Comcast’s launch of a TV advertising platform that will simplify purchasing ads from several programming networks will enable premium video to better compete with social media companies for ad dollars, said MVPD officials and programmers at a CES panel Wednesday. Companies looking to advertise on premium video channels haven’t historically had “an 'easy' button” for completing those transactions, while companies such as Meta have made such sales very simple, said Mark Marshall, NBCUniversal chairman-global advertising and partnerships. Comcast's new Universal Ads platform will enable companies that hadn’t been able to get ads on national network television to do so, Marshall added. “Joe’s Pizza in New Haven, Connecticut,” has “never had an option to be on Sunday Night Football, and now they can be." Companies such as Fox, NBCU and Warner Bros Discovery don’t compete “at a very granular level” for small and mid-sized business advertising, so banding together to achieve a more competitive scale with social media platforms makes sense, said Fox’s Jeff Collins, president-advertising sales, marketing and brand partnerships. By opening the field of potential advertisers, the new platform could also help address the issue of repeat ads on streaming platforms, said Ryan Gould, executive vice president, sales-streaming, digital and advanced advertising for Warner Bros Discovery.
The FCC Wireless Bureau Wednesday asked for comment to refresh the record on the future of the 1675-1680 MHz band for shared use between federal incumbents and non-federal fixed or mobile operations. The FCC took comment in 2019 on reallocating the band for 5G, as urged by Ligado (see 1905090041). The band must be shared with weather satellites. Comment deadlines will come in a Federal Register notice. The bureau noted that NOAA recently filed a letter at the FCC suggesting the band could be shared with limitations. “In light of the recent filing of the NOAA follow-on report, the Bureau is providing an opportunity for additional comment in order to ensure an up-to-date record,” the notice said. Ligado executives spoke with Wireless Bureau and Office of Engineering Technology staff last month about the NOAA report. “The 1675-1680 MHz band was first identified as a candidate for reallocation to shared federal and commercial use a decade ago, given its nationwide scope and minimal utilization,” Ligado said.
A proposal by Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, to relocate 30% of the workforce of every executive agency to outside the Washington, D.C., area wouldn’t affect the FCC or FTC. Both are classified as independent agencies and therefore fall outside the bill’s scope. Ernst filed the Decentralizing and Reorganizing Agency Infrastructure Nationwide To Harness Efficient Services, Workforce Administration, and Management Practices Act earlier this week. It could affect NTIA, part of the Commerce Department, if enacted.
Meta's chief AI scientist warned against overoptimism about AI's role in the immediate future. During a presentation Wednesday at CES in Las Vegas, Yann LeCun said making new technology work “is always harder than we think.” Telecom carriers have invested heavily in AI, which they see as a network management tool (see 2411190057).
Gray Media, Nexstar, E.W. Scripps and Sinclair Broadcast have launched an ATSC 3.0 joint venture focused on delivering data using broadcast signals. Called Edgebeam Wireless, the new company will “provide expansive, reliable, and secure data delivery services,” said a joint news release Tuesday. It was launched ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the release said. Financial details of the joint venture weren’t disclosed. Combining four of the country’s largest broadcasters, the new entity “creates a spectrum footprint that no individual broadcaster could achieve on its own,” and allows “nationwide coverage for data delivery to billions of potential devices,” the release said. Nexstar and Sinclair also own Bitpath, another ATSC 3.0 joint venture focused on datacasting, founded in 2018. “Our vision is to be at the forefront of the wireless revolution, harnessing the power of ATSC 3.0 to establish a nationwide broadcast data network,” said BitPath’s website. "BitPath’s efforts will be integrated into this new JV—the formation of the JV joins together all the efforts of these four broadcasters to build and utilize this nationwide network ATSC 3.0 network," said a Nexstar spokesperson. Edgebeam will represent an increased effort and focus on datacasting, a broadcast executive told us. EdgeBeam “will be able to deliver data across the country to any civilian or military device with an ATSC 3.0 receiver, such as cars and trucks, drones, marine vessels, phones, tablets, and television sets,” the release said. Potential applications for data delivery include connected cars, content delivery, and high-accuracy enhanced GPS, businesses where the companies have existing efforts. Sinclair announced a deal to deliver 4K video content at the 2024 NAB Show (see 2404150031), while BitPath offers a precision GPS service called Navpath. Nexstar and Scripps have also long been working on experimental efforts using datacasting to update connected cars. “EdgeBeam Wireless will have benefits for the entire wireless ecosystem, helping to relieve congestion while also offering competitive pricing for wide area data distribution,” said Sinclair CEO Chris Ripley.
The FCC commissioners' unanimously adopting a retransmission consent blackout reporting requirement for multichannel video programming distributors (MVPD) likely doesn't mean the agency will also mandate rebates for subscribers due to those blackouts anytime soon, pay-TV and broadcast experts tell us. The blackout reporting order was released Friday. The FCC is unlikely to push rebates during the last days of outgoing Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel's administration and incoming Chairman Brendan Carr is unlikely to consider rebates, some pay-TV watchers say. Neither Rosenworcel's nor Carr's offices commented Monday.
Communications law firm Lerman Senter promotes Jeff Carlisle to managing member, succeeding Sally Buckman, transitioning to senior counsel, and elevates Steve Berman to member ... Cloud communications company Bandwidth promotes Devesh Agarwal to COO ... Cross-channel TV and connected TV advertising company Simulmedia hires Jonathan Steuer, ex-VideoAmp, as chief scientist ... Pamela Coe retires from board of fiber optic-based technology provider Luna Innovations ... Anterix appoints Tom Kuhn, ex-Edison Electric Institute, as chairman; Morgan O'Brien retiring as executive chairman and remaining as adviser ...
Participation in BEAD bidding could vary widely among states, officials at broadband trade groups, state telecommunications organizations and other entities tell us. For example, some states, including Pennsylvania, could face low participation rates owing to onerous bidder requirements. In other instances, local rules facilitate BEAD participation.
Gray Television will change its name to Gray Media effective Wednesday, said a Gray news release Monday. The change, which Gray's board unanimously approved, “aligns the company’s formal name with the widespread practice over the past few years of referring to the company as ‘Gray Media' or simply ‘Gray’ both internally and externally,” the release said. “Our reach has diversified beyond local media, and we’re investing time and resources into new business models and technologies -- more now than at any other time in the company’s 127-year history," said Gray Executive Chairman Hilton Howell in the release. The new name “reflects our ongoing transformation and continued desire to lead the way in traditional and new media, alongside our leading broadcast stations.” Gray’s trading symbols won't change, the release said.
The Judicial Council of the U.S. Courts of the D.C. Circuit appoints Spencer Hallett, ex-chief deputy clerk for the District Court, as circuit executive-U.S. Courts of the D.C. Circuit, succeeding Betsy Paret, retiring ... Paul St. Clair, ex-Windstream, joins call center solutions company Convoso as head-compliance ... Bradford Briner resigning from board of Boston Omaha, holding company including for broadband telecom, effective Tuesday, becoming North Carolina state treasurer.