The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has launched a new initiative aimed at helping local television news outlets adapt to the new broadcast standard ATSC 3.0, also known as NextGen TV.
The project, called the NextGen TV News Technology Lab, is a three-year program supported by a $2.5 million grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The effort is designed to give broadcasters tools to experiment with how the new broadcast standard can enhance local journalism, emergency alerts and community engagement.
NextGen TV couples traditional over-the-air delivery of TV signals with advanced features available through broadband technology. It allows broadcasters to explore services not possible under the legacy ATSC 1.0 system, including targeted alerts, data-driven coverage and hybrid programming.
Most network-owned or affiliated television stations are now broadcasting through ATSC 3.0 “lighthouse” stations across the country, and some are taking advantage of encryption technology to ensure their signals are only received by authorized viewers.
NAB says the NextGen TV News Technology Lab will help local newsrooms advance certain projects through the ATSC 3.0 standard, though the lobbying group didn’t offer specific examples. However, NAB did say it will help local stations explore ways that they can deliver real-time information to viewers with NextGen TV-capable sets who lack broadband access — something that is currently needed to periodically receive encryption certificates for stations that have chosen to lock down their signals.
Beyond project-specific development, participants will have access to NAB’s Technology Lab in Washington, D.C., to test and verify implementations before on-air rollout. Findings will be publicly documented so other broadcasters can learn from the results.
NAB says the program will run through October 2028, which “aligns with the national rollout of ATSC 3.0.” Currently, the FCC is considering a proposal pushed by the NAB earlier this year to transition all TV stations from the current broadcast standard to the new one between 2028 and 2030, but the FCC has not yet implemented the requirement.
