Sinclair Broadcast Group said it established a joint venture with SK Telecom of Korea that will provide next-broadcast solutions for the television industry, starting with Sinclair’s stations in 2020.
The new venture, dubbed Cast.era, will be based in Arlington, Va.
“The combination of two of the world’s leading telecom companies with independent and complementary visions of convergence marks Cast.era as a formidable new player in maximizing the strengths of both, using the remarkable capabilities of the new broadcast standard,” said Del Parks, chief technology officer of Sinclair. “With our partners in Cast.era, we look forward to remaining at the forefront of platform and service innovation.”
SK Telecom and Sinclair expect to achieve synergies by combining SK Telecom’s telecommunication technologies and Sinclair’s broadcasting infrastructure. Projecting that all television stations in the U.S. will ultimately deploy services using the new ATSC 3.0 standard, the two companies will actively pursue opportunities in the U.S. market.
“We are confident that Cast.era will lead the ATSC 3.0 market in the U.S,” said Lee Jong-min, VP and Head of Tech Innovation Group of SK Telecom. “We expect to deliver a new experience to U.S. TV viewers through ATSC 3.0-based broadcasting services that combine the strengths of mobile and broadcasting networks.”
Cast.era will focus on cloud infrastructure, ultra-low latency OTT broadcasting and personalized advertising.
Kevin Gage, formerly executive VP, strategic development and chief technology officer of Sinclair’s One Media subsidiary has been appointed Cast.era’s lead representative and COO, and Park Kyung-mo from SK Telecom has been appointed Cast.era’s chief technology officer.
“It is an honor to lead this new venture between two visionary companies and leaders in their industries,” said Gage. “We look forward to driving the innovative thinking of their vision and provide new services that will transform the wireless and digital ecosystems.”
