This year’s show, which runs Jan. 9-12, should be bigger than the 2023 edition. That show drew 117,000 attendees and 3,200 exhibitors and represented a significant bounce-back from the 45,000 attendees and 2,300 exhibitors that came in 2022, the first show after a one-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Consumer Technology Association (CTA), which owns and produces CES and is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2024, is projecting attendance to be 130,000 with more than 3,500 exhibitors.

“We are seeing huge momentum for CES 2024,” says Kinsey Fabrizio, CTA senior vice president of CES and membership.

A Bigger Footprint

As of early December, CTA had already booked 2.4 million net square feet of exhibit space, Fabrizio says, which is over a 10% jump from CES 2023. The CES 2024 exhibition and conference will be spread across the North, Central and West Halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center as well as several Las Vegas hotels, including 1,000 startup companies exhibiting in “Eureka Park” at the Venetian. Over half of Fortune 500 companies will be in attendance, including Amazon, Google, Intel, Qualcomm, LG, Samsung and Sony.

AI’s Big Year

AI is the “hottest topic in the tech industry right now,” says John Kelley, VP and show director, CES. AI will be “pervasive” across the show floor and conference sessions, Kelley says, including a keynote from Intel CEO Patrick Gelsinger discussing the critical role that chips and software play in making AI more accessible.

“What’s changed in the last year is generative AI has taken the world by storm, and every company is thinking about how to use it,” says CTA President-CEO Gary Shapiro. “And I know many, many, many companies are going to be talking about AI and introducing and showing products that take advantage of that.”

Another growth area for CES is automotive and mobility, Kelley says, with more than 300 companies exhibiting in an at-capacity West Hall including Honda, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai and Kia. The “C Space” Entertainment and Content conference at the Aria, which features brands like Amazon Ads, Netflix, NBC Universal, Roku and Snap, has also expanded with additional space in the Cosmopolitan hotel this year including new exhibitors Disney, NVIDIA, Paramount and Reddit.

Noteworthy “C Space” panels for broadcasters include “2024: The AI Inflection Point — Entertainment, Internet & Media” featuring Steve Canepa, GM, Global Industries, IBM and Richard Kerris, VP/GM, media and entertainment, NVIDIA; “Future of TV & Streaming: Cable, Internet TV & FAST Strategies,” with executives from Tubi, Disney, PBS and Nielsen; “Monetizing the TV/Streaming, Programming Platforms: The Strategies” with executives from Uber, Amazon Ads, Vizio, Disney and Estrella Media; and “Transforming An All-American Brand: Technology Inside The Weather Channel,” with Tom O’Brien, EVP, Allen Media Group; Nora Zimmett, president, news and original series, Allen Media Group; and Alexandra Wilson, meteorologist, The Weather Company.

‘A Good Way To Kick Off The Year’

With many top network and station group executives at CES, many media technology vendors will also be there, if not to exhibit but to simply meet with their customers and partners. One of them is IP transport provider Zixi, which has been experiencing big growth in its live event business due to the explosion in streaming sports coverage. Zixi won’t have a booth or suite at CES but is still sending a team of six, including members of its executive team as well as technical support personnel. That is double the number of people it sent in 2023.

“The number of companies that is going is starting to grow again,” says John Wastcoat, Zixi SVP business development and marketing. “We’re not going to be able to handle it with just a handful of people this year, so that’s why we’re doubling our team that’s going to go out and meet with everybody. And it’s an easy hop from L.A., so people can make a day trip if they need to … they’ll be in and have three or four meetings and be out, without a significant investment.”

Zixi has two motivations to attend CES that are interconnected.

“One is that our customers and our partners are looking for different ways to monetize their content,” Wastcoat says. “That could be sending it directly to a new smart TV, we do that with Bloomberg around the world. We have conversations with the automobile manufacturers about sending content directly to their screens as well. So, we’ve got that angle.

“And then our customers and partners are still looking at what’s going to be new and interesting for them over the next few years,” he adds. “So, we’re there to talk with them about what we need to do together in 2024, whether that aligns with anything that’s found at CES or not. But it’s a good way to kick off the year.”

While over time the overall focus at CES has shifted away from television sets and Blu-ray players to a range of different consumer technology products, Zixi is still very interested in how its IP transport technology integrates with TV sets to deliver programming to the living room.

