Local Broadcasters Form Joint Venture to Provide High-Speed Data Transmission Services to Clients Across the United States
EdgeBeam Wireless, a new joint venture formed by four major broadcasting groups (E.W. Scripps, Gray Media, Nexstar Media Group, and Sinclair), aims to provide nationwide wireless data services using ATSC 3.0 technology. The venture will leverage existing broadcast infrastructure to deliver data services across multiple industries.
The company targets three main markets with significant revenue potential: automotive connectivity ($3.7B/year), content delivery networks ($3.65B/year), and enhanced GPS ($220M/year). EdgeBeam will deliver data to any civilian or military device with an ATSC 3.0 receiver, including vehicles, drones, phones, and TVs.
The partnership creates a spectrum footprint larger than any individual broadcaster could achieve, with plans to partner with additional broadcasters for nationwide coverage. The service can also provide a backup to existing GPS capabilities, enhancing U.S. economic security.
EdgeBeam Wireless, una nuova joint venture formata da quattro importanti gruppi di diffusione (E.W. Scripps, Gray Media, Nexstar Media Group e Sinclair), ha l'obiettivo di fornire servizi di dati wireless a livello nazionale utilizzando la tecnologia ATSC 3.0. L'iniziativa sfrutterà l'infrastruttura di trasmissione esistente per offrire servizi di dati a diversi settori.
L'azienda mira a tre principali mercati con un potenziale di fatturato significativo: connettività automobilistica (3,7 miliardi di dollari/anno), reti di distribuzione dei contenuti (3,65 miliardi di dollari/anno) e GPS avanzato (220 milioni di dollari/anno). EdgeBeam fornirà dati a qualsiasi dispositivo civile o militare dotato di un ricevitore ATSC 3.0, inclusi veicoli, droni, telefoni e TV.
La partnership crea un'impronta spettrale più ampia di qualsiasi singolo emittente, con piani per collaborare con ulteriori emittenti per una copertura nazionale. Il servizio può anche fornire un backup alle capacità GPS esistenti, migliorando la sicurezza economica degli Stati Uniti.
EdgeBeam Wireless, una nueva empresa conjunta formada por cuatro importantes grupos de radiodifusión (E.W. Scripps, Gray Media, Nexstar Media Group y Sinclair), tiene como objetivo proporcionar servicios de datos inalámbricos a nivel nacional utilizando la tecnología ATSC 3.0. La iniciativa aprovechará la infraestructura de transmisión existente para ofrecer servicios de datos a múltiples sectores.
La empresa se enfoca en tres mercados principales con un potencial de ingresos significativo: conectividad automotriz (3.7 mil millones de dólares/año), redes de entrega de contenido (3.65 mil millones de dólares/año) y GPS mejorado (220 millones de dólares/año). EdgeBeam entregará datos a cualquier dispositivo civil o militar con un receptor ATSC 3.0, incluidos vehículos, drones, teléfonos y televisores.
La asociación crea una huella espectral más grande que la que podría lograr cualquier radiodifusor individual, con planes de asociarse con radiodifusores adicionales para una cobertura nacional. El servicio también puede proporcionar una copia de seguridad a las capacidades GPS existentes, mejorando la seguridad económica de los Estados Unidos.
EdgeBeam Wireless는 네 개의 주요 방송 그룹(E.W. Scripps, Gray Media, Nexstar Media Group, Sinclair)으로 구성된 새로운 합작 투자가 ATSC 3.0 기술을 사용하여 국가 차원의 무선 데이터 서비스를 제공하는 것을 목표로 하고 있습니다. 이 공동 벤처는 기존 방송 인프라를 활용하여 여러 산업에 데이터 서비스를 제공합니다.
