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Broadcasters Expand HDTV Line-Ups
During the last two years, broadcasters have added significantly to the amount of high-definition television programming they carry in their prime-time line-ups. In 2006, all four of the largest television networks – CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox – produce and deliver a significant portion of their prime-time line-ups in HDTV. Although most news programming and popular reality TV series still are produced in standard definition, the majority of programming produced on film is now available from the majority of the top networks in HDTV. New Stations Come on Board
At the end of January 2005, there were 1,550 stations operating digital broadcasts in 211 markets, making at least one DTV station available in virtually every market in the country. For the latest DTV station count, visit www.NAB.org. FCC Limits Requirements for Digital “Must-Carry” Rules
Looking to ensure cable households have easy access to local over-the-air broadcast content, the FCC expanded its so-called “must-carry” orders to cable television operators to include digital television stations as well. However, the FCC acknowledged that cable operators have bandwidth restrictions and therefore did not require cable operators to carry both a broadcaster’s analog and digital channel, simultaneously. In early 2005, the FCC also ruled that cable operators will not be required to carry anything but a broadcaster’s “primary” digital channel, meaning that if a broadcaster elects to use his new digital technology to deliver “multicasts” – up to five different digital channels delivered in the -6MHz bandwidth of his broadcast spectrum – the cable operator will not be asked to carry the ancillary programming. The FCC concluded that such carriage was not necessary to the survival of over-the-air TV, and was not narrowly tailored enough to justify the expansion of must-carry. ABC Aces HD Sports in Final NFL Season
ABC continued to offer many of its film-based prime-time programming in 720p high-definition format. It also contributed a slate of major sporting events in high-def including the “Monday Night Football” games (the last season for the network), and Super Bowl XL. The Super Bowl proved to be a boon to the sales of HDTV sets. According to a recent CEA survey entitled, “Inside the Mind of the HD Sports Fan”, sports enthusiasts drove sales of new HDTVs. Nearly 50 percent of HDTV owners cited HD sports programming as the primary force behind their HDTV purchase. Out of sports fans, 78 percent said the Super Bowl was their favorite sport to watch in HD, the survey said. The network’s AM news program “Good Morning America” went high-definition in late 2005 to help celebrate the program's 30th anniversary. ABC called the event, the first network news show to broadcast in high-definition. CBS Remains Prime-time HD King
CBS continued its HDTV broadcasting leadership role by offering a majority of the network’s prime-time line-up in the 1080i HDTV format. On August 29, 2005, “The Late Show With David Letterman” was offered in HD format for the first time. The network also produced a number of special live events in HDTV, including the NFL’s 2005 AFC playoffs. NBC Expands HD Line-up
NBC’s expanded HDTV 1080i offerings in 2005, televising both “Saturday Night Live” and the “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” in 1080i HD. The moves follow the network’s long-running HD production of “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” The network kicked off 2006 with a bang, offering the Winter Olympics from Torino, Italy in HDTV. Univeral HD used both its broadcast and cable networks to offer some of the most extensive Olympic’s HDTV coverage to date. The WB and UPN Announce Merger
Early in 2006, the WB and UPN networks shocked the broadcasting industry by announcing a merger of the two networks into a new network called The CW. As this was written, line-ups and HDTV broadcast plans had not been formally announced. As separate networks, both had increased the amount of prime-time 1080i HD programming. Favorites offered in HD include the WB’s “Everwood”, “Gilmore Girls”, “Smallville”, and “One Tree Hill”. Popular UPN HD programs include “Veronica Mars” and “Girlfriends”. For the 2005-2006 season, more than 14 regular series were available in HD on The WB, representing 12 of the 15 hours of the network’s weekly HD programming. By early 2006, more than 75 percent of WB affiliates in the top 100 markets delivered HD signals. As for UPN, in the 2005-2006 season it ramped up its HD schedule by offering ten series and select Sunday afternoon movies in HD. Fox Moves to HDTV
Fox Network launched its HDTV service in 2004 using the 720p/60 frames per second picture format. Although select filmed television series were offered in HDTV by Fox, the thrust of its participation focused on sporting events such as Major League Baseball and regular- and post-season NFL coverage. The network’s broadcast of the 2005 World Series used 28 HD cameras. In the 2005-2006 season, almost all scripted and live-action programs were produced in HD, the company said. Among Fox’s 182 affiliates, about 165 were delivering Fox’s HD signal in early 2006. PBS Digital Continues to Grow
As of October 2004, 292 PBS member stations were offering digital broadcast services, covering 92.97 percent of all U.S. TV households. The PBS network routinely supplies more than 20 programs in HDTV per month and also is offering, in some markets, multi-cast SD programs and enhanced interactive content, powered by the Internet. Additional Uses for DTV Spectrum Emerge
Testifying to the versatility of the digital broadcast platform, some broadcasters around the country have elected to transmit multiple channels of standard definition video in the same amount of spectrum now used for analog broadcasting (six MHz). These secondary channels typically are used for around-the-clock weather, traffic or sports updates, but occasionally the technique is used to broadcast significant additional content, including multiple games of basketball tournaments or highly-localized news content within a broadcaster's market. Still to come are datacasting services, which promise to deliver new formats of text and graphics, delivered over the broad bandwidth of the television broadcast channel. These services could be used to provide ancillary news or other information in addition to offering interactive add-ons to the standard video broadcast. |
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