“We are seeing a tremendous increase in our business because of the reallocation of sports rights to digital-first platforms that didn’t have infrastructure for it before,” Wastcoat says. “We’re forecasting a million live sports events in 2024 that will use Zixi, and two years ago we probably would have said we’re not very interested in occasional use business like that, we’re looking for the 24/7 constant traffic. But it has become such a volume pay that it has got our attention. So, companies like Amazon Prime [Video] are coming to us and asking us for new features and functionality, like scheduling tools to be able to manage these thousands of events that they’re doing.”

Another broadcast vendor making the trip is robotic camera specialist Mark Roberts Motion Control (MRMC), which will be exhibiting in the booth of its parent company Nikon. MRMC will once again collaborate with virtual production specialist Vu Studios to deliver the “Unreal Ride.” For CES 2024 the Unreal Ride environment will take place in a virtual jungle, where participants will get to experience the thrill of riding through it in a futuristic Jeep and once again be able to take away a video of themselves travelling through the virtual world.

MRMC’s technology can also be seen elsewhere on the show floor as several companies rent MRMC’s robotic arms just to draw attention to their booths.

“One of them has a light wand on it, and it attracts people because they see it doing funny patterns,” says Paddy Taylor, MRMC head of broadcast.

While MRMC does makes some products that it is actively marketing at CES, such as automatic tracking software and low-cost sliders for PTZ cameras, Taylor doesn’t expect to get many new customers for the company’s high-end specialized robotics at CES.

“It’s more of a positioning exercise,” Taylor says.

One of the messages that MRMC is looking to get across is that Nikon is serious about video, as more broadcasters and other professional videographers start to use DSLR-style cameras for content capture.

“With the Z 9 Nikon probably has the best DSLR-style mirrorless camera for video, and Nikon’s starting to make a really big thing about that,” Taylor says. “And we’re doing some things to move that camera and make it do interesting things.”

The other message that Taylor wants to emphasize is that MRMC expects full-frame cameras like the Sony HDC-F5500, which use the same type of large sensors as digital cinema cameras, will start to be used en masse in broadcast production in 2024 to provide a different look for live sports and news. And MRMC sees an opportunity there for its robotic systems.

“We have a few customers using Sony Venice [digital cinema cameras] with our robotics, but in live current affairs and sports studios,” Taylor says. “And I think with the Olympics and a few other events next year you’ve got more full-frame system cameras coming onto the market. You’re going to see a marry-up, where people are trying to mix different types of full-frame cameras in different workflows for sporting events, festivals, concerts — anything with a creative edge people are trying to strive for.”

New Services For NextGen TV

Broadcasters will also use CES 2024 to promote the continued rollout of the ATSC 3.0, or NextGen TV, digital television standard through demonstrations put on by ATSC and the Pearl TV coalition of station groups.

“There’s going to be a focus on the consumer, both on the services side and device side,” says ATSC President Madeleine Noland. “You’re going to see a proliferation of devices, more set-top boxes, more television models and a few extras.”

NextGen launched in 12 more markets in 2023, including top 10 markets Philadelphia and New York, and CTA says that 10 million NextGen TV sets have been sold in the U.S. to date. With planned launches in Chicago, San Diego and Tucson coming next month, 3.0 signals should be lit up in 75 markets covering 75% of U.S. TV households by the end of January, Noland says. She notes that 3.0 is also making significant progress internationally, with Brazil having chosen 3.0 technology for most of its new mandated digital TV standard and a final decision on the physical, or RF transmission, layer due next year.

Big Four networks ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC are all sponsors of the ATSC booth in Central Hall, which will have 13 different TV models, four different set-tops and one prototype mobile phone. The booth will also feature various demonstrations of high dynamic range (HDR) and enhanced audio content, including an “immersive entertainment room” sponsored by Dolby and major-league sports programming. There will also be a mosaic of various interactive applications enabled by 3.0’s broadband backchannel including “Start Over” capability developed by E.W. Scripps; an interactive music service from Sinclair; and sports statistics, gaming and news applications.

“What you’ll see at CES are almost fully-baked services that will hit the consumer this year, the gaming applications, the sports interactivity, the Start Over application,” says Mark Aitken, president, ONE Media and SVP of advanced technology for Sinclair. “There are a number of broadcasters, beyond us, who are now beyond the planning phase of adding HDR to their programming. Some of these become more and more relevant in respect to sports coming back to local broadcasting.”

