What's Next for Over-the-Air Broadcasting? Re-Purposed Spectrum and OTT Alone?

1 Broadcast stations use for FREE a huge swath of very valuable spectrum2 Their business model relies primarily on licensed content such as a network affiliate andor syndicated shows along with a very few hours of local news and locally sourced informationSo far so good But now consider this3 The broadcast networks are now busily birthing new streams such as CBS All Access and Peacock These streams use broadband spectrum not the spectrum in the airWhich means in short these networks are now competing with themselves That might work nationally but it won39t work as easily locally Which makes we wonder why Sinclair Scripps and other station groups keep adding stationsSo what39s a broadcaster to doI doubt it39ll be more of the sameSo just think of the multitude of uses for all of that redundant spectrum The classic cable bundle is not far from getting its last rites When that happens just think of what goes away retransmission consent fees More smart antennas What happens to the loss of all of those paying classic cable subs Just networks over the air againI doubt that I even wonder about over the air at all amp8230 unless the market is big enough to be fully local news coupled with information in context on the air amp8230 which raises the question of language what is quotairquot Even folks at what once were called cable networks talk about being quoton the airquotAfter all thanks to offerings like YouTube TV Sling and more now over the air broadcasters have found another way to get to viewers via streaming backed up with virtual video storage and access amp8230 including our homeAll of this thinking out loud is just that For the spectrum to become available robust broadband would need to be truly ubiquitous reaching every video and computer device via licensed spectrum better than 5G and fiber Not to mention claims of quotpay for the spectrumquot from broadcasters An expensive long term project amp8230 which I firmly believe will slowly and inexorably happenThe media news and entertainment universes are all going to occupy the same ubiquitous digital space amp8230 in 10G I39ll betPrint will exist only as a specialty amp8230 a medium that can be static albeit pretty cool in the form of books magazines billboards the nondigital ones and moreClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet

Click to Make Your 2025 Contribution to Support the MediaVillage Education Foundation

What's Next for Over-the-Air Broadcasting? Re-Purposed Spectrum and OTT Alone?

Author

Publish date

Channel

Paul S. Maxwell

Jon Miller | Cofounder Marketo, Engagio | The Gumball Machine is Broken - Rethinking B2B Marketing - By Mike Linton

More Videos:

Click to Make Your 2025 Contribution to Support the MediaVillage Education Foundation

What's Next for Over-the-Air Broadcasting? Re-Purposed Spectrum and OTT Alone?

Enjoying This Commentary? There's More to Love

Paul S. Maxwell

Stay in the know with more from MediaVillage

TAGS:

Jon Miller | Cofounder Marketo, Engagio | The Gumball Machine is Broken - Rethinking B2B Marketing - By Mike Linton

The payment was successful

Cookies