TV broadcasters are making a comeback from the lows of the COVID-19 pandemic due to more political ad revenue than expected, but many are declining to provide guidance for 2021, according to earnings calls and investor releases this week from the CEOs of Gray Television, Meredith, Fox, Graham Media, Sinclair Broadcast and Nexstar.
E.W. Scripps’ $2.65 billion buy of Ion’s stations (see 2009240044) is seen likely to get FCC approval. It could hit some regulatory hiccups over the deal’s 26-station divestiture to a newly created company run by the leadership of frequent Scripps media broker Methuselah Advisors, broadcast officials said in recent interviews. Future FCC action on the UHF discount (see 2009250065) could also affect the newly created company, but the deal is expected to eventually be approved, possibly with adjustments, said media brokers, attorneys and broadcasters.
Voice + is CTA’s new name for the dialogue enhancement feature that the Dolby AC-4 audio codec enables in ATSC 3.0-certified TVs that qualify for the NextGenTV logo, said the association Monday. CTA’s Video Division board approved Voice +, authorizing licensed TV makers to begin using the name on their 2021 model lines, it said. Dialogue enhancement scored high grades when demonstrated for consumers in Pearl TV’s Phoenix Model Market focus groups two years ago, said Magid Research, which did the studies (see 1904110037). In one demo, Dolby recorded loud cocktail party conversations and played them through speakers in the back of the viewing room, toggling the enhancement feature on and off to show how it makes pleasurable TV watching possible, even in noisy environments. AC-4 also enables consistent audio volume across all channels, a benefit highlighted at Pearl’s new WatchNextGenTV.com. CTA applied for the Voice + trademark Oct. 21 (see 2010290016). CTA also announced Monday the availability of the test suite TVs will need to pass to qualify for the NextGenTV logo. The suite includes more than 135 tests covering 150 "unique requirements across audio, video, captions, interactivity, service changes and more," said the association.
About two months into the Edge Networks launch of Evoca, the ATSC 3.0-based content service in Boise (see 2008210021), consumer reaction is “going great,” CEO Todd Achilles told us. “We’ve got many times more people on our wait list than we’re letting into the service at this kind of early stage. We’re learning a lot.” Edge is getting mixed messaging from shopping Evoca in markets where it might try expanding, said Achilles.
The Pearl TV-led consumer-facing website WatchNextGenTV.com went live Friday to promote ATSC 3.0 technology and services to the public (see 2010260022). “The future of television has arrived,” trumpets the site. “Immerse yourself in stunning video with brilliant color, sharper images and deeper contrast that will make you feel like you’re really there.” The site lists 11 TV markets where 3.0 service is “on the air,” with 11 more “coming in 2020.” It lists 75 markets where 3.0 services are “coming in 2021.” A link to the Sony page features eight TV models with 3.0 functionality, including four derivative models sold exclusively through Costco.
Broadcasters participating in the Pearl TV-led ATSC 3.0 Phoenix model market added a single-frequency network there, they announced Wednesday. This will “enhance reception for viewers and broaden the reach of broadcasters transmitting to NEXTGEN TV sets,” they said. An SFN “makes use of multiple strategically placed transmitters placed on the air within the coverage area on the same channel and carrying the same services,” said Pearl engineer David Folsom. “This increases the signal level available for over-the-air viewing and decreases the viewer's need for a more complex receiving antenna, while enabling future use of mobility services to NEXTGEN TV-equipped devices as found in automobiles.” E.W. Scripps' KASW (CW) is the SFN host station, with sharing agreements to carry the 3.0 simulcast of its KNXV-TV (ABC) and of KSAZ-TV (Fox) and KUTP (Fox Xtra); all these outlets are licensed to Phoenix, per FCC records.
A proposal on changing FM booster rules to let radio stations geotarget content was circulated to the eighth floor, said FCC officials and a release from Commissioner Geoffrey Starks. The draft NPRM hews closely to an April petition from GeoBroadcast Solutions (see 2006040024) and doesn’t focus on an additional proposal from a group of broadcasters seeking to be allowed to originate content on FM translators, an FCC official told us. Starks has repeatedly praised the proposal and did so again Wednesday: “I am pleased to support this innovative proposal, which could offer a potential lifeline to small, women, and minority broadcasters that are struggling to retain their listening audiences and earn advertising revenue at a time when consumers have multiple options.”
CTA doesn’t “anticipate needing any further extensions” of the Patent and Trademark Office’s deadline for filing a statement of use (SOU) in the association’s application for the NEXTGEN TV logo as a certification mark on ATSC 3.0-compliant TVs, emailed Brian Markwalter, senior vice president-research and standards. CTA was granted a six-month extension last week to April 21, and is entitled to four more (see 2010230046). The original SOU deadline “was around the same time that compliant TVs with the logo were entering the market,” Markwalter said Monday. “Now that compliant TVs from multiple manufacturers are in the market and the logo is clearly in use, CTA is in the process of filing the appropriate SOU with evidence of use in commerce.” PTO requires SOUs before issuing registration certificates to prevent applicants from intentionally hoarding trademarks.
Sony Electronics wants broadcasters to use their new ATSC 3.0 opportunity to begin beaming 4K programming with HDR over the air, Nick Colsey, vice president-business development, told the prerecorded ATSC broadcast conference Monday during the virtual NAB Show New York event. Broadcasting in 4K HDR will “make the biggest difference” in sowing 3.0 consumer adoption, he said.
The FCC is expected to vote on an order on ATSC 3.0 distributed transmission systems (see 2007140047) by year-end, an agency official told us after Commissioner Brendan Carr referenced ongoing work on the item in prerecorded remarks for Monday's virtual NextGen Broadcast Conference. The FCC is working “on a proceeding to expand the use of single-frequency networks, which will ultimately help 3.0 reach its full potential,” Carr said. The proposed changes to the interference rules in the DTS proceeding would allow expanded use of single-frequency networks, which ATSC 3.0 advocates said is important for the new standard's future.