ITU Backs ATSC 3.0 as International Standard

The International Telecommunications Union has recommended adopting ATSC 3.0 as its digital broadcast standard.

The U.S.-backed standard allows broadcasters to deliver 4K video to mobile devices, deliver interactive advertising and alerts and much more.

"The decision by the ITU is yet another signal that digital terrestrial broadcasting has a bright future ahead,” said ATSC Board chair Lynn Claudy, SVP of the National Association of Broadcasters.

Sinclair was a leading force in the ITU recommendation process, according to ATSC President Madeleine Noland. Sinclair has long advocated and worked for a robust mobile digital standard.

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.