In a recent interview, Joshua Weiss, cofounder and CEO of Ark Multicasting, explained that as the broadcast industry undergoes dramatic technological change with the introduction of the new TV standard, ATSC 3.0, Christian broadcasters have some unique opportunities.
ATSC 3.0 is the latest standard for terrestrial broadcast. The Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) built this new standard from the ground up to improve the television viewing experience with “higher audio and video quality, improved compression efficiency, robust transmission for reception on both fixed and mobile devices, and more accessibility, personalization, and interactivity.”
ATSC 3.0 is built on the same Internet Protocol (IP) backbone as today’s popular streaming media platforms. Not only does ATSC 3.0 deliver better video quality and immersive audio to viewers, but it is also easily adaptable for future technologies.
As with any significant industry change, it is important for Christian broadcasters to dig down and learn what this new standard means. Weiss said that Christian broadcasters shouldn’t blindly follow what the rest of the secular world is doing in respect to this space because they may have unique opportunities in front of them that many secular broadcasters don’t have.
Weiss describes ATSC 3.0 as a new way for us to broadcast. As those in the secular environments transition to ATSC 3.0, they are looking to answer for their legacy business models—generating the revenues that they’ve always generated through airtime sales, retransmission agreements, IP-based analytics, and increasing the quality of their signal. But Christian broadcasters typically have different revenue streams than secular broadcasters and therefore have different opportunities with ATSC 3.0.
“Don’t be boxed in,” Weiss said. “Look for new ways to capitalize on this standard and how you might migrate what you’re doing to this new world of IP and IP television.”
One of the easiest things that Christian broadcasters can do using ATSC 3.0 is to start adding broadcast internet services to their repertoire of services. This could include things such as distance learning services, services for smart agriculture, connected car services, and a plethora of others.
As you continue broadcasting religious content that expands the Kingdom of God, providing services such as these gives you the opportunity to generate profit and margin that you have not previously been able to enjoy. Now, with ATSC 3.0, you likely have fallow capacity on your broadcast spectrum that you didn’t have before.
Not only does Weiss encourage Christian broadcasters to look for opportunities and avenues to add broadcast internet services to their terrestrial broadcast through the TV standard ATSC 3.0, but he also said to look for opportunities to utilize government dollars to help you with this upgrade.
“The government is shelling out all sorts of dollars to help shrink the broadband divide,” Weiss said. “They’re looking for ways to help increase connectivity across the country, and one of the best ways to do that is through broadcast television, thanks to ATSC 3.0.”
ATSC 3.0 gives you new and unique opportunities to increase the gospel impact of your Christian broadcast. When you look at the opportunities, you will find ways to generate new revenues as you continue to broadcast the truth of the gospel. As you pursue these new opportunities, seek ways that the government may be willing to assist you with these upgrades to advance the gospel even further.
