Sinclair is now the largest owner of broadcast TV channels in the United States covering over 70% of American households. Now it wants to make it easier for Americans to access free over-the-air TV on their phone.
To do this Sinclair is offering 1 million free 3.0 antennas for phone makers. These new 3.0 antennas will allow smart phones to access the new over-the-air TV standard that the FCC just approved.
“ATSC 3.0 anticipates that many viewers may be watching on a future device with an embedded ATSC 3.0 tuner,” said Dave Arland spokesperson for ATSC 3.0. “So it will be possible to receive a signal and display it deep inside a building or for a passenger to view live TV on a mobile device in a car or train.”
Sinclair has been one of the most prominent proponents of the new 3.0 standard that promises better reception and more features to over-the-air TV. ATSC 3.0 will also support 4K images over-the-air TV allowing Americans to get the best image possible.
The FCC is not forcing stations to upgrade to 3.0, but there are a lot of benefits for TV stations who do. The new 3.0 over-the-air TV standard will allow for on-demand streaming of content over the air and even the ability to sell pay-per-view events through an antenna.
With Sinclair willing to supply 1 million free 3.0 antennas for phone makers, it clearly has plans to update its stations to take advantage of the new technology sooner than many expected.
Source: FierceCable
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