• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, September 27, 2019

The Consumer Technology Association has unveiled a consumer-facing brand name and logo for smart TVs and devices that meet the new ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard: NextGen TV.

The logo (shown), will be on 4K Ultra HD TVs, gateway receivers, and portable devices that meet the standard, which is scheduled to roll out in the top 40 U.S. TV markets by the end of 2020.

ATSC 3.0 (named after the group responsible for determining the broadcast standard, the Advanced Television Systems Committee) will enable interactive and addressable TV advertising — to allow broadcast to better compete with digital media — as well as the user benefits of 4K Ultra HD, and better over-the-air and mobile reception.

TV stations are adopting the standard in anticipation of the ATSC 3.0-equipped TV receivers, also coming at the end of 2020. Industry groups involved in developing the standard have said that “tens of millions” of viewers should be able to receive programming via next-gen TVs (or existing sets with ATSC 3.0 tuners) at that point.

CTA developed the branding and logo at the request of ATSC, collaborating with broadcasters and device manufacturers.

“Ten years after the U.S. Digital TV transition was complete, we’re about to begin another national, over-the-air television transition,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of CTA. “And with this logo, consumers can easily tell which devices deliver the upgrades and interactivity NEXTGEN TV can provide.”

“This logo tested really well with consumers, because they’re conditioned to know that there’s a next better thing,” commented Anne Schelle, managing director of Pearl TV, the broadcasters’ organization focused on new tech-enabled opportunities, during yesterday’s TBA Future conference. The research also found 42% of the U.S. consumers surveyed saying that they're likely to purchase a TV that can deliver next-ge features.

“What’s great about next-gen TV is it gets better and better,” Schelle added. “We will be able to upgrade these TV sets via software upgrades—something we’ve never been able to do before. That enables us to have agility and flexibility in our business models as we’re delivering them in the future.”