Sinclair Sets Its ATSC 3.0 Goal Posts

Libin serves as Senior Director of New Technology for Sinclair Broadcast Group the largest TV station owner in the nation amp160More than 190 stations operate through Sinclair now and that wide swath will exceed 200 when a pending merger with Tribune Media clears regulatory authoritiesamp160 ATSC 30 is the upgraded broadcast transmission process approved by the Federal Communications Commission last monthamp160 Sinclair has been a leading advocate of ATSC 3039s adoption all along and now that the adoption can happen Libin and the rest of his company39s management are operating at full speed to generate a variety of ATSC 30delivered services for the publicThis dramatic move from ATSC 10 the transmission format station owners now deploy quotwill provide broadcasters with a brandnew opportunity to address and then grow the local TV station market audiencequot Libin said amp160quotThe business models for ATSC 30 are completely flexible the standard is now an IP Internet Protocolbased standard which means that ATSC 30 is now connected to the internetamp160for TV and data services amp160Television stations now need to familiarize themselves with the capital costs of the transition they can use the estimate of just about 500000 per stationquot amp160That expenditure he adds assumes no postauction channel government reimbursementIn earlier pubic statements and published interviews Sinclair suggested a number of new ventures to launch on the local or national level using ATSC 30 amp160They include producing more multicast networks distributed simultaneously through an expanded digital subcarrier spectrum on each local stationamp160and multichannel operators inserting localnational interactive or personalized commercialsamp160and transmitting content directly to smart TV sets TVconnected devices and mobile phonesamp160 To implement all that and more in a smooth consumerfriendly fashion the company has created a set of six goals see below for any 30 project undertakenMaintain the audience amp160quotThis means the transition needs to work flawlessly and the market 39lighthouse station39 needs to be designated and wellcoordinatedquot Libin assertedIncrease the audience through new superior services both audio and video amp160New programming options will be added as requiredDevelop better audience relationshipsamp160 Libin promises real tracking of advertising effectivenessamp160 quotMultiplatform projects and campaigns will be introducedquot heamp160saidExpand business model development amp160This entails the new broadcasting world ATSC 30 generatesamp160and a new IPbased standardamp160that allows for both broader content distribution and new data service introductionIntroduce Single Frequency Networks SFN a 30powered signal transmission pathwayamp160that opensamp160the door for directtohome mobile content deliveryGrow SFN amp160Expansion will leadamp160to upgrades and the ongoing improvement of overtheair TV service amp160This growth quotwill then lead to seamless integration with mobile and other devices in providing a footprint for wireless data deliveryquot Libin notedWith those goals Libin estimates that Sinclair39s stations will have the 30 infrastructure operating by the end of 2019 with audiences at some of those stations able to see what can be generated in early 2018 amp160Additional adsupported multicast channels will be the initial intent of this ATSC playbook introduced on a gradual basisquotDigital revenue will begin to increase as well as multiplatform rolls outquot Libin added amp160quotThis will cause the advertising premium to increase slightly during this periodquotLibin invited other station groups to bring an ATSC 30 services marketplace along in quick order at last week39s TV of Tomorrow Show in New York City amp160quotThis is really exciting We39re moving in the right directionquot he told fellow participants on an afternoon panel covering 30 postFCC adoption quotWe should approach this as an industry not just as separate organizationsamp160 This will turn TV right where it should be againquotStation groups such as the ones Mary Ann Halford works with in her role as Senior Advisor of Pearl TV will seek unique financial arrangements to fuel and speed their ATSC 30 implementation amp160quotThis will not become a huge burden for broadcasters to carryquot she noted during the panelamp160 Pearl TV is working with Tegna Hearst Scripps Raycom Cox and other companies on 30 rollouts starting with a launch among Phoenixarea stations anticipated during the first half of 2018Lokita Solutions Chief Executive Officeramp160Chet Dagitamp160expects Sinclair and other station groups will collaborate on a number of ventures where content is offered at the same time through TV stations smart TV setsTVconnected devices and mobileamp160 When it comes to multicast Dagit estimatesamp160that every fullpower TV station will be able to offer as many as 15 networks quotmore than double what you can do todayquot he said amp160Other panelists agreed with his estimateAs the implementation process moves along quotwe39ll see thirdparty developers come in and create unique viewer experiencesquot added Verance Senior Vice President and Chief Partnership Officeramp160Eric Anderson a former executive with Samsung39s smartTV business amp160quotYou can create a more robust ecosystem of applications developers and communities out therequotBy 2021 Libin sees ATSC 30 triggering a portfolio of new content and service among Sinclair39s viewers amp160Go five years further out and stand by for what he labels quota virtualizationquot of TV networks whether overtheair or over digital pipes amp160quotThe same technology that allows someone to post a picture on Facebook around the world will be deployed herequot Libin declared amp160quotThat39s what comingquotClick the social buttons above or below to share this story with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writersamp160

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Sinclair Sets Its ATSC 3.0 Goal Posts

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