NAB launches NextGen TV news lab with Knight Foundation grant

The National Association of Broadcasters has announced the launch of the NextGen TV News Technology Lab, a three-year initiative aimed at helping local television stations develop and test newsroom applications of the ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard.

The project is funded by a $2.5 million grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and is scheduled to run through October 2028. Participating stations will receive technical support and resources to experiment with new ATSC 3.0-based services, such as advanced emergency alerting, hyperlocal news and weather, and community-specific sports broadcasts.

ATSC 3.0, also known as NextGen TV, is an IP-based broadcast standard that allows for integration of broadcast and broadband content delivery. It offers capabilities that are not available under the legacy ATSC 1.0 system, such as real-time local content delivery without requiring internet access.

The lab will work with stations and broadcast groups to design and implement projects that use ATSC 3.0 to expand local news coverage and deepen audience engagement. Test and verification support will be available at NAB’s Technology Lab in Washington before over-the-air deployment.

“The NextGen TV News Technology Lab will help unlock the potential of ATSC 3.0 to deepen audience engagement, expand coverage and deliver content in more responsive and dynamic ways,” said Sam Matheny, NAB executive vice president and chief technology officer, in a statement.

In addition to serving the participating broadcasters, NAB said project outcomes will be publicly documented to benefit the wider industry.