MOBILE, Ala.—The ATSC 3.0 TV standard, aka NextGen TV, has been deployed by six broadcasters in the Mobile, Ala.-Pensacola, Fla., market. The launch occurred on Oct. 22, according to ATSC.
The stations now providing ATSC 3.0 in the region are Deerfield Mobile station’s WJTC, an independent station, and WPMI-TV, the region’s NBC affiliate; Nexstar-owned WFNA, the CW affiliate, and CBS affiliate WKRG-TV; and WEAR-TV, the ABC affiliate, and WFGX-TV, a MyNet affiliate, each owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group.
The participating stations are working together to ensure that current programming remains available to all viewers, regardless of whether their television service is provided over-the-air or by a cable or satellite company, ATSC reports. Cable and satellite subscribers do not need to take any action as a result of the ATSC 3.0 deployment; antenna users can ensure full service by rescanning their TVs.
BitPath led the planning process and coordinated efforts for the six stations.
Mobile-Pensacola joins other markets that have launched ATSC 3.0, including Las Vegas, Dallas-Fort Worth, Phoenix and Salt Lake City. According to ATSC, 14 markets in total have deployed NextGen TV thus far. At the start of the year, ATSC projected that 60 markets would deploy ATSC 3.0 in 2020.
Click here for a list of ATSC 3.0 deployments to date.
