Key Points:
- NBCUniversal has joined the ATSC 3.0 Framework Authority as an investor, supporting the Run3TV platform that powers interactive NextGen TV features for broadcasters.
- NBCUniversal’s NBC and Telemundo stations already use Run3TV technology to deliver interactive capabilities like hyperlocal weather forecasts and news alerts.
- NBCUniversal joins existing Run3TV investors Gray Media, Sinclair, Hearst, Graham Media Group, TEGNA and E. W. Scripps.
NBCUniversal has become the latest investor in the ATSC 3.0 Framework Authority, the organization behind the Run3TV application framework that powers NextGen TV experiences for broadcasters. Financial details of the investment were not disclosed.
Run3TV’s platform allows local broadcasters to deliver interactive content and enhanced viewing features over ATSC 3.0, also known as NextGen TV, the advanced broadcast standard being rolled out across the United States.
“Joining Run3TV allows us to help our local stations enhance how viewers experience weather, local news and programming with NextGen TV,” said Sharn Makhijani, the Senior Vice President of Business Development at NBCUniversal Local. “We’ve been very pleased with the reaction to our own NextGen TV interactive experience, which we believe is a considerable milestone for broadcast television and demonstrates the immense potential and possibilities NextGen TV has for viewers, programmers, stations and advertisers.”
Last year, NBCUniversal launched an interactive experience using the Run3TV platform across its NBC and Telemundo-owned stations. The product lets viewers restart live programs in progress and access hyperlocal information such as weather forecasts, severe weather alerts and local news updates. It also provides on-demand access to NBC and Telemundo content without requiring a separate streaming app.
Run3TV’s open framework allows these interactive and on-demand features to work seamlessly across multiple device types and operating systems, giving broadcasters a consistent way to deploy new viewer experiences as NextGen TV adoption grows. The company’s goal is to help stations connect more deeply with audiences while expanding the monetization potential of over-the-air broadcasts.
NBCUniversal joins a consortium of major broadcasters that have already invested in Run3TV, including Gray Media, Sinclair, Hearst Television, Graham Media Group, TEGNA and the E. W. Scripps Company. Those companies have used the platform to test and deploy advanced interactive capabilities in several TV markets as NextGen TV coverage expands nationwide.
The investment comes just two weeks before the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is set to vote on a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that is intended to lay the framework for a national transition from the current digital broadcast standard to NextGen TV across the country. If approved, the FCC would allow broadcasters to set their own transition deadlines.
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