CHAIRMAN’S MEMO “Bottom Line: It’s Real!”

Posted on March 1, 2016 in ATSC News

When ATSC President Mark Richer invited me, in my new role as Chairman of the ATSC Board, to pen this month’s message, I pondered what my broadcasting compatriots and other key stakeholders really need to know at this stage about ATSC 3.0. In the ATSC process, we all talk a lot about Working Draft Standards, Candidate Standards, Proposed Standards and so on.  ATSC 3.0 is no longer just a pie-in-the-sky idea with engineers in the basement skunkworks piecing things together. The bottom line is that the standard is real and it’s coming upon us like a freight train!

The reality of ATSC 3.0 will be crystal clear next month at the NAB Show, where ATSC members will demonstrate operational 3.0 hardware, running 3.0 applications on actual 3.0 over-the-air broadcasts.  Broadcasters will begin placing orders for 3.0 professional equipment, and we’ll see actual consumer 3.0 receivers and ancillary equipment – okay, they’re still prototypes but using real chips – from major consumer electronics brands.

So what will ATSC 3.0 really mean for broadcasters, manufacturers and especially for viewers?

• It’s a screaming fast broadband pipeline to peoples’ homes. The first IP (Internet Protocol) based broadcast system will deliver a tremendous amount of digital data to all kinds of devices.
• It enables broadcasters to offer targeted advertising and measure advertising’s effectiveness in new ways.
• It extends the live broadcast television experience to tablets and smart phones, ushering in new hybrid viewing experiences on big and small screens for generations of viewers.
• It supports delivery of 4K, WCG and HDR, in addition to interactive services and mobile capabilities, as well as closed captioning and enhanced emergency alerting.
• It offers a robust mix of options for advertiser-supported and premium subscription services.

ATSC doesn’t delve into business issues or regulatory matters. We also don’t develop standards in a vacuum.  Simply put, our role is to develop standards that provide new capabilities, flexibility and extensibility that will enable new models for monetization and service to viewers.

Frankly, speaking as a broadcaster, I think the ATSC’s greatest challenge is not the development of the standards – they’re real.  Our greater mission is to articulate the capabilities of 3.0 so broadcasters can develop their business plans and begin to make the necessary investments for the future.

With the spectrum auction underway and implementation of 3.0 expected to coincide perfectly with the spectrum repack, now is the time for broadcasters to work in earnest on business plans, implementation plans and transition plans. Now is the time for all the stakeholders to recognize that ATSC 3.0 is real and ready to redefine the future of television. 

Richard Friedel, 2016 ATSC Board Chairman

Executive VP and General Manager, Engineering & Operations, Fox Networks

At its February meeting, the ATSC Board elected Vice Chairs for 2016: Dave Siegler, Cox Media Group, and Brian Markwalter, Consumer Technology Association. Congratulations!

Posted in ATSC News