In private conversations at the 2024 NAB Show, some industry observers questioned if NEXTGEN TV was sputtering, with momentum to embrace the ATSC 3.0-powered technology fading. That’s hardly the case with some companies, as Sinclair Inc. is pushing ahead with potentially lucrative initiatives tied to broadcast data fueling the “internet of things.” Now Gray Television is sharing some of its more recent accomplishments as NEXTGEN TV continues to grow its nationwide footprint.
Earlier in April at WAVE-3 in Louisville, the Gray-owned station became the first affiliate of a major network to broadcast all of its programming using High Dynamic Range (HDR) with Dolby Vision and immersive sound using Dolby Atmos.
With the Kentucky Derby scheduled for the first weekend in May, the debut of this feature that ensures all local and network content appears in HDR with immersive sound positions WAVE-3 as a key media source for race-day coverage. Some 30+ hours of live and local coverage will accompany NBC’s network feed, starting today (4/29).
“With HDR and immersive sound, WAVE’s programming will pop. Viewers will immediately notice the enhanced contrast between the brightest and darkest colors on the screen,” said John O’Brien, WAVE-3’s General Manager.
Earlier this month, in a move tied to the 2024 NAB Show, Gray’s FOX affiliate in Las Vegas, KVVU-5, became the first network non-owned station and first NEXTGEN Virtual Channel to broadcast its entire programming schedule in HDR with Dolby Vision.
Gray President/co-CEO Pat LaPlatney commented, “For many years, broadcasters have been promising to use NEXTGEN TV to bring superior picture quality and immersive sound to viewers. Gray is proud to be among a handful of leading broadcasters who are now delivering on that promise. Our stations in Louisville and Las Vegas are just the beginning of Gray’s efforts to launch more of its NEXTGEN TV stations with these innovative, consumer-pleasing features throughout the summer and into the fall.”
In addition to advanced picture and sound quality, Gray also is using NEXTGEN to offer new interactive and streaming services for viewers. In Las Vegas and Kansas City, Gray’s stations are using NEXTGEN TV and the RUN3 Platform as a portal to access Gray’s live 24/7 local news-focused national streaming service, Local News Live.
As RBR+TVBR first shared with its readers two years ago, the RUN3 platform emulates the welcome or start screen one sees when accessing a station’s app via a smart TV platform such as Roku. “Gray’s stations in Las Vegas and Kansas City are the first to use NEXTGEN as a portal to access a free, live streaming news service providing a new public service to viewers in Gray’s markets,” the company said.
Gray SVP Rob Folliard, who serves as Gray’s chairperson in the Pearl TV NEXTGEN TV marketing consortium led by Anne Schelle, shared that in the coming months Gray hopes to use NEXTGEN TV and the RUN3 Platform “to offer more innovative and interactive features for its viewers, including start-over, interactive gaming channels, and much more. With the strong penetration of NEXTGEN TV capable television sets in the country, we expect consumers will increasingly recognize how NEXTGEN TV will improve their experiences even more than our industry’s transition from analog to High Definition fifteen years ago.”