회사는 상당한 수익 잠재력을 가진 세 가지 주요 시장을 목표로 하고 있습니다: 자동차 연결성 (연간 37억 달러), 콘텐츠 배달 네트워크 (연간 36억 5천만 달러), 향상된 GPS (연간 2억 2천만 달러). EdgeBeam은 차량, 드론, 전화기 및 TV를 포함한 ATSC 3.0 수신기가 있는 모든 민간 및 군사 장치에 데이터를 제공합니다.
이 파트너십은 개별 방송사가 달성할 수 있는 것보다 더 큰 스펙트럼 범위를 생성하며, 전국적인 커버리지를 위해 추가 방송사와 파트너십을 맺을 계획입니다. 이 서비스는 기존 GPS 기능에 대한 백업도 제공할 수 있어 미국의 경제 안보를 강화합니다.
EdgeBeam Wireless, une nouvelle coentreprise formée par quatre grands groupes de radiodiffusion (E.W. Scripps, Gray Media, Nexstar Media Group et Sinclair), vise à fournir des services de données sans fil à l'échelle nationale en utilisant la technologie ATSC 3.0. L'entreprise tirera parti de l'infrastructure de diffusion existante pour offrir des services de données dans plusieurs secteurs.
L'entreprise cible trois marchés principaux avec un potentiel de revenus significatif : connectivité automobile (3,7 milliards de dollars/an), réseaux de livraison de contenu (3,65 milliards de dollars/an) et GPS amélioré (220 millions de dollars/an). EdgeBeam fournira des données à tout appareil civil ou militaire équipé d'un récepteur ATSC 3.0, y compris les véhicules, les drones, les téléphones et les téléviseurs.
Le partenariat crée une empreinte spectrale plus grande que ce qu'un diffuseur individuel pourrait réaliser, avec des plans pour s'associer à d'autres diffuseurs pour une couverture nationale. Le service peut également fournir une sauvegarde aux capacités GPS existantes, renforçant ainsi la sécurité économique des États-Unis.
EdgeBeam Wireless, ein neues Joint Venture, das von vier großen Rundfunkgruppen (E.W. Scripps, Gray Media, Nexstar Media Group und Sinclair) gebildet wurde, hat das Ziel, landesweite drahtlose Datendienste unter Verwendung der ATSC 3.0-Technologie anzubieten. Das Unternehmen wird die bestehende Rundfunkinfrastruktur nutzen, um Datendienste in verschiedenen Branchen bereitzustellen.
Das Unternehmen zielt auf drei Hauptmärkte mit erheblichem Umsatzpotenzial ab: automobile Konnektivität (3,7 Milliarden Dollar/Jahr), Inhaltsbereitstellungsnetzwerke (3,65 Milliarden Dollar/Jahr) und verbesserte GPS (220 Millionen Dollar/Jahr). EdgeBeam wird Daten an jedes zivile oder militärische Gerät mit einem ATSC 3.0-Empfänger liefern, einschließlich Fahrzeuge, Drohnen, Telefone und Fernseher.
Die Partnerschaft schafft einen Spektrumsbereich, der größer ist als das, was einzelne Rundfunkveranstalter erreichen könnten, mit Plänen, mit weiteren Rundfunkveranstaltern für eine landesweite Abdeckung zusammenzuarbeiten. Der Dienst kann auch eine Backup-Lösung für bestehende GPS-Funktionen bereitstellen und so die wirtschaftliche Sicherheit der USA verbessern.
- Creation of new revenue stream through data transmission services
- Access to large addressable markets totaling over $7.5B annually
- Leverages existing ATSC 3.0 infrastructure, minimizing capital requirements
- Strategic partnership creates nationwide coverage capability
- Potential to serve as GPS backup system enhancing market position
- Success dependent on widespread adoption of ATSC 3.0 receivers
- Requires additional broadcaster partnerships for full nationwide coverage
- Faces competition from existing wireless solutions
Insights
The formation of EdgeBeam Wireless marks a strategic pivot into data transmission services by major broadcasters, leveraging ATSC 3.0 technology to tap into an estimated <money>$7.57 billion</money> total addressable market. The venture's focus on automotive connectivity (<money>$3.7 billion</money>), content delivery networks (<money>$3.65 billion</money>) and enhanced GPS (<money>$220 million</money>) represents a significant revenue diversification opportunity for Gray Media and its partners.
