With the arrival of NextGen TV (the ATSC 3.0 standard), now available to about 76%

Published on 04/12/2025

With the arrival of NextGen TV (the ATSC 3.0 standard), now available to about 76%

These are channels transmitted over the air — just like traditional TV — but with one key difference: thanks to ATSC 3.0’s data capacity and IP integration, these channels can function as true hybrid services, blending classic over-the-air broadcast (OTA) with on-demand content, streaming, interactive features, and Internet-delivered media (OTT).

In practice: a NextGen TV–compatible television displays a “virtual channel” in the electronic program guide (EPG); the viewer selects it like any linear channel, but the content may be delivered — depending on the program — via broadcast or IP streaming, seamlessly.

A concrete example: Nebraska Public Media launched a free virtual channel in Omaha called BEST Channel, hosted on another station’s signal.
The channel offers TV programming, radio content, local shows, legislative live streams, weather alerts, VOD, and even donations via QR code all from a single guide.

Why virtual channels are a strategic shift

1. Unified access for viewers
Users don’t need to switch between apps anymore: from their TV, through the standard guide, they can access both linear broadcasts and on-demand or hybrid content. This lowers the entry barrier and increases engagement.

🔹 2. Integrated experience across all NextGen devices
The platform powering the virtual channel — such as RUN3TV — allows content, advertising, VOD, and broadcasting to be managed from the same application layer. This ensures a consistent user experience across all compatible devices.

🔹 3. Hybrid and flexible monetization
Broadcasters can combine advertising models, OTA live programming, and OTT content, leveraging economies of scale and reducing costs compared to a streaming-only infrastructure. In addition, adopting a “broadcast + IP” model can give new life to local content, radio programming, on-demand catalogs, and editorial initiatives.

🔹 4. Easier experimentation and innovation
Thanks to cloud-based tools and modular platforms, it becomes much easier to create, test, and launch new virtual channels. Broadcasters can add interactive features, ad segmentation, VOD, multilanguage options, personalization — all while maintaining the reliability of a broadcast signal as the foundation.

Why the Next Gen is the best model?

With OTA + OTT convergence, entry barriers and operating costs decrease.

Broadcasters can leverage their existing infrastructure (antenna, transmitter) and integrate it with streaming.

Users get the convenience of traditional TV together with the flexibility of streaming.

It’s a scalable, adaptable model that’s relevant for global markets, not just the U.S.

According to some experts, this convergence is a fundamental step toward the “hybrid TV of the future” — a system that no longer separates broadcast and internet, but combines them to deliver content anywhere, on any device, efficiently and with a user-centric approach.

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