WASHINGTON—The Pearl TV coalition today announced two steps it is taking to help TV broadcasters realize more of the monetization potential of ATSC 3.0—one related to advertising and the other aimed at increasing the number of TV viewers who can watch NextGen TV.
Pearl TV has expanded its support for digital video advertising technology in its RUN3TV web TV platform with greater support for revenue generation via server-side ad insertion (SSAI).
“Adding digital monetization capabilities creates a game changing opportunity for over-the-air broadcast services,” said Anne Schelle, managing director of Pearl TV. “Expanding on the unique ability to deliver hybrid television service and better engage with their viewers, broadcasters are easily able to integrate with their existing over-the-air and connected TV monetization platforms.”
RUN3TV now supports server-side ad insertion and client-side reporting. These tools are used to enable video advertising in various scenarios, including over-the-top content delivery, connected TV (CTV) uses, advertising-based video on demand (AVOD) and free ad-supported television (FAST) channels.
The RUN3TV support for SSAI includes the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s video ad serving template (VAST), dynamic adaptive streaming over HTTP (DASH) ad insertion specifications and the 3.0 broadcast standard, Pearl said.
The tech partners supporting SSAI, including Google Ad Manager, Madhive, Amazon AWS Media Tailer, Magnite, Springserve and Freewheel, are at work on their integrations. At present, NextGen TV broadcasters in 25 markets use these ad tech partners, it said.
“Connected TVs continue to be a driving force behind turning the TV screen into a full-funnel marketing tool, bringing together the premium environment of television with all the tools digital has and more,” said Madhive CEO Adam Helfgott.
“Now, with NextGen TV and the RUN3TV framework, we can bring these capabilities to over-the-air delivery, so that broadcasters can leverage our high-fidelity technology, such as our proprietary connected TV device graph of 100 million households, to deliver local-at-scale precision,” he said.
Pearl TV also announced at the ongoing 2022 NAB Show New York its FastTrack program to accelerate development and retail availability of low-cost upgrade 3.0 accessory receivers.
The program will help advance availability of devices for consumers by guiding device makers through the NextGen TV logo and other conformance requirements, including security and regulatory compliance and testing, as well as promoting opportunities for distribution and marketing partnerships, Pearl TV said.
More than 90% of households have displays with HDMI inputs that are not outfitted with 3.0 receivers. The new program aims to support manufacturers wishing to make devices that support 3.0’s full service feature set, including enhanced video, audio and interactive features, it said.
The detailed device requirements will be updated continuously to aid manufacturers as NextGen TV evolves Pearl said.
“This new program will make it easier for companies interested in jumping into the NextGen TV device ecosystem to design, manufacture and sell upgrade accessories,” said Schelle.
“While we’ve seen continued success of the transition, the ATSC 3.0 standard is not backward compatible. This program helps solve that. With a simplified process, accessory price points will decrease making it more affordable and easier for consumers to enjoy NextGen TV even without an enabled television.”
Currently, more than 120 television models from Hisense, LG, Samsung and Sony support NextGen TV. More than 50 markets reaching 55% of U.S. households, transmit NextGen TV. That’s expected to reach 75% of those households by the end of 2023.
“NextGen TV is experiencing hockey stick growth among consumers and broadcasters, yet some viewers with television sets bought prior to 2020 have yet to enjoy the rich features of the standard,” said Rob Folliard, senior vice president of government relations and distribution at Gray Television.
“Device makers can now address this issue with full support and guidance to manufacture and market compatible products that consumers need and want to enjoy over-the-air television service for free.”
Pearl TV’s Schelle will present at the 2022 NAB Show New York on Oct. 19 at 3:15 p.m.
The FastTrack Program will be discussed and RUN3TV demonstrated at the show.
More information about the FastTrack Program and RUN3TV is available online.
