RALEIGH, N.C.—NextGen TV comes to North Carolina, as five local Raleigh stations are now transmitting the ATSC 3.0 next-generation TV standard.
The stations include Sinclair-owned WLFL (CW) and WRDC (MyNet), Nexstar’s WNCN (CBS), Univision’s WUVC and the area's ABC affiliate WTVD. All participating stations ensure that their current programming remains available to all viewers. With the new ATSC 3.0 transmission, cable and satellite subscribers do not need to take any action, while antenna viewers can just rescan their TV sets to ensure full service.
Raleigh joins a number of other markets that have launched NextGen TV to their viewers, including Las Vegas, Pittsburgh, Phoenix, Nashville and more. ATSC, the organization that developed the new standard, hopes to reach more than 60 markets by mid-2021.
“The faster we deploy NextGen TV, the faster we can begin delivering important upgrades for our viewers and advertisers—improving their visual experience, adding interoperability with the internet and enabling more narrowly focused targeting for consumers,” said Brett Jenkins, executive vice president and chief technology officer for Nexstar.
PLUS: NextGen TV Multimillion Dollar Promotional Campaign Set for Holidays
“As one of the anchor points of the Research Triangle, where innovation is ingrained in its culture, it’s only appropriate for us to usher in the latest revolution in broadcast technology to Raleigh,” said Mark Aitken, senior vice president of Advanced Technology for Sinclair Broadcast Group. “We are thrilled to bring the benefits of NextGen TV to this high-tech mecca, bringing a brand-new paradigm in broadcasting to viewers in the area.”
BitPath led the planning process for the Raleigh deployment and coordinated efforts across the five TV stations. BitPath President John Hane says Raleigh is the company’s ninth NextGen TV market launch this year and seventh for a top-40 market. He also says that additional Raleigh stations—WRAL (NBC), WRAZ (Fox) and WUNC (PBS)—are expected to launch the ATSC 3.0 standard later this year.