Another new capability that ATSC and Pearl TV will be demonstrating is “broadcast IP,” which is a way to deliver a local station’s enhanced 3.0 programming to a 3.0 TV set as a “virtual channel” over broadband. This is a capability that is particularly important given the current spectrum landscape for 3.0, where often there is not enough capacity for every station that wants to offer 3.0 to be supported in a market.

Pearl TV first tested broadcast IP in Phoenix several years ago, says Pearl TV Managing Director Anne Schelle, working with set makers LG, Sony and Samsung, and successfully deployed it last spring for South Florida PBS’s stations in Miami.

The way that broadcast IP works is that a host 3.0 station transmits tiny bits of metadata within its over-the-air stream that can be picked up by a NextGen TV set and point to an internet server carrying the “virtual channel” of another station in the market that isn’t actually broadcasting in 3.0 due to capacity constraints. The virtual channel is displayed like a 3.0 channel in the over-the-air electronic program guide (EPG) on the NextGen TV set. When a viewer clicks on it that station’s 3.0 programming is then streamed to the set via the broadband connection.

However, the broadcast IP “virtual channel” shouldn’t be thought of as simply another FAST or streaming channel because it’s only available through the OTA guide, Schelle says. And it does require an agreement between two stations to enable transmission of the “tiny bits” of data necessary for the guide info.

“Our first goal was to bring up the PBS stations in South Florida to ensure that TVs can see it,” Schelle says. “It’s geofenced, you’re transmitting the URL in your stream, and it goes out and grabs the content from a server and puts it up in the OTA EPG. But you can only get it if you have antenna, you can’t get it otherwise.”

In Las Vegas, Sinclair is working with Gray Television and Fox to enable the broadcast IP transmission of KVVU, Gray’s Fox affiliate in the market, which couldn’t find traditional RF capacity for 3.0 programming.

“They want to offer their Fox station in 3.0 so they can enhance it with the same capabilities as if they were on-air in 3.0, to do 1080p and HDR, or even do 4K,” Schelle says. “They can also do [interactive] applications, the RUN3TV app works in the IP channel as well. They can basically do everything they can do in 3.0.”

The post For Broadcasters And Their Vendors, AI And IP Delivery Are Top Of Mind At CES appeared first on TV News Check.

Beat the Odds will feature news, data and analysis, mixed with sports history designed to educate and entertain sports bettors and general sports fans at all levels. Expert opinions from nationally-known analysts will be paired with sports history features and information focused on iconic wins, memorable upsets, bad beats and stories of risk takers and odds makers, both famous and infamous.

The series will feature current and former athletes, pop stars, historians and analysts with proven track records of beating the odds.

“Beat the Odds combines and showcases two of the most popular aspects of sports for the public, betting analysis and compelling storytelling,” said Michael Korr, KVVU VP-GM.

The pilot episode will feature nationally syndicated Full Court Press host Greta Van Susteren, and her interview with Pro Football Hall of Famer and Super Bowl champion Brett Favre.

Veteran KVVU news anchor Dave Hall will serve as host for the Beat the Odds pilot. He will be joined in the studio by expert handicappers Jack Ross and Ted Sevransky, along with Super Bowl champion Brandon Marshall.

Ross has been a sports analyst for 20 years. His national weekly radio show, The Fat Jack Sports Hour, can be heard on stations across the U.S. He also is a regular contributor on SiriusXM. Sevransky, known as “Teddy Covers,” is a professional sports bettor and radio and television analyst, who is regularly featured on WagerTalk. Marshall won his ring in Super Bowl 50 while playing linebacker with Denver.

“Beat the Odds is a different type of sports betting show,” said Tupelo Honey CEO Cary Glotzer. “It will give sports bettors top-notch analysis and information, but it’ll also be very entertaining, with features on sports history and how sports influence culture. It’s why we developed the show — to create a format that really engages sports and betting fans.”

Michael Korr and Cary Glotzer are executive producers.

The post Syndicated Sports Betting Series ‘Beat The Odds’ Launches Feb. 11 appeared first on TV News Check.

Blanca Esparza Pap is promoted to station manager at independent-CBS duopoly of KTVK-KPHO in Phoenix. She was most recently marketing director and a key architect of the Arizona’s Family brand, the duo’s umbrella brand. Last year she completed the National Broadcasters Education Foundation (NABEF) Executive Leadership Seminar. Esparza Pap has worked for KTVK since 2005 when she joined as the community and public relations manager.

In her new role, Esparza Pap will continue to oversee marketing and promotions, adding oversight of news and digital media and content. She will continue to report to VP-GM Kevin James.

