The National Association of Broadcasters in the United States has published the final report on Future of Television Initiative. The initiative convened broadcasters, equipment manufacturers, pay television companies and public interest advocates under the leadership of the Federal Communications Commission and the NAB to ensure a smooth transition to the ATSC 3.0 standard, which is promoted as NEXTGEN TV.
The process was initiated by FCC chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and was formally announced at the NAB Show in April 2023. Through its working groups, the initiative tackled key issues including backwards compatibility, consumer readiness and the technical and regulatory hurdles of completing the transition to ATSC 3.0. Over the course of a year, participants met regularly to surface issues that will help accelerate the work of the commission on the transition to the ATSC 3.0 transmission standard.
The ATSC 3.0 standard now serves over 75 markets in the United States, reaching over 75% of households.
“The ATSC 3.0 standard is revolutionary for consumers, giving local TV stations tools to innovate and better serve their audiences with hyperlocal programming, an enhanced picture and interactive features. We appreciate the FCC for initiating this collaborative process,” said NAB president and chief executive Curtis LeGeyt. “We look forward to continuing to work with incoming chairman Brendan Carr to rapidly complete this essential transition to the next generation of television.”
Over 100 NEXTGEN TV models are available from several major television manufacturers, including Samsung, Sony, TCL, and Hisense. However, only 4.5 million or 10% of all television sets shipped to retailers in the United States in 2024 were ATSC 3.0 compatible. The Consumer Technology Association projects that number will grow from 7 million in 2025 to 21 million units in 2026 and reach 28 million in 2027.
The Future of Television Initiative Report is available from the NAB web site.