The consortium's combined spectrum footprint creates a powerful competitive advantage, enabling nationwide coverage that would be impossible for individual broadcasters. This infrastructure advantage, coupled with ATSC 3.0's superior capabilities for centimeter-level GPS accuracy and high-speed data transmission, positions EdgeBeam to disrupt existing wireless service providers' market share.
This joint venture strategically positions Gray Media (GTN) to capture share in multiple high-growth markets. The timing aligns with increasing ATSC 3.0 receiver adoption in TVs and potential expansion into vehicles and mobile devices. The venture's ability to provide GPS backup capabilities adds a critical infrastructure security element that could attract government contracts.
For GTN shareholders, EdgeBeam represents a significant opportunity to monetize existing infrastructure while diversifying revenue streams beyond traditional broadcasting. The partnership structure with major industry players reduces individual capital requirements while maximizing market reach. The venture's potential to generate recurring revenue from data services could materially impact GTN's valuation metrics, particularly given the company's current market cap of <money>$358.3 million</money>.
“EdgeBeam Wireless” Will Use ATSC 3.0 to Provide Faster, More Secure, and Less Expensive Data Delivery
ATLANTA, Jan. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Four of the nation’s largest independent local broadcasting groups have come together to form EdgeBeam Wireless, LLC, a joint venture created to provide robust wireless data services to a wide range of businesses and industries across the country.
The E.W. Scripps Company, Gray Media, Inc., Nexstar Media Group, Inc., and Sinclair, Inc. launched the new company ahead of meetings this week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
Leveraging broadcasters’ uniquely efficient network architecture and the ATSC 3.0 transmission standard, EdgeBeam Wireless will provide expansive, reliable, and secure data delivery services. Using the broadcasters’ existing ATSC 3.0 facilities to deliver data has immediate applications for industries that need to send data to multiple customers, often in real time. This approach delivers a notably cost-effective solution that complements and enhances current wireless solutions.
Among EdgeBeam’s potential applications:
- Automotive connectivity – including software updates, infotainment, precision navigation, and safety enhancements. The total addressable market for automotive connectivity services is as much as
$3.7 billion per year according to internal estimates. - Content delivery networks – EdgeBeam can help provide a significantly improved viewer experience for streaming services, without buffering or lag, particularly during high profile events with large audiences, such as live sports. The total addressable market for CDN services is estimated to be as much as
$3.65 billion per year. - Enhanced GPS – ATSC 3.0 can be used to improve the accuracy of GPS location information to mere centimeters as opposed to meters today. The total addressable market for enhanced GPS services is estimated to be as much as
$220 million per year.
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.
This partnership creates a spectrum footprint that no individual broadcaster could achieve on its own, unlocking the potential of ATSC 3.0 to offer nationwide coverage for data delivery to billions of potential devices on market-disrupting terms. EdgeBeam anticipates partnering with other broadcasters for additional capacity to offer truly nationwide services. A national ATSC 3.0 footprint could also allow broadcasters to provide a complementary backup to existing GPS capabilities in the event GPS satellites were subject to interference – helping to secure the U.S. economy.
“The launch of EdgeBeam Wireless is the culmination of many years of technological advancement, market development and, importantly, recognition by government regulators of the expanded services local broadcasters can provide through ATSC 3.0 technology,” said Scripps President and CEO Adam Symson. “Scripps is pleased to join forces with its peer companies to create not just a new company but a marketplace that will allow us to more deeply serve our local communities while providing a wide variety of industries with efficient data-transmission services nationwide.”
