WASHINGTON, D.C.—Following a wide-ranging collaboration between private and non-private TV stations in the nation’s capital, 5 TV stations have launched NextGen TV broadcasts in D.C. The 5 stations are: WHUT-TV (the Howard University-owned PBS affiliate on digital channel 32); WJLA-TV (Sinclair Broadcast Group-owned ABC affiliate on digital and VHF digital channel 7); WRC-TV (the NBCUniversal-owned NBC affiliate on digital channel 4, UHF digital channel 34); WTTG (the Fox Television Stations-owned Fox affiliate on digital channel 5, UHF digital channel 36); and WUSA (the Tegna-owned CBS affiliate on digital and VHF digital channel 9). Howard’s WHUT will convert to the NextGen TV customary and host the opposite 4 stations.The rollout concerned the Howard NextGen TV Broadcast Collaborative, which is a landmark venture developed in partnership with the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB). It features a studying lab the place the expertise is being additional developed and demonstrated.Recently NAB’s PILOT initiative additionally introduced a NextGen TV Fellowship program at Howard and launched the 2021 Fellows.“Just as expertise adjustments throughout us, from our telephones to our automobiles to our properties, NextGen TV is the technological evolution of free broadcast tv,” commented Sean D. Plater, normal supervisor, WHUR 96.3 and WHUT-TV, Howard University. “By connecting the IP and broadcast tv infrastructures collectively, we’re in a position to give viewers a greater and extra partaking content material expertise. Viewers throughout the Washington, D.C., area shall be excited to not simply watch, but in addition lean in and be extra engaged with their content material.”Anne Schelle, managing director of Pearl TV, a broadcaster coalition managing the NextGen TV rollout, famous that NextGen TV “is now out there in 37 markets and anticipated to achieve 45% of U.S. households by the top of the 12 months. Washington, D.C., represents an essential milestone in the broader rollout and reveals that we’ve solely simply scratched the floor on the worth that it brings to viewers and broadcasters.”“The Media Technology Innovation Learning Lab is already residing as much as its objective—to foster participation and present how the myriad capabilities of NextGen TV can finest be utilized for future public service, leisure, and knowledge targets,” acknowledged Sam Matheny, government vice chairman and chief expertise officer, National Association of Broadcasters. “We have great delight in Howard University scholar Sulaiman Bastien as the primary faculty scholar in the world to create a NextGen TV app. As the rollout continues, the Lab is poised to duplicate extra tales of innovation and produce a vibrant ecosystem of broadcasters and app builders.”In celebration of the launch of NextGen TV service in the nation’s capital, the Howard University NextGen TV Broadcast Collaborative and the NAB will host a digital occasion on December 16 at 10 a.m. ET.Emceed by TEGNA WUSA9 anchor and Howard University Alumna Lesli Foster, the occasion will element the partnership between Howard University and 4 native TV associates to unlock the revolutionary options of NextGen TV for viewers in the Washington, D.C., space. The program may also acknowledge Howard University college students licensed in reaching foundational information of NextGen TV and honor the inaugural recipients of the brand new PILOT NextGen TV Fellowship program, launched by NAB with assist from AWS.Event audio system embrace Howard University President Dr. Wayne Frederick, NAB President and CEO Gordon H. Smith and FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks. Click right here to entry this system.Supporting organizations for the Howard NextGen TV Broadcast Collaborative embrace: ABC; APTS; Dolby; GatesAir; Harmonic; Heartland Video Systems; Howard University and WHUT-TV; IBM; LG Electronics; LTN Global Communications; Pearl TV broadcaster enterprise group and Phoenix Model Market Partners; NAB; Samsung; Sony; Synamedia; Triveni Digital; WHUT (PBS); WJLA (Sinclair Broadcast Group); WRC (NBCUniversal Local); WTTG (Fox Television Stations); WUSA (TEGNA).TV Tech has been monitoring the rollout of ATSC 3.0 broadcasts across the nation right here.
Five Stations Launch NextGen TV Broadcasts in Washington D.C.
