Comcast’s broadcast television subsidiary NBC Universal is harnessing the power of the next-generation digital broadcast standard to develop and launch personalized content experiences in areas where it owns a local NBC or Telemundo station.
The content will be accessible to over-the-air television viewers who have ATSC 3.0, or NextGen TV, broadcast tuners on their Internet-connected TV sets, the company announced this week.
The personalized news experience automatically launches on a NextGen TV-capable set when a viewer turns to a local NBC-owned station in several markets, including:
- KNBC (Channel 4, NBC) in Los Angeles
- WNBC (Channel 4, NBC) in New York City
- WCAU (Channel 10, NBC) in Philadelphia
- WNJU (Channel 47, Telemundo) in New York City
- WSCV (Channel 51, Telemundo) in New York City
- WTVJ (Channel 6, NBC) in Miami
The feature is also rolling out to NBC-owned stations in Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Hartford, San Diego, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. in the coming months.
The personalized news features allow NextGen TV viewers with Internet-connected sets or tuners to restart certain local and national news programs after they have already started, including NBC’s flagship “Today Show” morning program.
The feature also allows viewers to get customized information like weather forecasts and severe weather alerts, along with clips and full episodes of NBC programming — all of which are delivered over the Internet, but do not require a separate app to view.
“The launch of this innovative experience is a considerable milestone for broadcast television and demonstrates the immense potential and possibilities NextGen TV has for viewers, programmers, stations and advertisers,” Shawn Makhijani, the Senior Vice President of Business Development at NBC Universal, said in a statement.
Makhijani continued: “We are proud to further our leadership position in ATSC 3.0 by developing this innovative product with our partners and look forward to the continued evolution of its capabilities and benefits. We are truly excited to present these enhancements to our NBC and Telemundo viewers in several top markets, with more to come.”
The personalized content feature was developed in partnership with Fincons, Evertz-owned Ease Live and the broadcast TV consortium Pearl TV.
