Joint Venture With SK Telecom Is Sinclair’s ‘Horse in the Race’ on ATSC 3.0, Says CEO

Sinclair is “learning quite a bit” from “the actual RF capabilities” of its ATSC 3.0 single-frequency network in Dallas now that it’s “fully operational,” said CEO Chris Ripley on a Q1 earnings call Wednesday. By adding three more SFN sites to the Dallas deployment, “we dramatically enhance the quality of reception through the entirety” of the designated market area, “to the level of quality that you’d expect from a wireless carrier,” he said. “Most of the testing right now is actually on the physical characteristics of that RF signal and reception.” Sinclair’s work with Korean joint-venture partner SK Telecom to develop 3.0 services globally (see 1901080045) is launching “as we speak,” said Ripley. “There’ll be more coming out of that venture in terms of the consumer-facing iterations of 3.0,” he said. “It will undoubtedly be an app-based experience that will include much more in the way of programming choice and VOD assets and targeted advertising,” plus “premium subscriber-based content,” he said. Many in the industry are working to develop similar 3.0 services, he said. “Our horse in the race there is our joint venture with SK.” Sinclair is “on plan to initiate” 3.0's deployment in 20-30 markets this year as part of the industry’s drive to debut 3.0 services in the top 40 U.S. TV markets by the end of 2020 (see 1904080071), said Ripley. “Great strides are being made” in 3.0 with “broad support from leaders within the NAB and the FCC,” he said.