Sinclair Broadcasting Group and its subsidiary One Media 3.0 are shifting their ATSC 3.0 development efforts toward receiver design and user data collection.
Sinclair and One Media anticipate the technology and data gathering methodologies they are working on will be able to capture information relating to the consumer's actual viewing and consumption behaviors.
“No longer will broadcasters have to depend on expensive third party measurement services with small sample sizes and questionable results,” the companies said in a press release.
Sinclair and One Media are eyeing multiple ways of monetizing the data captured by ATSC 3.0 Next Gen-enabled devices. The companies say that advertisers will get greater efficiency in spending with addressability and personalization, and broadcasters will get greater efficiency in reaching and capitalizing on a larger advertising market.
"This is about knowing the truth regarding who is watching, what they're watching and when they're watching," said David Smith, president and CEO of Sinclair, in a statement. "Data gathering, measurement and behavior is too important for us not to have a reliable system and there is an immediacy to have this in place to coincide with the rollout of ATSC 3.0. Sinclair and One Media 3.0 intend to build it and make it available to the industry. We are currently working with device manufacturers and will shortly identify a test market in which to conduct live field trials."
RELATED: The World Series becomes the first live sports ATSC 3.0 broadcast
Sinclair’s development shift on ATSC 3.0 comes days after the National Association of Broadcasters and ATSC announced the first live sports broadcast using ATSC 3.0 standards occurred during the World Series. A Tribune-owned Fox affiliate in Cleveland, using an STA granted to the NAB by the FCC, used technology supplied by vendors including GatesAir and LG to successfully broadcast the game.