WPIX Begins Broadcasting Using NextGen TV In Big Apple

By Jon Lafayette
( Broadcasting & Cable )
published

WABC, WXTV programming being transmitted via new ATSC 3.0 format

Empire State Building
WPIX is transmitting NextGen TV signals from its transmitter atop the Empire State Building. (Image credit: Getty Images)

WPIX in New York, the No. 1 market, has begun broadcasting using NextGen TV technology.

The Mission Broadcasting-owned station (operated by Nexstar Media Group) is using its new ATSC 3.0 signal to carry its own programming, as well as programming from The Walt Disney Co.’s WABC and TelevisaUnivision’s WXTV.

WPIX is also transmitting signals for Rewind TV and Antenna TV.

WABCV and WXTV continue to broadcast using the current ATSC 1.0 format and are carrying WPIX’s programming for viewers who have not bought TV sets with ATSC 3.0 tuners.

Also Read: LG Stops Integrating ATSC 3.0 Tuners Into Smart TVs After Losing Patent Dispute

Nexstar said that WPIX is the 51st station it owns or manages broadcasting with NextGen TV technology, including seven added this year. The 51 stations reach about 58 million TV households. Its Chicago and San Diego stations are expected to change over in 2024.

NextGen TV promises a more vibrant picture, clearer sound, more channels, access to internet programming, mobile reception and other digital services.

Those services are hoped to generate billions in incremental revenue for station groups.

“When it comes to the deployment of ATSC 3.0, we think scale is critically important to fostering consumer demand for NextGen TV sets and developing new businesses and services,” Nexstar executive VP and chief technology and digital officer Brett Jenkins said. “Nexstar is extremely well-positioned to deliver broad-based data services to a wide range of businesses and industries. One study done by BIA suggested that these services could generate up to $15 billion in additional broadcast revenue by 2030, and Nexstar is actively pursuing discussions with potential customers interested in pursuing the new opportunities presented by NextGen TV now.”

BitPath, which is developing new data broadcasting services, led the planning process and coordinated transition efforts across the three N.Y. TV stations.

Stations in more than 70 cities have started to broadcast using NextGen TV technology. ATSC 3.0 will reach 75% coverage of the U.S. in 2024, BitPath estimated.

Jon Lafayette
Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.