LAS VEGAS—As broadcasters gather for the 2025 NAB Show, Pearl TV has outlined some of the industry’s success in advancing the spread of NextGen TV aka ATSC 3.0, which are now available in 76% of American households in 78 viewing markets offering spectacular High Dynamic Range (HDR) video and immersive Dolby Atmos audio from local broadcasters.
In addition, two dozen companies from around the world will showcase new options for next-generation broadcasting in the 2025 NAB Show’s epicenter for ATSC 3.0 standards, located in booth W3056 in the West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, starting Sunday, April 6 and continuing through Wednesday afternoon, April 9. (Read: ATSC To Showcase NextGen TV Progress at 2025 NAB Show)
“Local stations and national networks are beginning to add new service enhancements to over the air broadcasts,” said Pearl TV managing director Anne Schelle. “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.”
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.”
Pearl TV reported several notable updates in the development and deployment of NextGen TV:
- The just announced 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.
- In addition, 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.
- The fourth annual NextGen TV promotional campaign has boosted 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," Schelle said. " 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."
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.
ATSC's 2025 NAB Show Plans
In addition the ATSC provided detailed plans for 3.0 demos at its booth W3056 in the West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, starting Sunday, April 6 and continuing through Wednesday afternoon, April 9.
“As the Broadcast Standards Association, ATSC is proud to count nearly 60 ATSC member companies exhibiting throughout this year’s NAB Show. It’s through their innovations and collaboration that we can empower the broadcasting ecosystem, which is our mission. The center of attention for next-generation broadcasting will be our own ATSC West Hall exhibit, which includes a wide variety of international companies, brands, products and services that demonstrate how internet protocol-based transmissions can enhance entertainment and information for viewers and provide a new delivery pipe for data through ATSC 3.0,” said ATSC President Madeleine Noland.
NAB Show attendees also have the opportunity to deepen their knowledge about ATSC 3.0 and its applications, with more than 20 conference sessions highlighting the capabilities of the flexible broadcast standard.
The largest displays inside the ATSC booth will be from AT&T Business, HCLTech, Sinclair / ONE Media, and Tejas Networks.
AT&T Business will demonstrate enhanced connectivity and engagement with ATSC 3.0 enabling instant and reliable communications at venues and in high-traffic environments.
HCLTech will showcase its Broadcast Core Network, a cloud solution that allows flexible deployment of applications and services across different markets leveraging AI and integrates components from various sources, independent of the underlying infrastructure.
Sinclair and ONE Media are planning demonstrations of the variety of ATSC 3.0 features that will be possible when broadcasters sunset ATSC 1.0 – including 4K High Dynamic Range video, emergency alerting and information, and data services from Broadspan.
Tejas Networks will show direct-to-mobile content delivery, integrating broadcast and broadband, enabling real-time media access with low network congestion.
New NextGen TV Equipment
NAB Show will also be the place to see new ATSC 3.0 consumer products that are now available for purchase in retail stores. Broadcasters will find a display of a dozen different brands of NextGen TV sets and upgrade accessory receivers for consumers.
NextGen TV sets will be on display from recent entrants Panasonic and RCA, as will models from Hisense, Samsung, Sony, and TCL. Upgrade Accessory Receivers are coming in a variety of implementations, from the tiny USB receivers to more fully-featured digital video recorders and combo ATSC 3.0 over-the-air / over-the-top media players. Upgrade Devices will be on display from ADTH, MyVelo, Stavix, VBox, Zapperbox, and Zinwell.
Showcasing HDR 3.0 Offerings
“Broadcasters are moving to enhance the viewing experience for NextGen TV, ramping up High Dynamic Range using HDR10, Advanced HDR by Technicolor, Dolby Vision, and HDR10+ to reach 86 million households," Noland added. "Interactive applications are also being rolled out, with some 40 million households now able to take advantage of these new capabilities, as well as new gaming and sports channels. One of my personal favorites is Program Re-Start."
In the ATSC booth, Advanced HDR by Technicolor will demonstrate its premium High Dynamic Range viewing experience for broadcast and streaming of live sports and entertainment, delivering any content, anytime and anywhere in high-quality HDR and legacy standard dynamic range.
Also on display, HDR10+ Technologies LLC will be demonstrating TV sports content in High Dynamic Range with HDR10+ metadata on the latest compatible ATSC 3.0 televisions from Panasonic and Samsung.
Eight international exhibitors are also featured at kiosk displays in the ATSC exhibit in West Hall. Software providers Fraunhofer (Germany), Happiest Minds (India), Mirakulo (Brazil), Run3TV (USA), Tolka (Singapore), and Yotta Media Labs (United Kingdom) will each show different applications of how ATSC 3.0 can be applied to benefit broadcasters and viewers. Advanced HDR by Technicolor (USA and Netherlands) and VBox (Israel) are also exhibiting.
Fraunhofer IIS will demonstrate ATSC 3.0 with MPEG-H Audio, which is part of DTV+, Brazil’s Next Generation TV System, and an advanced audio system for broadcast and streaming applications providing more realism through immersive sound and unique personalization features.
Happiest Minds will show how to unlock the power of ATSC 3.0 with their NextGen TV app that enabled enhanced engagement, personalized content, and location-aware television.
Mirakulo will present AstroTV NEXT, integrating hybrid interactivity, over-the-top, live TV, metrics, and dynamic ad insertion.
Run3TV will highlight the business case for Smart Broadcasting, which is now available from hundreds of U.S. broadcasters and offers the ability to launch new consumer-friendly services like Program Re-Start.
Tolka will show a wide variety of devices with built-in ATSC 3.0 – including a model that offers real-time Artificial Intelligence automatic translations from English to Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, and more.
VBox will demonstrate an ATSC 3.0 Datacasting Terminal, as well as a commercial ATSC 3.0 receiver for use in hospitality and senior living centers.
Yotta Media Labs will showcase how broadcast can add stations on ATSC 3.0 via a hybrid model, including using magicBOX for station delivery, event streams, exciter protection, and more.
