Now that it is closer to becoming reality, some ominous signs
for the viewers are beginning to appear. The FCC only requires
local NEXTGEN TV (ATSC 3.0) stations to transmit one free
channel. Providing high quality, over-the-air (OTA) content free
to all to watch is the foundation of local antenna TV.
One choice being tossed
about for broadcasters is to individually charge viewers for
‘premium services,’ possibly for 4K or private pay channels. The
success of NEXTGEN TV will depend on station creativity,
content, viewer response, and sales results.
Seems the touted
benefits of NEXTGEN TV may be going more to the producers and
not consumers. A few quality local stations with targeted ads,
two way communication (so they can capture our watching habits),
a way for them to extract pay for selected content, and 4K that
may or not be free is looking more and more like the Nigerian
Prince may have another offer coming. The good news is that we
will still be able hook up the antenna and skip the WiFi
connection. Caveat Emptor!
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