Major Broadcasters Launch NEXTGEN TV On Six Local Television Stations In Mobile-Pensacola

Posted on October 22, 2020 in ATSC News

WEAR-TV, WKRG-TV, WPMI-TV, WFNA, WFGX, WJTC Begin Broadcasting with New Technology

MOBILE, Ala., Oct. 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Six leading local television stations in the Mobile-Pensacola area, including WEAR-TV (ABC), WKRG-TV (CBS), WPMI-TV (NBC), WFNA (CW), WFGX (MyNet) and WJTC (IND), have become among the first in the nation to begin broadcasting with NEXTGEN TV, a revolutionary new digital broadcast technology. Based on the same fundamental technology as the Internet, digital applications, and other web services, NEXTGEN TV can support a wide range of features currently in development, such as immersive audio and video (up to 4K), broadcasting to mobile devices, personalized viewing tools, and advanced emergency alerts providing rich media instead of simple text messages. NEXTGEN TV also allows full integration with 5G and other broadband-delivered Internet content.

Powered by ATSC 3.0, NEXTGEN TV is the most significant broadcast technology upgrade ever developed. This week’s NEXTGEN TV launch in Mobile-Pensacola is one of the first in the country and follows a decade of development of the new technology and months of planning and preparation by the local stations.  BitPath, which is developing new data broadcasting services, led the planning process and coordinated efforts across the six television stations.

The participating stations have cooperated to ensure that current programming remains available to all viewers, regardless of whether their television service is provided over-the air or by a cable or satellite company. Antenna viewers can simply rescan their TV sets to ensure full service.  Rescan instructions are available at: fcc.gov/rescan. Cable and satellite subscribers do not need to take any action.

About WJTC and WPMI-TV – Deerfield

Deerfield Media (Mobile), Inc. is proud the serve the Mobile-Pensacola television market with NBC-affiliated programming and top-ranked news programming.  Deerfield Media (Mobile), Inc. is a member of the Deerfield Media affiliated group of companies, which comprise 10 television stations serving mid-size television markets within the United States.   In addition, Deerfield Media (Mountain Resort), Inc. is a leading video production house serving clients throughout the intermountain west region and is engaged in action-sport video production and syndication.

About WFNA and WKRG-TV – Nexstar

WFNA and WKRG-TV are leading television stations in Mobile-Pensacola owned and operated by Nexstar Broadcasting, a wholly owned subsidiary of Nexstar Media Group (NASDAQ: NXST).  Nexstar is the nation’s largest operator of local television stations and a leading diversified media company that leverages localism to bring new services and value to consumers and advertisers through its broadcasting, digital and mobile media platforms. WFNA is affiliated with the CW network and WKRG-TV is affiliated with the CBS Network.

About WEAR and WFGX-TV – Sinclair

WEAR and WFGX-TV are leading Mobile-Pensacola television stations owned and operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: SBGI), a diversified media company and leading provider of local sports and news.  WEAR is affiliated with the ABC Network and WFGX-TV is affiliated with MyNetworkTV.  Sinclair owns and/or operates 23 regional sports network brands; owns, operates and/or provides services to 190 television stations in 88 markets; is a leading local news provider in the country; owns multiple national networks; and has TV stations affiliated with all the major broadcast networks. For more information, please visit weartv.com, wfgxtv.com and sbgi.net.

About BitPath

BitPath is building the nation’s first dedicated broadcast data network to provide innovative new wireless services at a fraction of the cost of cellular systems. Based in Arlington, Virginia, the BitPath network will launch in early 2021 covering at least seventeen cities, with dozens covered by 2022.  For more information visit bitpath.com.

SOURCE BitPath

Posted in ATSC News