ATSC 3.0 TV Set Mainstream Popularity Seen as Coming but Not Just Yet

Big mainstream demand for ATSC 3.0-enabled TVs is coming, but it's a couple of years out, with a lack of widespread consumer familiarity causing the delay, CTA Senior Director-Business Intelligence Richard Kowalski said Friday during the NextGen Broadcast Conference in Washington. CTA anticipates a big leap in set availability, starting in 2026. Meanwhile, broadcast and emergency alert system advocates talked about integrating ATSC 3.0 into the emergency alerts ecosphere.

Few TV retailers are promoting the next-generation product, Kowalski said. Accordingly, few consumers are looking for next-gen sets. Currently, ATSC 3.0 compatibility is found in premium TV models only, he said. A total of 5.5 million next-gen sets are expected to be shipped to U.S. retailers this year, about 13% of all TVs. Those shipment numbers are expected to jump to 27 million in 2026, and 31 million in 2027, Kowalski said.

ATSC 3.0 set adoption is going much more swiftly than the analog-to-digital transition, said Robert Folliard, Gray TV senior vice president-government relations and distribution. At this point in the DTV transition, an HD TV cost $5,000 or more, and fewer than a million had been sold, he said. Ten million ATSC 3.0-compatible sets were sold as of the end of 2023, he said. All that happened "without us marketing [next-gen TV] that much," Folliard said.

Gray's WAVE Louisville, Kentucky, saw a big ratings jump in its Kentucky Derby coverage when Gray heavily promoted HDR coverage, Folliard said. He said broadcasters will likely conduct similar promotions for broadcasts of this summer's Paris Olympics, as well as college and NFL football this fall, "now that we have something to show consumers." That should help drive ATSC 3.0 TV set sales, he said. Broadcasters must help drive consumers toward buying what are currently more-expensive sets with next-gen chips in them, Folliard said. That will help lead to the chip being incorporated into less-expensive models, he said. Key to that is broadcasters providing the next-gen content and features and promoting them heavily, he said.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is strongly behind ATSC 3.0's potential as a vehicle for emergency alerts, said Manny Centeno, director of FEMA's Integrated Public Alert and Warning System. ATSC 3.0 will show "how antiquated" the emergency alert system is, he said, but added that it won't replace EAS. As broadcasters program and reconfigure their equipment for ATSC 3.0 delivery, they need to see demonstrations of a next-gen warning system using next-gen TV, he said.

Government and industry also must collaborate on a common look and feel for public warning messages -- something sorely lacking, said Ed Czarnecki, NextGen Video Information Systems Alliance executive director.

Later this month, CPB expects to issue a second round of requests for applications from public media stations seeking federal grant money for purchase and installation of equipment with the aim of improved emergency alerting, said Faisal Khan, executive director of CPB's Next Generation Warning System grant program. CPB is subgrantee of the FEMA grant project. The first round saw 269 applications seeking a total of $150 million, with a sizable amount of the requests for advanced technology such as what ATSC 3.0 requires, he said.