Spring Sports Serve as Showcase for Service Upgrades
Available to Viewers in 86 Million Households
LAS VEGAS, April 3, 2025 – Just as all eyes are glued on the college basketball championships, viewers watching games in NEXTGEN TV are experiencing how enhanced broadcasts can deliver more spectacular High Dynamic Range (HDR) video and immersive Dolby Atmos audio from local broadcasters. The upgrades are a key benefit of ATSC 3.0 broadcasts that are now available to 76% of American households in 78 viewing markets.
Broadcasters from across the country are gathering at the NAB Show in Las Vegas to explore how NEXTGEN TV is redefining the future of television and how its advanced features and new content experiences are helping stations meet the rising expectations of today’s viewers.
Just announced is a low-cost $69.99 USB receiver now available from electronics manufacturer ADTH that upgrades existing Android TV and Fire TV televisions to become NEXTGEN TV receivers.
“Local stations and national networks are beginning to add new service enhancements to over the air broadcasts. One significant improvement is HDR, which greatly improves video quality and is now available to 86 million households. Theater-like sound from Dolby Atmos is another enhancement, now available in more than 66 million households through NEXTGEN TV. And new interactivity options like Program Re-Start and new sports and gaming content are being rolled out to viewers, made possible by internet connections found on virtually every screen,” said Pearl TV managing director Anne Schelle.
Beginning in January, GameLoop signed agreements with Sinclair Broadcasting and Gray Media to enable real-time family games through NEXTGEN TV, including a variety of engaging games that can be played with a TV remote control. GameLoop is a NEXTGEN TV channel where the audience can watch and play free, casual games designed for the best screen in the house.
GameLoop is now live in 37 markets around the country with commitments to grow to 55 markets this year. Nearly half of GameLoop’s viewers are repeat visitors, and new games are being added. GameLoop will be demonstrated live at the Run3TV kiosk of the ATSC booth during NAB Show (Sunday through next Wednesday), in West Hall 3056 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Sinclair is now delivering 91 services (or channels) throughout the country with High Dynamic Range, including 61 that have Dolby Atmos audio. Sinclair has also launched Broadcast Enabled Streaming TV (BEST) sports channels T2Tennis and PickleballTV in HDR, now available to millions of viewers.
Fourth Annual NEXTGEN TV Promotion Campaign Boosts Awareness
Pearl TV and its network broadcast partners have wrapped a fourth annual on-air and digital campaign to boost consumer awareness of NEXTGEN TV and its groundbreaking features. The campaign promoted the NEXTGEN TV logo as a key symbol for consumers to look for at retail, delivering a clear and persuasive brand message about the future of television. The winter promotional effort alone resulted in over 53,000 on-air TV spots and a robust digital campaign across 91 markets, generating more than 100 million impressions.
“We’re very pleased with the impact of Pearl’s NEXTGEN TV campaign, which has driven over 2,000,000 to the consumer informational website WatchNextGenTV.com. Since launch more than 250,000 consumers have explored the site to find out what NEXTGEN TV channels are available in their area, and we’ve seen over 100,000 click-throughs to manufacturer websites selling NEXTGEN TV receivers,” Schelle said.
Since the start of these seasonal campaigns four years ago, local broadcasters have aired more than 300,000 commercials spotlighting the NEXTGEN TV logo and its transformative capabilities—both current features and those on the horizon. “We’re excited to see the momentum growing,” Schelle added. “Broadcasters like Gray Media are now promoting NEXTGEN TV year-round, not just on-air but across digital platforms and even billboards, making it easier for viewers to discover the technology and tune in.”
Gray Media rolled out Dolby Vision and HDR10+ High Dynamic Range video and Dolby Atmos audio at their 11 CBS-affiliated NEXTGEN TV stations in time for the 2025 college basketball tournament, giving millions of fans the ability to enjoy one of the year’s premiere sports events in the highest quality. Next month, WAVE-TV, Gray’s NBC affiliate in Louisville, plans to produce local news and coverage of the local pre-race festivities for the Kentucky Derby from Churchill Downs in native HDR – the first broadcast of native HDR content in the U.S.
“Gray is committed to innovating and investing in NEXTGEN TV wherever we have the opportunity in order to provide our viewers with superior pictures, immersive sound, and the most interactive experience possible,” said Rob Folliard, Gray’s senior vice president and currently the chairperson of NEXTGEN TV business group Pearl TV.
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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.
Media Contact:
Dave Arland, Arland Communications
dave@arlandcom.com
Phone: (317) 701-0084