Broadcasters are excited about the deployment of NEXTGEN TV, which revolutionizes the viewing experience. NEXTGEN TV allows broadcasters to offer better pictures and sound, better reception and interactive features and services. It also offers the potential to significantly enhance public safety, with devices that can “wake up” to warn viewers, and public warnings with rich media, interactivity and mobility. 

At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January, television manufacturers Hisense, Sinclair Broadcast Group and Advanced HDR By Technicolor demonstrated the capabilities of NEXTGENTV with demonstrations of vibrant high dynamic range content. “For broadcasters who put the customer experience at the top of the list, delivering the best visual image is essential,” Mark Aitken, senior vice president of technology for Sinclair Broadcast Group and president of ONE Media 3.0, told TV Technology.

NEXTGEN TV is on air in over 60 markets across the country. Below are two recent examples of market launches:

• In early January, four stations in Miami, Fla., began broadcasting over the air using NEXTGEN TV. “Broadcast is one of the leading platforms for local news and NEXTGEN TV nurtures and enhances this, delivering value to the consumer,” Anne Schelle, managing director of Pearl TV, a broadcaster business group heavily involved in advancing the NextGen TV transition, told TV Technology.
• In late January, six Boston, Mass. broadcasters launched NEXTGEN TV. Hearst Television’s WCVB alerted viewers to the update, noting the changes that viewers currently watching the stations over the air need to make to keep getting the signals they currently rely on and how to access the new NEXTGEN TV broadcasts.

NEXTGEN TV is on track to be available to 75% of U.S. households by the end of the year. Visit watchnextgentv.com to see if it’s already in your city or coming soon.

As NEXTGEN TV expands in markets across the country, broadcasters have asked the Federal Communications Commission to form an internal interdepartmental task force to focus on completing the transition as swiftly as possible, while ensuring viewers have access to free, local television signals at all stages of the shift.

The deployment of NEXTGEN TV provides an important opportunity to improve Americans’ favorite entertainment and most-trusted news source, as well as vital public safety information. To learn more, visit nab.org/nextgentv.