PEARL TV BRINGS A POWERFUL NEXTGEN TV AND RUN3 TV PRESENCE TO NAB SHOW 2023 DEMONSTRATING ITS ROBUST ROLLOUT OF SERVICES AND FEATURES

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Apr 13, 2023, 08:00 ET

NEXTGEN TV continues to scale with recent major metropolitan area launches in San Francisco, Boston and Miami, and completion of a successful holiday marketing campaign that reached more than 30 million households.
Comcast NBCUniversal, Sinclair and the Pearl Network Consortia (PNC) have partnered to demonstrate advanced audio accessibility features designed to expand the accessibility of television programming.
FastTrack to NEXTGEN TV device certification program fuels accessory device market growth as Zinwell is the latest brand to enter the program, enabling low-cost accessory devices to be available to consumers this year.
Additional innovative demonstrations include Samsung's illustration of native and converted HDR with HDR 10+; LG's delivery of a first broadcast IP channel with South Florida PBS; the E.W. Scripps Company's interactive application and ongoing partnership with the Free TV Project; and NEXTGEN TV dynamic ad replacement enabled by the RUN3TV web platform.

WASHINGTON, April 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- At NAB Show Las Vegas, Pearl TV, the coalition of U.S. broadcast companies transitioning to NEXTGEN TV and its network partners today announced it will present a series of NEXTGEN TV features and capabilities demonstrations with partners, including Comcast NBCUniversal, Samsung and LG Electronics. Broadcasters and device makers, at any point along their NEXTGEN TV transition, will gain knowledge and access to strategies and technologies that will help them deploy, monetize, and drive awareness and interest of the new standard among consumers.

"In less than four years, NEXTGEN TV has grown to reach more than 60% of U.S. television viewers. Moreover, through our partnerships with major television manufacturers, we are thrilled that the retail market will boast more than 120 receiver models for consumers to choose from," said Robert Folliard, senior vice president of Gray Television and chairman of Pearl TV. "Essential to the continued growth and adoption of NEXTGEN TV are the innovative collaborations that we'll highlight at the show, and the continued rollout of new services and affordable upgrade devices for consumers. We're also extremely pleased to welcome Zinwell to the NEXTGEN TV ecosystem, as it enters the NEXTGEN TV CTA certification program for its upgrade accessory device that consumers will be able to buy later this year."

Now broadcasting with network television service in 60 markets, NEXTGEN TV is reaching 60% of U.S. viewers. According to the Consumer Technology Association (CTA®), NEXTGEN TV unit sales were 3.2 million in 2022. CTA is projecting 2023 NEXTGEN TV sales of 5 million units, as TV makers Hisense, LG, Samsung and Sony expand their product lines with a diverse range of NEXTGEN TV televisions. In 2023, there will be more than 120 television models at retail starting at $599.

"Broadcasters who leaned into the standard's innovative capabilities early on, have already started to benefit from enhanced viewer engagement and near-term monetization opportunities," commented Anne Schelle, managing director of Pearl TV. "At the NAB Show, with our partners, we will preview an exciting glimpse at what the NEXTGEN TV future holds—dynamic ad replacement, accessibility features, and more—that broadcasters and digital tech and media companies can harness for their own network and station businesses, and consumers."

On Display: Audio Accessibility Features

A two-screen demonstration will feature an NBC Sports NEXTGEN TV broadcast from the Las Vegas Sinclair station that will simultaneously be distributed via a Comcast Xfinity set-top box. Enhanced accessibility features highlighted will include full Dolby Atmos immersive sound in English and Spanish with audio description and Voice+ dialogue enhancement to increase the intelligibility of the foreground announcers' voices over the program content. This demonstration is enabled by Ateme, the first to fully develop the support for these audio features.

On Display: RUN3TV and Addressable Dynamic Ad Replacement

NEXTGEN TV gives broadcasters the ability to directly engage with their viewers via their broadcaster applications supported by the RUN3TV Web TV Platform. Pearl TV and Gray Television are partnering with Yotta Media, Sony, Triveni and Ateme to show early implementation of the ability to replace ads in a live broadcast, which will be standardized later this year. This collaboration will show how the RUN3TV ecosystem is developing new revenue streams that benefit content creators, innovators and viewers alike.

On Display: Samsung HDR 10+

Samsung Electronics is demonstrating a workflow, supported by FOX Sports and Ateme, that provides viewers with the desirable video enhancement of High Dynamic Range (HDR) with Dynamic Metadata (HDR 10+). This is possible even when the original content is not produced in HDR. Using real-time video encoding technology, the demonstration shows that high-quality HDR video content can be broadcast today without impact to current workflows or required bandwidth.

On Display: LG Broadcast IP Channel

LG Electronics and South Florida PBS are spotlighting their collaboration that launched the first full-time broadcast-IP channel in the U.S. This virtual channel includes channels that are fully featured as over-the-air channels, and it enables broad, early participation by interested stations where market spectrum capacity is challenged.

