Six Stations Launch NextGen TV In Boston

Six stations serving the Boston market today began broadcasting with NextGen TV, also known as ATSC 3.0.

Switching on the new transmission standard were NBCU’s WBTS (NBC), CBS’s WBZ (CBS), TelevisaUnivision’s WUNI (Univision), Hearst Television’s WCVB (ABC), Cox Media Group’s WFXT (Fox) and WGBH (PBS).

“This launch took an extraordinary amount of collaboration among the six stations involved and demonstrates the broadcast industry’s commitment to NextGen TV,” said Anne Schelle, managing director of Pearl TV. “NextGen TV exponentially expands the type of content broadcasters can provide and the ways that viewers can engage with their television screens. Boston’s launch underscores the excitement we all share as we continue innovating this technology and launching new markets.”

Associated with NextGen TV is the RUN3TV web platform that brings interactive experiences and streaming content to over-the-air viewers. Built by broadcasters for broadcasters, RUN3TV’s web-based platform architecture enables stations to develop, innovate, and differentiate at the application services layer, allowing a consistent viewer experience across all NextGen TV devices. Broadcasters can leverage advanced advertising in live and streaming content, audience insights, and premium content distribution thanks to the new platform.

The six Boston stations will build on the growth of the new standard and local interest with a holiday brand marketing campaign to deepen consumer awareness and engagement. Through February 2023, the campaign will engage with consumers over social media and educate on how to look for the Consumer Technology Association-accredited NextGen TV logo, features and where to buy.

LTN is enabling the video transport between the contributing Boston stations. Using the LTN Network, a proprietary multicast IP transport network, it ensures that each station’s content is sent to the NextGen transmitter with the highest reliability and lowest latency.