Now that NEXTGEN TV broadcasts are available to 76% of households viewing television, local stations are adding new technologies that showcase better audio and video capabilities and innovative features for TV viewers. The enhanced High Dynamic Range (HDR) offering started with sports broadcasts at the Kentucky Derby and this summer’s Olympic games and continues with the vast majority of NEXTGEN TV stations upgrading to offer better video and audio experiences.
New NEXTGEN TV receivers are also in the wings from Panasonic, which is re-entering the U.S. TV market, and from ADTH, which will soon introduce a tiny USB plug-in receiver to add NEXTGEN TV to consumer’s existing screens.
“Now that NEXTGEN TV is available in 76 U.S. markets, local stations are enabling new features that deliver outstanding picture quality, immersive audio, and engaging applications designed to retain viewers on local broadcast services,” says Anne Schelle, managing director of the Pearl TV business group representing more than 800 local TV stations. “Nationwide, more than 500 services are now available on NEXTGEN TV. High Dynamic Range is also available from broadcasters in some 80 million households to expand the breadth and depth of high-definition 1080p images with even more lifelike video. Multichannel broadcast audio is also on the move, with Dolby Atmos audio now available to some 32 million households.”
Following November’s election, broadcasters nationwide will begin running promotional advertisements to explain the benefits of NEXTGEN TV on nationwide stations.
“This will be our third year running a professionally-produced NEXTGEN TV broadcast campaign,” Schelle explains. “The effort has already reached millions of viewers on TV and online. Those numbers and awareness are expected to grow now that several large metropolitan areas have added NEXTGEN TV service over the past year. Anywhere that NEXTGEN TV is on the air, we’d like our member stations to run an informational campaign to let consumers know that they should be looking for the NEXTGEN TV certification mark as they shop for new receivers during the holidays leading up to the big football games in early 2025.
Pearl is promoting HDR’s benefits to consumers through explanatory sections of the WatchNextGenTV.com website and in-market TV promotion, where broadcasts have started with enhanced services. To learn more about HDRDolby ATMOS and interactive applications, visit the www.watchnextgentv.com consumer website.
