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.
