For years now, one of the big promises of ATSC 3.0 NextGen TV was the ability to get on-demand TV free over the air with your antenna. Just live 4K of live TV but on-demand 4K OTA TV. Now thanks to PBS KET in Lexington, KY that is becoming a reality.
Now in the Louisville area, KET’s WKMJ transmitter has been updated to offer on-demand video free over the air.
“KET has always looked to the latest innovations to power our mission of educating, informing, inspiring and connecting,” said Shae Hopkins, KET executive director and CEO. “We’re excited to be on the leading edge of this new technology.”
“Pearl TV, a consortium of US broadcast stations groups, is proud to have supported the launch of KET’s application as well as other PBS stations,” said Anne Schelle, Managing Director of Pearl TV. “KET’s integration of VOD into the TV application using the PBS Media Manager tool was instrumental and a first. We are delighted to have PBS station momentum behind the NextGen TV interactive consumer experience.”
“This is a promising first step,” Hopkins said. “Our hope is that it gives us the opportunity for our NextGen TV offerings to evolve and mature so that we may present a compelling user experience as more televisions become NextGen-ready and more of the public adopts this new technology.”
You will need a supported receiver to pick up these ond-emand signals. You can learn more about KET’s efforts to offer free on-demand video over the air HERE.