NAB Petitions FCC for ATSC 1.0 Sunset Starting in 2028

telcodad · 2025-02-27T17:49:32+00:00

The National Association of Broadcasters has petitioned the FCC to approve a February 2028 sunset for ATSC 1.0 broadcasts in the top 55 markets, with the remaining markets making the transition to ATSC 3.0 by Feb. 2030: NAB Petitions FCC for ATSC 1.0 Sunset in 2028 and 2030 https://www.tvtechnology.com/news/nab-petitions-fcc-for-atsc-1-0-sunset-in-2028-and-2030

Somewhat-Reticent

Free OTA broadcast reaches farther with more thorough coverage than DRM controls.
This may matter to government interests.

Genman

Somewhat-Reticent Free OTA broadcast reaches farther with more thorough coverage than DRM controls.

But OTA is not free, someone has to pay and advertisers are losing interest in OTA as it makes targeting key markets almost impossible.

Genman

Donut417 except those options cost money. OTA TV does not.

Which in many markets is dying.

Donut417

Genman Except they dont rely on advertising. They rely on retransmission fees.

lesmikesell

Genman But OTA is not free, someone has to pay and advertisers are losing interest in OTA as it makes targeting key markets almost impossible.

ATSC 3.0 tuners also have internet connections for tracking. My TV offers to restart shows from the beginning when I tune a channel which it could only do by internet streaming - but it won’t let you fast-forward commercials.

Genman

Donut417 Except they dont rely on advertising. They rely on retransmission fees.

That’s only a part of their income the majority is from buyers of airtime.

Donut417

Genman Last I read they get most income from retransmission fees, which is why they are pushing extra hard for this transition. They are hoping these people will just go the path of least resistance and just sub to some cable TV or satellite subscription.

Genman

Donut417 Last I read they get most income from retransmission fees, which is why they are pushing extra hard for this transition.

OTA broadcasters make very little from retransmission, they mostly have small markets, while the larger markets are served by networks, which is programming they cannot resell by contract.

The reason they want retransmission is for advertising revenue as it might increase viewers who do not have the ability to receive OTA.

Do you think Comcast is going to pay a local NBC affiliate for retransmission rights when Comcast owns NBC?

Donut417

Genman OTA broadcasters make very little from retransmission, they mostly have small markets, while the larger markets are served by networks, which is programming they cannot resell by contract.

Cable and Satellite companies by LAW have to negotiate with the local broadcasters for local channels. That means your ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox. The only companies that can negotiate with the national distributors are Streaming providers like Youtube TV and Hulu Live (Thats a loop hole the NAB wants closed). The point is that large companies like NBC cannot own the actual broadcast towers. Its suppose to ensure they cant screw over consumers, but the large broadcasters do that anyway.

Jbob

Genman Actually it’s a “Few” conglomurates who own the local broadcast station not the major networks like NBC.

Genman

Donut417 Cable and Satellite companies by LAW have to negotiate with the local broadcasters for local channels.

That’s untrue, local governments may require a CATV company to carry local programming as part of their basic package but there is no “law” requiring they do so.

Are cable companies required to include certain channels in their lineups?

Cable companies are generally required to offer a “basic tier” of programming to all subscribers before
they purchase additional programming. This basic tier includes, at a minimum, the local broadcast
television stations and public access channels that the operator may be required to offer through an
agreement with the local government. Cable companies may choose to add more channels to the basic
tier, but are not required to do so.

https://www.fcc.gov/sites/default/files/how_cable_companies_choose_channels.pdf

But then who nowadays watch’s TV anyhow?

The majority of people who’s age is not approaching 3 digits watch phones not TV sets.

TV killed itself years ago with too much dumb mind numbing programming combined with 24/7 brainwashing.

Thane_Bitter

ThirdShifter That is why the issue will not be fixed in TVs, users can go by another one (now costing more with tariffs) or they can subscribe to some pay service which will have an ever escalating prices as competition is killed by mergers to the benefit of the political powers that approve them.

Win win for everyone but the consumer/taxpayer/voter.

Donut417

Thane_Bitter now costing more with tariffs)

SCOTUS struck down the tariffs. The issue now is the patents on the ATSC 3.0 tech. Honestly I think if they go thru with forcing ATSC 3.0 adoption, TV manufactures will stop doing TV’s. Instead will make Home Theater monitors/display’s and have no tuner. As long as its not “marketed” as a TV, they dont require a tuner. What this will do is drive more people to streaming.

Thane_Bitter

Donut417 Well that lasted for a few hours before… well you know. Anyways It would be good if they would do less with HDMI and more with other licence free input/output ports, the HDMI group is literally a shakedown.

Donut417

Genman That’s untrue, local governments may require a CATV company to carry local programming as part of their basic package but there is no “law” requiring they do so.

I didnt say they are required to carry. TV stations have two classifications. Consent to carry and Must carry. Must carry cant ask for money. So thats like the channel your local government might have where they broadcast city council meetings. Consent to carry means the cable company has to write a check. That would be your NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox. The cable company is required to negotiate with the local broadcast companies. These local broadcast towers are generally owned by larger corporations like Sinclair, where they might own stations across the US. So when Comcast wants to carry NBC in lets say the Detroit area they are required by law to negotiate with the company who owns the NBC affiliate in Detroit. They cant go to NBC and just get the channel. Because Legally NBC cant own the local broadcast towers. The only media companies that can deal with NBC and the others directly are streaming providers like Hulu and Youtube, thats only because of a loophole. Cable and Satellite providers both have to deal with the broadcasters. So when you question why Comcast has been raising the broadcast TV fees, well its the local broadcasters to blame. Because every negotiation they ask for more and more money. If a cable company refuses to deal with them, then that cable company looses those stations. When that happens that cable companies customers who care about TV cray like little bitches about it.

Genman But then who nowadays watch’s TV anyhow?

From what I read about 18% of the US. I personally have an antenna connected to a HD Homrerun and can watch and record from my Plex server, at least for now. To be honest, the biggest reason we have this setup is because before we swtich to Comcast NOW internet we had a 1.2 TB data cap and we were there every month, even went over one month. Plus OTA is free, while streaming cost money which they keep upping prices.

Genman

Donut417 Because Legally NBC cant own the local broadcast towers.

That;'s incorrect.

WNBC (channel 4) is a television station in New York City. It is the flagship station of the NBC television network, owned and operated through its NBC Owned Television Stations division.

And the proper term is “granted a license to broadcast by the FCC,” tower ownership is not a regulated business.

Genman

Donut417 I personally have an antenna connected to a HD Homrerun

What the heck is a HD home run?

telcodad

Genman What the heck is a HD home run?

SiliconDust’s HDHomeRun: https://www.silicondust.com/hdhomerun/

lesmikesell

telcodad SiliconDust’s HDHomeRun

They tried to make an ATSC 3.0 version but it won’t work with DRM channels and the association won’t certify it.

InternetJeff

lesmikesell They tried to make an ATSC 3.0 version but it won’t work with DRM channels and the association won’t certify it.

And yet they advertise ATSC 3.0 on their website…

lesmikesell

Somewhat-Reticent

lesmikesell This?
SiliconDust (maker of HDHomeRun) FCC response filing against DRM on public airwaves

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