a delta that upgrades to 2160p requires far fewer extra bits than transmitting two independent full-rate 1080p and 2160p streams. This reduction in redundant payload across quality tiers is the practical source of spectrum efficiency in layered broadcast workflows.

Technical Deep Dive: Synchronization and Dependency Management
Successful deployment requires careful alignment across codec packetization, IP transport, and PLP signaling:

• Codec/Packet Alignment: The VVC encoder must produce Network Abstraction Layer (NAL) units and layer boundaries that can be mapped into PLP packet payloads so that each PLP carries complete, independently decodable units for its assigned layer(s).
• Transport and Multiplexing: ATSC 3.0’s IP-centric transport (ROUTE/DASH/MMTP) carries PLP payloads. The Service Layer Signaling (SLS/LLS) informs receivers which PLPs map to which service layers and, critically, the dependency structure. Receivers must know that PLP-1 enhances the service in PLP-0 rather than representing an independent service.
• Timing and Buffering: The base layer must be presented on time even when enhancement data arrives late or intermittently. This implies specific encoder choices (e.g., BL frame lead time) and receiver buffer policies to permit enhancement merging without causing playback stalls.

Conclusion: A Genuinely Transformative Synthesis
The combination of layered video coding (VVC) and ATSC 3.0 Physical Layer Pipes represents a strong architectural alignment that directly addresses the fundamental challenge of broadcast heterogeneity. The primary operational and technical benefit, spectrum efficiency without simulcast, derives from transmitting a single layered representation (a shared base layer with incremental enhancement layers) rather than multiple independent streams.

Receivers decode the PLPs their channel conditions support, enabling graceful service adaptation across diverse reception environments. When intentionally engineered and deployed, this synthesis is positioned to deliver broader baseline coverage, significantly improved indoor and mobile performance (particularly when leveraging LDM), and premium UHD/HDR experiences for high-SNR receivers - all within a single, highly efficient RF transmission.

References[1] ATSC. ATSC Standard: VVC Video (A/345). Advanced Television Systems Committee, 2025. [2] ATSC. ATSC Standard: Physical Layer Protocol (A/322). Advanced Television Systems Committee, 2021.