On Display: E.W. Scripps Company and Sony Electronics

KNTV Las Vegas, an E.W. Scripps Company station, is demonstrating its NEXTGEN TV broadcaster application built on the latest release of the RUN3TV platform on a Sony NEXTGEN TV. The application provides enhanced localized news and information with an easy-to-navigate user interface. This advancement follows other stations across the U.S. that have deployed 50 applications using the platform. The two companies have also created a unique partnership through The Free TV Project, offering discounts on Antennas Direct antennas to consumers who have a Sony NEXTGEN TV.

Upgrade Devices

Zinwell, a manufacturer of state-of-the-art broadcast broadband communication products, will soon complete the certification process to use the NEXTGEN TV trademark. Working collaboratively with Pearl TV's Fast Track for NEXTGEN TV program, Zinwell's ATSC 3.0 STB, with features such as 4K video, Dolby AC-4 Audio, emergency alerting system, remote learning application, streaming to devices and 4G LTE internet connection as options, will be available to the North and Central American market before the end of the year. The FastTrack program provides consumer electronics manufacturers with an easier, faster, and more cost-effective process to introduce NEXTGEN TV-compatible products for consumers.

Numerous upgrade devices will be on display, including options from Tolka, that are in the certification process and other additional devices that are next for certification.

Market Scale and Engagement

NEXTGEN TV's U.S. robust market rollout reached key milestone transitions with Boston and Miami in launched in January 2023. As NEXTGEN TV has entered these major metropolitan areas, broadcasters are moving first to leverage features such as dual language, advanced emergency alerts, and the ability to expand coverage of hyperlocal news.

To date this year, five new markets were launched, bringing household reach to 60%, and soon to follow are Philadelphia, Minneapolis, South Bend and Reno. As more markets are being advanced, market penetration of households will reach 75% by year end.

Annually, Pearl TV executes a holiday marketing campaign where NEXTGEN TV broadcasters can participate in a range of advertising on-air, online and social media viewer engagement opportunities. The consumer brand-awareness campaign reveals the value and adoption of NEXTGEN TV by broadcast stations and increased influence in NEXTGEN TV purchase considerations. Running November 2022-February 2023, the campaign's results* included:

30,000-plus commercials ran in 17 markets and reached 30 million households, including more than 100 thousand digital ads by all major stations participating
288% increase of new visitors to www.watchnextgentv.com
Three in four consumers are likely to purchase a NEXTGEN TV after seeing the ads
66% of cord cutters are likely to purchase a NEXTGEN TV upon seeing the ad campaign
Consumers find local television stations "innovative" when NEXTGEN TV capabilities are offered
NEXTGEN TV brand awareness continues to grow each time consumers see this local broadcast campaign

*Pearl TV's holiday campaign insights were managed by Magid Research.

NEXTGEN TV, RUN3TV at NAB Show

NEXTGEN TV will have a prominent presence at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show, April 15-19, in Las Vegas, Nev. Pearl TV's managing director, Anne Schelle, a recipient of this year's Women in Technology Awards for leadership, will take the stage as panelist/moderator in:

Session Title: Public Media Tech Summit's CE Trends: NEXTGEN Televisions and Accessory Receivers
Date and Time: April 14; 2-3 p.m. PT
Location: The Renaissance Hotel

Session Title: The 4th Global NEXTGEN Broadcasting Conference
Date and Time: April 16; 4-6 p.m. PT
Location: Las Vegas Convention Center, West Hall; W223-W225

Session Title: Measuring Up NEXTGEN TV
Date and Time: April 17; 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. PT
Location: Las Vegas Convention Center, West Hall; W213-W215

Session Title: Detailing the Carbon Footprint of TV Delivery Across Europe
Date and Time: April 17; 1:30-2:30 p.m. PT
Location: Las Vegas Convention Center, West Hall; W213-W215

Session Title: NEXTGEN TV Devices: Update on Progress, Challenges and Opportunities
Date and Time: April 18; 4:20-5 p.m. PT
Location: Las Vegas Convention Center, West Hall; W3421A Connect Inspiration Theater

Pearl TV will be featured in the ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committee) booth in the West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center. Media and analysts interested in meeting with Pearl TV for demonstrations of the NEXTGEN TV ecosystem may contact [email protected], or visit the ATSC booth, W3443.

Follow NEXTGEN TV NAB Show 2023 highlights on Twitter @WatchNextGenTv.

Broadcasters can learn more about RUN3TV at www.run3tv.org.

Consumers can learn more about NEXTGEN TV by visiting www.watchnextgentv.com, which offers a guide to cities already on the air, where signals will soon be rolling out, and available television models.

About Pearl TV:
Pearl TV is a business organization of U.S. broadcast companies with a shared interest in exploring forward-looking broadcasting opportunities, including innovative ways of promoting local broadcast TV content and developing digital media and wireless platforms for the broadcast industry. Pearl's membership, comprising more than 820 TV stations, includes eight of the largest broadcast companies in America: Cox Media Group, Graham Media Group, Gray Television, Hearst Television Inc., Nexstar Media Group, Sinclair Broadcast Group, the E.W. Scripps Company, and TEGNA Inc.

SOURCE Pearl TV