President’s Memo: Defining the Future of Broadcasting – Television and Beyond

Posted on June 22, 2026 in ATSC News

History offers important perspective. From the establishment of U.S. broadcast spectrum management a century ago in the early days of radio, to the introduction of television, color broadcasting, HDTV and the digital transition, every major advancement required collaboration among industry stakeholders, standards bodies, and government regulators. The journey from ATSC’s founding in 1982 to the completion of the digital television transition spanned decades. Today’s challenges are not new—they are simply the next chapter in broadcasting’s evolution.

That spirit of innovation and collaboration was on full display during the NextGen Broadcast Conference held June 2–3 at NAB Headquarters. Industry leaders and technology experts explored the expanding possibilities of ATSC 3.0, with sessions highlighting datacasting applications and new service delivery models, global deployment updates, progress on the Broadcast Positioning System, Advanced Emergency Information, AI-powered tools for broadcasters, ATSC 3.0 and 5G convergence testing, the evolving Connected TV and FAST channel ecosystem, and next-generation network design strategies. Together, these discussions reinforced that ATSC 3.0 is enabling enhanced television service and much more.

Many thanks to event sponsors AT&T Business, Rohde & Schwarz, GatesAir, and Synamedia and to our conference exhibitors Ateme, Digital Alert Systems, EiTV, Harmonic, Mirakulo Software, Rohde & Schwarz,Samsung Electronics, Sinclair Broadcast Group/ONE Media, and Televes. We couldn’t pull off the conference without you. And a special thanks goes to NAB for hosting us at their amazing facilities. We sincerely appreciate all of our attendees for taking the time to join us. We were especially impressed by the event’s international reach, welcoming participants from seven countries. Many traveled great distances, demonstrating their support for and interest in ATSC. And last but certainly not least, we thank the moderators, panelists and presenters, who shared their deep insights, knowledge and time with us. We are very grateful, indeed!

ATSC 3.0 represents more than an upgrade to television. Developed through global collaboration, it combines broadcast and broadband technologies to create the world’s most flexible and advanced broadcast platform. While enhanced video, immersive audio, improved reception, and advanced emergency information remain key benefits, the industry increasingly recognizes ATSC 3.0 as an IP-based communications platform capable of supporting education, public safety, automotive applications, software delivery, positioning technologies, smart-city infrastructure, and direct-to-mobile services.

Momentum continues to grow worldwide. Case in point: India’s Direct-to-Mobile (D2M) initiative has taken a significant step forward through two parallel developments. The Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur) and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) have entered into a strategic collaboration under which IIT Kanpur will share its D2M broadcasting technology expertise and support BSNL in exploring nationwide deployment opportunities, helping accelerate the adoption of broadcast-based content delivery directly to mobile devices without relying on cellular data networks.

At the same time, Prasar Bharati has accepted a revised detailed project report and implementation roadmap prepared by Ernst & Young for D2M and submitted it to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting after multiple rounds of stakeholder consultations and revisions. Together, these developments signal growing institutional, technological, and policy momentum behind India’s D2M ecosystem, which aims to enable efficient delivery of video, educational content, news, and emergency alerts to compatible mobile devices while reducing pressure on telecom networks and expanding digital access across the country.

ATSC’s standards development activities remain robust, with several ballots currently in flight. Active participation in the ballot process continues to be essential to ensuring that ATSC standards evolve to meet the needs of broadcasters, manufacturers, regulators, and viewers. Members are encouraged to review current ballots and contribute their expertise as we continue advancing the next generation of broadcasting.

In this month’s issue of The Standard you’ll also find:

• Someone You Should Know featuring – Matt Kaplowitz from Bridge Multimedia
• Who’s that Person Game

The months ahead promise continued progress across the ATSC ecosystem, and we look forward to sharing new developments in standards, deployments, and emerging applications as the momentum behind NEXTGEN TV continues to build worldwide.

Madeleine Noland

President, ATSC

Posted in ATSC News