Broadcasters in Phoenix have deployed their second NextGen TV service to the Phoenix Model Market.
KASW-TV, the Scripps-owned CW affiliate, announced the deployment this week. The station announced last fall that it was building a transmission facility that included a single frequency network (aka Distributed Transmission System) for the Phoenix Model Market, a testbed operated by a consortium of broadcasters and equipment vendors testing ATSC 3.0.
The station becomes the second TV transmission source in the nation’s 11th largest TV market. Phoenix now has two ATSC 3.0 transmission towers whose licenses are approved by the FCC, programming legal agreements are in place and the facilities are on-air. The station will host KSAZ-TV (Fox) as part of the initial launch.
“The addition of a second transmission facility provides a robust test platform with the power of two transmitters for signal testing by consumer receiver and transmission equipment manufacturers. The Phoenix Model Market continues to lead the industry in the development of the essential next-gen TV service as well as the testing of new automotive services,” said Anne Schelle, managing director of Pearl TV, which is coordinating the Phoenix Model Market.
“Scripps is pleased to partner with the stations in the Phoenix market to continue to advance next-generation TV service offerings for our viewers and advertisers,” said Brian Lawlor, president of Local Media for Scripps. “Our focus is on delivering local content that informs and entertains our audiences, and these technological advancements will move the entire industry forward.”
"This second station in Phoenix shows the keen interest in the broadcast community to explore the exciting growth and capabilities of NextGen TV. The Phoenix Model Market participants will make use of this second station to expand our business development efforts,” said Richard Friedel, executive vice president of Engineering for Fox Television Stations.
Viewers in Phoenix watching on conventional digital TV sets will easily find their familiar channels after the launch of the KASW-TV next-gen TV broadcasts. After rescanning, all of the current programming carried on KASW-TV remains on the familiar channel locations thanks to sharing arrangements with other broadcasters in the Phoenix market.
More than 60 U.S. markets have been targeted as the first areas where next-gen TV service will launch, with the ATSC now tracking market deployments of the new broadcasts. Once service is launched in those markets, next-gen TV powered by ATSC 3.0 will reach more than three-quarters of the nation’s population.
This story was originally published by Next TV sibling publication TV Technology.
