The broadcast industry has been eagerly awaiting the rollout of ATSC 3.0, precisely because the next-gen technology standard empowers TV stations to do things TV stations aren't known for doing. And finally, we're seeing new companies and ventures delivering real-world applications that use ATSC 3.0 and other technologies in clever and possibly transformational ways.
Startup company Evoca, for instance, has taken over the digital spectrum of two low-power stations in Boise, Idaho, to provide more than 70 over-the-air channels of high-resolution subscription programming. It's a virtual MVPD. But instead of relying solely on the internet to delivery video, Evoca mostly uses the ATSC 3.0 over-the-air broadcast standard.
Though Evoca has been broadcasting since last year, the service just launched an early access program for a limited number of Boise residents, with plans to expand to the entire city later in the year, said Todd Achilles, CEO and co-founder of parent company Edge Networks.
With any new tech, you've got to give it time to mature, Achilles said. Then you've got to evolve and iterate faster than everyone else.
The company plans to expand into other Mountain West markets in 2021, particularly small and mid-size communities similar to Boise, which is DMA No. 100. The two stations Evoca uses cover 80% - 85% of the Boise metropolitan area.
We're looking at second- and third-tier markets, Achilles said. Primarily, they're TV deserts now.
Evoca is actually a hybrid, using digital broadcast spectrum for high-demand, high-quality programming, while using broadband wired connections to deliver lower-quality or less-watched content.
We're blending broadcast with broadband, Achilles said. We make a decision whether to send a show on 3.0 spectrum or over the internet in a box. It's a function of what people are watching. The best live content gets distributed through live broadcast.
Obvious candidates for the high-end treatment are big movies, popular network shows and live sports such as the NFL and Brigham Young football (the BYU Channel is part of Boise's channel package, a natural given the region's large Mormon population).
That blended approach helps manage one of the big downsides of broadband; popular shows, at high quality, are expensive bandwidth hogs. It's far more efficient and economical to broadcast that programming, and it'll arrive in higher quality video and audio too, without drop-outs and other technical issues.
Let's say you're delivering a three-hour baseball game, Achilles said. That's 243,000 gigabytes of data. To deliver that in higher-quality broadcast is 5 gigabytes. And it doesn't choke the system.
But Ecova is emphasizing the flexibility of video-on-demand too, which is where broadband shines. The approach has proven popular so far; Achilles said the company has been hammered with signup requests since announcing the early access program.
A hybrid approach does mean that would-be customers need to get an internet connection if they don't have one. That's adding another role for Evoca.
If people have no internet connection, there's a path where we can plug that gap, Achilles said. What are the alternatives? We're kind of going slowly into being the (internet service provider).
The arrival of 5G fixed wireless mobile, which is also rolling out nationwide now, may become another way to get lower-bandwidth programming into customers' households, Achilles said. In the meantime, Evoca's base service costs $50 a month, and uses a puck-like streaming device in concert with a digital antenna to bring in the service's channels, record programming and get it all on screen.
Meanwhile, other broadcasters are using online streaming as both a new way to reach audiences interested in their local content and get ready for what ATSC 3.0 will unlike.
Days after Evoca announced its early access program, the broadcast groups Meredith and Gray launched VUit, an ad-supported free streaming service featuring more than 200 of their respective stations. Customers will be able to stream all of Gray's stations in 93 markets, and some in Meredith's 17.
The companies partnered with Syncbak Inc., which Gray partly owns, to launch the service, which is designed to extend the broadcasters' audience reach and drive incremental ad revenue.
Unlike a more traditional MVPD arrangement, however, VUit pays no carriage fee to the stations, but gives them most of the ad revenue it generates, including from local advertisers who typically haven't been able to tap streaming services effectively.
We're aiming to be the Netflix of live, local and free, Syncbak CEO Jack Perry told the Wall Street Journal.
PLUS: ATSC 3.0: Small Cities, Big Opportunities
Nexstar, the biggest broadcast group, has some of its stations available for streaming on Hulu + Live TV and YouTube TV.
Sinclair Broadcast Group, the second-biggest station group and a particularly active ATSC 3.0 backer, sits somewhere between Evoca's approach and those of Nexstar, Gray and Meredith.
Sinclair launched STIRR in early 2019, a half-step into ATSC 3.0 that now features 121 channels of ad-supported content of its own and that of dozens of partners.
Unlike a typical national AVOD service such as Tubi or Pluto, however, STIRR also features live local programming from its stations in 77 markets.
Unusually, that even includes in-market deals for live and back-five episodes of major syndicated shows running on its stations, said STIRR General Manager Adam Ware.
Live sports is a hot commodity, too. Sinclair's Las Vegas station, for instance, signed a deal with the WNBA's Aces franchise to carry 15 games, which also were available on a geo-fenced basis fo
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
27/01/2026
Click for Japanese version
Tokyo, Japan - January 27, 2026 - Akamai Technolo...
