BOSTON—Jan. 31, 2023—Television viewers in Boston, the 10th-largest television market in the United States serving more than 2.5 million households, can now experience the future of broadcast television as six local stations today launched NEXTGEN TV, a revolutionary, free digital broadcast technology that utilizes the internet and digital applications. The new standard gives viewers more news and entertainment choices, while providing broadcasters with a more compelling and interactive way to deliver their content.
Viewers in the Boston metro area and surrounding areas can now find six channels over-the-air (OTA) for free with NEXTGEN TV: TelevisaUnivision’s WUNI (Univision; channel 27); Hearst Television’s WCVB (ABC; channel 5); Cox Media Group’s WFXT (FOX; channel 25); GBH (PBS; channel 2); CBS’ WBZ (CBS; channel 4) and NBCUniversal’s WBTS (NBC; channel 10).
NEXTGEN TV, a free, over-the-air (OTA) service, is the first major overhaul to the Advanced Television Systems Committee’s standard for receiving OTA signals in 25 years. Now broadcasting in more than 50 markets, NEXTGEN TV is expected to reach 75% of U.S. television households in 2023.
“Boston will now get the most out of live news, events and sports programming, as NEXTGEN TV merges over-the-air antenna TV with the internet, enhancing its information and entertainment value,” stated Theodore Stoner, vice president of distribution technology strategy at TelevisaUnivision. “NEXTGEN TV dramatically improves delivery of our services, ensures that we remain competitive, and meet the challenges of today’s evolving digital world. This investment and collaboration enable us to provide a better and more engaging news and entertainment experience for our viewers.”
Boston viewers can find NEXTGEN TV-enabled televisions from Hisense, Sony, LG Electronics and Samsung at local and national retailers, starting at $599. While features available on NEXTGEN TV will vary by device and broadcaster as commercial service launches in local markets, it is designed to be upgraded, enabling a viewers’ television set to advance seamlessly with the latest technology, in addition to sophisticated day-one video and audio features.
NEXTGEN TV delivers:
• Stunning 4K, High Dynamic Range (HDR) video
• Consistent volume across channels
• Added voice clarity with Dolby’s Voice +
• Movie theater-quality sound
• Enhanced internet content on demand
• Advanced emergency alerts and information
• Expanded and hyperlocal news
• Dual language capabilities
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.
“This launch took an extraordinary amount of collaboration among the six stations involved and demonstrates the broadcast industry’s commitment to NEXTGEN TV,” commented 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.”
Viewers watching NEXTGEN TV channels can look forward to enhanced television viewing enabled by NEXTGEN TV as a complement to streaming platforms, as NEXTGEN TV doesn’t compete for household bandwidth with over-the-top content, but is provided as a free over-the-air service to elevate viewers’ experiences.
The six Boston stations will build on the growth of the new standard and local interest with a marketing campaign to deepen consumer awareness and engagement. Promoting through February and the Super Bowl, 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. Utilizing 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.
The participating stations have worked together to ensure that current programming remains available to all viewers, regardless of whether their television service is provided over-the air or by a cable or satellite company. Antenna viewers can simply rescan their TV sets to ensure full service. Rescan instructions are available at: fcc.gov/rescan. Cable and satellite subscribers do not need to take any action.
Boston viewers can learn more about NEXTGEN TV by visiting, www.watchnextgentv.com, which offers a guide to cities carrying the service, as well as links to available NEXTGEN TV models.
###
Media Contact:
Havas Formula for Pearl TV
pearltv@havasformula.com
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.
About LTN:
LTN® is a worldwide leader in video technology solutions for producers and distributors of broadcast-quality content. Built on the world’s fastest and most reliable IP multicast network, LTN’s universal media ecosystem unites modular services and integrates with other leading technologies to bring full-video-chain workflows, driving scale from creation and acquisition to monetization and delivery. LTN has been connecting the world with transformative video experiences for more than 15 years and continues to make content more valuable and relevant to media organizations and global audiences. For more information, please visit https://go.ltnglobal.com/home-page.