“With adoption of ATSC 3.0 receivers in television sets continuing to increase with more models available and sets sold every year, Gray Media is eager to join EdgeBeam Wireless to expand the user base for our broadcast signals to a new category of businesses and to spur the wider deployment of receiver chips in an expanded range of handheld units and vehicles,” explained Hilton Howell, Gray Media’s Executive Chairman and CEO.
Nexstar Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Perry Sook said, “Our long-held belief is that the transmission of high-speed data via our broadcast infrastructure represents a new way forward for the broadcast industry and a new stream of potentially significant revenue. Nexstar is pleased that these four broadcast groups have come together to create this important new venture.”
“This is a groundbreaking development for the broadcast industry,” said Sinclair, Inc. President and CEO Chris Ripley. “We’re thrilled to partner with other leaders in our industry to chart a new path forward and develop new revenue opportunities. EdgeBeam Wireless will have benefits for the entire wireless ecosystem, helping to relieve congestion while also offering competitive pricing for wide-area data distribution.”
About Scripps
The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP) is a diversified media company focused on creating a better-informed world. As one of the nation’s largest local TV broadcasters, Scripps serves communities with quality, objective local journalism and operates a portfolio of more than 60 stations in 40+ markets. Scripps reaches households across the U.S. with national news outlets Scripps News and Court TV and popular entertainment brands ION, Bounce, Grit, ION Mystery, ION Plus and Laff. Scripps is the nation’s largest holder of broadcast spectrum. Scripps is the longtime steward of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Founded in 1878, Scripps’ long-time motto is: “Give light and the people will find their own way.”
About Gray
Gray Media (NYSE: GTN), or Gray, is a multimedia company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, formerly known as Gray Television, Inc. The company is the nation’s largest owner of top-rated local television stations and digital assets serving 113 television markets that collectively reach approximately 36 percent of US television households. The portfolio includes 77 markets with the top-rated television station and 100 markets with the first and/or second highest rated television station, as well as the largest Telemundo Affiliate group with 43 markets totaling nearly 1.5 million Hispanic TV Households. The company also owns Gray Digital Media, a full-service digital agency offering national and local clients digital marketing strategies with the most advanced digital products and services. Gray’s additional media properties include video production companies Raycom Sports, Tupelo Media Group, and PowerNation Studios, and studio production facilities Assembly Atlanta and Third Rail Studios. Gray owns a majority interest in Swirl Films. For more information, please visit www.graymedia.com.
About Nexstar Media Group, Inc.
Nexstar Media Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: NXST) is a leading diversified media company that produces and distributes engaging local and national news, sports and entertainment content across its television and digital platforms, including more than 310,000 hours of programming produced annually by its business units. Nexstar owns America’s largest local television broadcasting group comprised of top network affiliates, with 200 owned or partner stations in 116 U.S. markets reaching 220 million people. Nexstar’s national television properties include The CW, America’s fifth major broadcast network, NewsNation, our national news network providing “News for All Americans,” popular entertainment multicast networks Antenna TV and Rewind TV, and a
About Sinclair:
Sinclair, Inc. (Nasdaq: SBGI) is a diversified media company and a leading provider of local news and sports. The Company owns, operates and/or provides services to 185 television stations in 86 markets affiliated with all the major broadcast networks; owns Tennis Channel and multicast networks Comet, CHARGE!, TBD. and The Nest. Sinclair’s content is delivered via multiple platforms, including over-the-air, multi-channel video program distributors, and the nation’s largest streaming aggregator of local news content, NewsON. The Company regularly uses its website as a key source of Company information which can be accessed at www.sbgi.net.
Company contacts:
Scripps: Carolyn Micheli carolyn.micheli@scripps.com
Gray: Kevin Latek kevin.latek@graymedia.com
Nexstar: Gary Weitman gweitman@nexstar.tv
Sinclair: Jessica Bellucci jbellucci-c@sbgtv.com
Category: General
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