BitPath

In this repeat of the Talking TV episode from March 17, John Hane, president and CEO of BitPath, shares an update on how far along the ATSC 3.0 consortium is toward building a national network that will support leasing data services and get cash registers finally ringing for broadcasters. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

As ATSC marked its 40^th anniversary at last week’s conference, conversations resoundingly turned to alternative uses for the NextGen TV spectrum including datacasting and PNT applications.

The new tech sends large files simultaneously to 1 million moving targets.

John Hane, president and CEO of BitPath, shares an update on how far along the ATSC 3.0 consortium is toward building a national network that will support leasing data services and get cash registers finally ringing for broadcasters. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

BitPath, the Sinclair-Nexstar joint venture pursuing non-traditional revenue prospects from ATSC 3.0 spectrum, is experimenting with a new system that would improve location data accuracy, while also developing an IoT solution enabling energy utilities to better communicate with customers in times of peak need.

The new ATSC 3.0 broadcast data network will be previewed at the NAB Show. BitPath is planning to launch NavPath in several markets this year with expansion over the next year to BitPath’s entire footprint.

ATSC 3.0 infrastructure will position TV stations to not just create their own OTT platforms, but also lease a portion of their spectrum for datacasting, location services and many other new revenue possibilities. Leading experts on monetizing NextGen TV offered their predictions and blueprints at a TVNewsCheck webinar last week sponsored by LTN Global. Above, map showing ATSC 3.0 coverage at the end of 2021 from E.W. Scripps.

ATSC 3.0 infrastructure will position stations to not just create their own OTT platforms, but also lease a portion of their spectrum for datacasting needed for smart cities, enhanced GPS, infotainment, autonomous vehicle control, and a host of IoT use cases. Leading experts on monetizing NextGen TV will gather for an LTN Global webinar to be produced by TVNewsCheck. Speakers will be (clockwise from left): John Hane, president, BitPath; Kerry Oslund, VP strategy and business development, E.W. Scripps; Mark Aitken, SVP advanced technology, Sinclair Broadcast Group and president, One Media; Brett Jenkins, EVP/CTO, Nexstar Media Group; and moderator Mary Crebassa, VP major accounts, LTN Global. Register here. 

WCPO, WKRC, WLWT, WXIX and WSTR are now broadcasting with ATSC 3.0 technology.

WMAR, WBAL, WBFF, WNUV, WMPT and WMPB are now broadcasting with ATSC 3.0 technology.

Using the high-power data transmission capacity of terrestrial broadcast stations, the reliability of eGPS positioning can be broadcast to an unlimited number of vehicles inside of the range of a licensed broadcast television station.

ATSC President Madeleine Noland weighs in on the technology’s COVID-hampered rollout, the importance of peripheral receiver devices for viewers’ embrace and prospective nontraditional uses cases for the spectrum as a broadcast revenue driver.

WTVD, WNCN, WUVC, WLFL and WRDC have begun broadcasting with NextGen TV technology.

Around 10 markets should be on-air with 3.0 broadcasts by the end of the third quarter and perhaps 20 by year’s end, according to representatives of Pearl TV and BitPath. Broadcasters are also exploring the full capabilities of the NextGen standard with several new initiatives this summer, including the launch of a NextGen-capable smartphone and a trial of advanced alerting capabilities in Washington, D.C. Above, one of the six 2020 LG OLED sets that have earned the NextGen TV logo from the Consumer Technology Association.

Powered by ATSC 3.0, Sinclair’s KSNV (NBC) and KVCW (CW), Nexstar’s KLAS (CBS) and Scripps’ KTNV (ABC) are now broadcasting with the new NextGen TV technology.