Corey Hanson is promoted to station manager at KPTV (Fox-MNT) Portland, Ore. She was most recently executive news director, overseeing nearly 70 hours of news every week. Under her leadership, the Meredith duopoly has achieved ratings growth across all day parts and held the number one audience position in both morning and late news for more than 10 years. Hanson has worked for Meredith since 2004, starting as an executive producer at KPTV.

In her new role, Hanson will continue to oversee the news department and add management of engineering. She will work closely with news, marketing, and sales on digital planning. Hanson will continue to report to VP-GM Adrienne Roark.

 Terri Peck is promoted to station manager at KVVU Las Vegas (Fox). Most recently she was director of marketing and creative services. Peck created some of KVVU’s most profitable and notable franchises and brands including FOX5 Surprise Squad and Take 5 to Care, helping to generate more than $4 million in non-traditional revenue. Peck first joined Meredith at WNEM Saginaw, Mich., as creative services director in 2000. She has been with KVVU for 16 years.

In her new role, Peck will continue to lead marketing and creative services; add responsibility for the station’s digital and social media strategy; and lead the MORE entertainment team. She will continue to report to VP-GM Michael Korr.

“I am thrilled to see Blanca, Corey, and Terri move into these elevated station manager roles,” said Patrick McCreery, Meredith Local Media Group president. “All three are outstanding leaders that have demonstrated innovation and success. We are happy to see their careers at Meredith propel forward and are excited for their increased contributions to the future success of the Meredith Local Media group.”

The post Meredith Makes Station Manager Promotions In Phoenix, Portland, Las Vegas appeared first on TV News Check.

Korr currently serves as general sales manager and replaces Todd Brown, who was promoted to Meredith’s local media group SVP and chief revenue officer in October 2018.

“Michael has been an outstanding member of the Fox5 Las Vegas sales team for more than 15 years, including leading the No. 1 advertising revenue generating team in the Las Vegas market,” said Meredith Local Media Group President Patrick McCreery. “Michael excels at generating new business. With his drive and tremendous vision, I am confident he will be a great leader for the Fox5 Las Vegas team.”

Korr joined KVVU as an account executive in 2003. He was promoted to local sales manager in 2008.  He was named general sales manager in 2017.

“I am thankful for this opportunity and look forward to Fox5’s continued service to the Las Vegas community,” said Korr. “Local is at the heart of our brand. I know we will continue to build on the success achieved under the leadership of Todd Brown, and I am proud to lead what I believe is the most talented broadcast team in the business.”

Korr earned a Bachelor of Arts in interdisciplinary studies with concentrations in communication and small business management/marketing from Arizona State University.

The post KVVU Las Vegas Ups Michael Korr To GM appeared first on TV News Check.

Her new job begins in January.

Bohner is a native of Hawaii and a Boston University graduate.

The post Reporter Tiana Bohner Joining KVVU Las Vegas appeared first on TV News Check.

Meredith will launch:

• Grit in Atlanta on WGCL (On ch. 46.3)

• Escape in Portland, Ore. on KPDX (49.2); in Hartford, Conn., on WFSB (3.2); in Greenville, S.C., on WHNS (21.3); and in Las Vegas on KVVU (5.2)

• Laff in Portland, Ore., on KPTV (12.3) and Hartford on WFSB (3.3)

This is the first distribution agreement between the two companies. With the Meredith distribution, Grit will be available in 78% of the U.S.; Escape in 58%; and Laff in 50%.

“Katz Broadcasting is creating unique and attractive demo-specific networks for the digital landscape in the broadcasting industry. Grit, Escape and Laff will add great value to our stations in these markets,” said Doug Lowe, EVP of Meredith local media group.

“It is our privilege to be in business with Meredith Corporation,” said Jeffrey Wolf, chief distribution officer for Katz Broadcasting. “Meredith understands very well that in this new world where consumers are continuing to combine over-the-air television with over-the-top services, offering demo-targeted networks like Grit, Escape and Laff will help their stations grow and prosper.”

Action-oriented Grit reaches men 25-54, and is built around the classic male hero archetype with a heavy focus on westerns, war and action movies. Escape targets women 25-54 with a mix of theatrical movies, and off-network series anchored in stories of crime and mystery. The comedy-driven Laff, which debuts April 15, will feature a mix of contemporary off-network sitcoms and popular movies, with a target audience of adults 18-49.

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