During this pandemic we don’t typically like to hear of a surge. But as it relates to NextGen TV the surge is a good thing. It means new and improved broadcast television offerings in more and more markets, and we are definitely in the midst of a surge.
Seventeen stations have launched this year with three new markets in December alone:
- Detroit – December 7, 2020 with E.W. Scripps WMYD hosting five stations.
- Tallahassee – December 7, 2020 with Gray Television’s WNXG.
- Tampa-St. Petersburg – December 1, 2020 with Hearst Television’s WMOR hosting five stations.
Almost 17% of all U.S. TV households are now in markets that are hosting one or more NextGen TV broadcasts. Not a bad surge given we are in a pandemic. And perhaps as important as the number of markets and stations is the number of services. Most markets have between three and six participating stations, meaning there are over 60 channels of NextGen TV content on the air already, including content from ABC, CBS, The CW, FOX, MyNetworkTV, NBC, PBS, Univision, MeTV and independent stations.
A few more markets are anticipated to go live this this month with plans for over 70 additional new markets on the air in 2021.
You can track the progress and learn more at the watchnextgentv.com. The site also details the new television sets from LG, Samsung, and Sony that will receive these new transmissions. The official ATSC Deployment Map is another good source.