Nexstar: Broadcasters Could Make as Much as $15 Billion a Year From ATSC 3.0 by 2030

By Daniel Frankel
( NextTV )
last updated

NextGen TV could generate more than the $13 billion a year U.S. broadcasters currently make from retransmission fees, Nexstar says

NextGen TV

The U.S. broadcast TV could generate as much as $15 billion a year by 2030 from the provision of datacasting services enabled by ATSC 3.0, according to a deck revealed to investors Wednesday by Nexstar Media.

That's more than the $13 billion broadcasters generate annually today from retransmission fees, the Irving, Texas-based Nexstar noted in its presentation. 

It should be noted that $15 billion is the high side of the projection, which lists $6.4 billion as a bottom-end forecast. 

The so-called "NextGen TV" standard enables television broadcasters with a tool to compete with internet-based providers in areas including connected car, telemedicine and remote education, allowing for the efficient "multicast" of data signals vs. the one-to-one dogma of IP-based distribution. 

(Image credit: Nexstar Media Group)

In addition, NextGen TV will enable broadcasters to expand their TV businesses into areas like advanced advertising and sports betting.

By the end of this year, Nexstar also said that ATSC 3.0 will reach half of the U.S. population, and that the station group already generates "eight figures" of adjusted EBITDA via its multicast channels. ■

Daniel Frankel
Daniel Frankel

Daniel Frankel is the managing editor of Next TV, an internet publishing vertical focused on the business of video streaming. A Los Angeles-based writer and editor who has covered the media and technology industries for more than two decades, Daniel has worked on staff for publications including E! Online, Electronic Media, Mediaweek, Variety, paidContent and GigaOm. You can start living a healthier life with greater wealth and prosperity by following Daniel on Twitter today!