27/01/2026
L-R: Jonathan Cuchacovich, Sonia Kennebeck, Alan Fischer, Daeil Kim, Andrew Sta...
27/01/2026
Today, Spotify is proud to support our partner Backline, an industry-leading men...
27/01/2026
With nearly 29 million monthly listeners and clear momentum on Spotify, Net n Ve...
27/01/2026
January 14, 2026
We are proud to share that 25 Ontario, First Gulf's commercial project located just two minutes from our head office, has been recognized ...
27/01/2026
January 22, 2026
First Gulf is excited to share that a full-building lease has been secured at 625 Bronte Rd in Oakville, part of Bronte Station Business Park,...
27/01/2026
January 23, 2026
First Gulf continues to demonstrate its commitment to high-performance, sustainable real estate with 351 King Street East achieving BOMA BEST ...
27/01/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
27/01/2026
Nielsen will continue to drive growth and provide local audience measurement
in...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Amagi Media Labs Limited, the only cloud-native SaaS provider offering end-to-end solutions across live production, content preparation, distribution, and monet...
27/01/2026
Miri Technologies Inc. today unveiled its V410 live 4K video encoder/decoder for streaming, IP-based production workflows and AV-over-IP distribution. Designed ...
27/01/2026
The Paul E. Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell in Massachusetts has chosen Ikegami cameras for incorporation into its broadcast-quality television production facili...
27/01/2026
SipRadius, specialists in secure, low latency media transport, will show the pro AV community its end-to-end solution for high quality content distribution and ...
27/01/2026
Hiltron will highlight the fruits of its 45-plus years of experience in satellite communications system integration and product development at the annual GovSat...
27/01/2026
Klvr will demonstrate how its Charger Pro solution is delivering cost reduction and performance benefits for live entertainment and pro AV markets at ISE 2026 (...
27/01/2026
Amino, a global media technology leader in enterprise video and digital signage, today announced that its Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) 2026 booth (4N700) wil...
27/01/2026
ANI, India's leading news agency and a major content provider across the Asia Pacific region, today announced a significant expansion of its long standing p...
27/01/2026
Independent analysis confirms faster encoding, lower CPU usage, and improved perceptual quality compared to CBR and CRF
VisualOn, a leader in multimedia playba...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
New agreement for uninterrupted UHF connectivity for Australian Defence Force through 2033, With Options Extending to 2041
Luxembourg, January 13, 2026 - Satel...
27/01/2026
Tuesday 27 January 2026
SNL UK creative team expands as Pauli Lovejoy, Annie Ha...
27/01/2026
Back to All News
When It Feels Real, Is It Still a Lie? The Art of Sarah' ...
27/01/2026
Back to All News
That Night premiering on Netflix March 13
Entertainment
27 January 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
DOWNLOAD THE KEY ART
DOWNLO...
27/01/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Revealed the Future of Mexican Stories Coming in 2026
Entertainment
27 January 2026
GlobalMexico
Link copied to clipboard
Among t...
27/01/2026
Back to All News
Four New Japan Titles Announced for 2026: Viral Hit', On...
27/01/2026
Back to All News
What's Next on Netflix from Japan: Expanding the Possibili...
27/01/2026
AI, graphics and virtual software power new production capabilities...
27/01/2026
RT Supporting the Arts is delighted to support a dynamic programme of cultural events taking place across Ireland this February. From visual art, film, music, ...
26/01/2026
Music videos play a huge part in how fans connect with their favorite songs, but...
26/01/2026
NAIDOC launches 2026 theme 50 Years of Deadly , marks major milestone
25 January, 2026
Media releases
The National NAIDOC Committee has today unveiled its...
26/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
26/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
26/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
26/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
26/01/2026
Advanced Systems Group (ASG) today announced an exclusive partnership with Nu Studio, the company behind the first modular, portable studio designed for immersi...
26/01/2026
OpenDrives, the leader in high-end video data management and workflow solutions, today announced an add-on investment to its previous funding rounds, led by IAG...
26/01/2026
SmallHD today announced a major update to its award-winning PageOS software, introducing Fleet Control, Portrait Mode, expanded Camera Control features, and Dow...
26/01/2026
Whether rigging a PTZ on a truss, sliding a Blackmagic camera across a mezzanine railing, or capturing the mayhem from inside a drum, Filipic delivers visuals t...
26/01/2026
Wuppertal January 26, 2026
Riedel and Media Tailor Deliver Unified Broadcast a...
The broadcast industry has been eagerly awaiting the rollout of ATSC 3.0, precisely because the next-gen technology standard empowers TV stations to do things TV stations aren't known for doing. And finally, we're seeing new companies and ventures delivering real-world applications that use ATSC 3.0 and other technologies in clever and possibly transformational ways. 
