"Today" show co-anchors Savannah Guthrie, left, and Hoda Kotb pose on set at NBC Studios. With ... [+]
This week NBCU announced they will be launching via ATSC 3.0 (a.k.a. NextGen TV), a more personalized and hyperlocal viewing experience in four TV stations. NBCU made the announcement with a demonstration at the NAB Show in Las Vegas. The new service will offer, augmented video content, greater viewer engagement, hyper targeted advertising and an improved “real-time” audience measurement allowing for marketers to dynamically insert ads among other improvements.
The product enhancements will automatically be available to viewers with access to NextGen TV. Initially, NextGen TV will be available in four owned and operated NBC and Telemundo stations; New York Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Miami. NBCU said there are plans to expand the service in additional owned and operated stations in other TV markets.
NBCU partnered with Fincons, Ease Live (an Evertz company) and Pearl TV, in developing the service. NBCU, which touts itself as the leader with their NextGen TV capabilities, said among the product upgrades include the ability to restart programs while joining in progress and hyper-localized elements available on the Today show. With the announcement NBCU becomes the first broadcaster to implement the advanced capabilities of NextGen TV.
In addition, viewers will have access to a greater amount of content along with video streaming like capabilities. Users can access both local and network content from newscasts, live sports and entertainment shows, including on-demand capabilities, video clips of programs and alternate feeds. Another product enhancement is more localized weather information (i.e., radar maps, forecasts, etc.) including any real-time alerts via The Weather Channel. Moreover, there is localized public safety information via FEMA.
In a statement, Shawn Makhijani, Senior VP of Business Development and Strategy & NBC Spot On, said “The launch of this innovative experience is a considerable milestone for broadcast television and demonstrates the immense potential and possibilities NextGen TV has for viewers, programmers, stations and advertisers. We are proud to further our leadership position in ATSC 3.0 by developing this innovative product with our partners and look forward to the continued evolution of its capabilities and benefits. We are truly excited to present these enhancements to our NBC and Telemundo viewers in several top markets, with more to come.”
In November 2017, the FCC approved a new set of standards allowing for local broadcast stations to upgrade using Internet protocol (IP) to transmit over-the-air content. Three years later stations in Las Vegas began transmitting via NextGen TV. Among the enhancement NextGen TV provides include superior picture and audio capabilities, on-screen interactive apps, multiple video streams and the capability of watching content on mobile devices and in automobiles.
NextGen TV offers local broadcast stations numerous upgrades from the current ATSC 1.0 standard which, had required all local broadcast stations transmit digitally (HDTV) by 2009. At present, NextGen TV is available in more than 70 TV markets accounting for 75% of all U.S. TV households. Since NextGen TV uses the internet and digital applications the content is free, no cable/satellite or Wi-Fi/streaming subscription is needed. All that is required is a low-cost indoor antenna.
Rick Ducey, Managing Director, BIA Advisory Services, says, "NextGen TV was created by the broadcast industry as a platform to bring more competitive content and experiences to viewers and advertisers by combining the reach of TV stations with the targeting and personalization of digital. Local TV stations sell both over-the-air traditional ads as well as mobile and ads. CTV is a fast-growing revenue category for local TV groups. With new service introductions such as NBCU's personalized content service hitting the market, we expect to see local TV become more competitive not just among ad spending for other local TV stations but for the full $172 billion to be spent in 2024 by advertisers targeting local audiences."
Despite NBCU’s announcement, the introduction of NextGen TV has been slowed for several reasons. Accessing ATSC NextGen TV requires a tuner (ATSC 1.0 tuners are not compatible) and television manufacturers have been slow to install them. Seven years later many broadcast stations have yet to transmit NextGen TV. Compared to the transition to ATSC 1.0, the FCC have put no requirements or timetables on stations migrating to a new standard. Also, the FCC has been slow to promote NextGen TV and has limited the amount of bandwidth (keeping it on ATSC 1.0) necessary to broadcast. As a result, consumer awareness remains low.
The NAB which hosted the NBCU announcement has been a prominent supporter in the roll-out of stations transmitting and transitioning to ATSC 3.0.
