Over-the-air television distribution as a business is at a tipping point. No one has ever invented a more efficient way to distribute content to mass audiences. At the same time, it is existential that broadcasters rethink how we are using our core asset—the spectrum that carries our TV channels—to provide that distribution.
Yes, we will continue to serve the public by providing free-to-air local and national news, information and entertainment programming that is the quid pro quo for our licenses to use that spectrum. It’s a good business. But it is plateauing. Embracing the other uses of that spectrum—datacasting uses—will be critical to growing our industry, supporting the existing model and venturing into whole new experiences that ensure our relevance in a world dominated by the internet services of big technology companies. Wired and wireless!
