Consumer awareness campaign from NEXTGEN TV
November 17, 2020
By Colin Mann
With a planned multimillion dollar on-air and online awareness campaign scheduled for over the holidays and into early January 2021, US broadcast group Pearl TV and its Phoenix Model Market Partners are coordinating a multimarket consumer awareness campaign with local broadcasters who are now transmitting in digital television standard ATSC 3.0 – the so-called NEXTGEN TV.
NEXTGEN TV is already on the air in more than a dozen cities, and the Pearl TV business group of broadcasters is working with TV manufacturers to introduce the new service and its capabilities together to drive receiver sales and to raise consumer awareness of the NEXTGEN TV mark.
“Almost every week, we’re seeing stations sign on with NEXTGEN TV channels, adding a whole new dimension to TV viewing with brilliant video and new audio experiences like Voice +, one of many features of the new Dolby Audio system,” noted Anne Schelle, managing director of Pearl TV, which counts more than 750 stations in the Pearl membership. “
“We’ve been working to help stations transition and now we’re bringing to select markets a new brand campaign that stations will promote on-air and through their online channels. We’ve produced spectacular new TV spots that introduce that capabilities of NEXTGEN TV, and we’ve launched a consumer-friendly website that will help viewers identify the channels transmitting in NEXTGEN TV and the right models to purchase from our consumer technology partners LG Electronics, Samsung, and Sony.”
“This initial effort is all about awareness, and we’ll be testing how these messages reach consumers. Buyers of NEXTGEN TV sets will want to know more about the benefits of owning one of more than 20 new sets from LG Electronics, Samsung, and Sony that are now at retail and available soon. We want consumers to understand that the NEXTGEN TV experience from local stations will be getting better and better, as more functions and features are added down the road. Based on feedback from this initial campaign, we will refine our messaging and push ahead to extend our efforts later in 2021 as new NEXTGEN TV models and manufacturers are introduced,” Schelle confirmed.
“Immerse yourself in stunning video with brilliant color, sharper images and deeper contrast that will make you feel like you’re really there,” explains the TV spot that will begin airing in selected markets at the end of November 2020. “Feel the power of movie theater-quality sound that lets you hear every voice clearly and offers consistent volume across channels. NEXTGEN TV is enhanced with Internet Content to get the most out of live sports, live news, live events and more, in real time,” it adds. LG Electronics, Samsung, and Sony are launching more than 20 NEXTGEN TV models during 2020.
“We appreciate the support of broadcasters on this initial campaign,” stated Brian Markwalter, senior vice president, research & standards, Consumer Technology Association (CTA.) CTA established the NEXTGEN TV mark to indicate a product’s conformance with NEXTGEN TV testing standards and requirements. At CES 2020, companies unveiled a number of new products optimised for the NEXTGEN TV standard. Now, consumers can simply look for the NEXTGEN TV logo as they shop for new TVs – an easy way to make sure their televisions can deliver all the benefits of NEXTGEN TV,” he suggested.
The campaign includes three elements: On-air advertising with market-customised TV spots that showcase NEXTGEN TV’s capabilities and retail availability, a consumer website that highlights cities with a number of stations already on-air and links to NEXTGEN TV-equipped receivers, and online promotions executed by individual stations in each target market that will encourage consumers to learn more.
The ‘Future of Television’ campaign highlights the capabilities of NEXTGEN TV, suggesting that by merging over-the-air TV with the Internet, NEXTGEN TV is going to change the way viewers watch live broadcast television. Stations can now personalise their news, sports, live events and shows with interactive features that give viewers the content most relevant to them. NEXTGEN TV is a feature built into select new TVs. NEXTGEN TV is designed to be upgradable so a viewer’s television advances with the latest technology. With NEXTGEN TV, viewers can get:
- Stunning 4K, High Dynamic Range video
- Movie theater quality sound
- Added voice clarity with Dolby audio system Voice +
- Consistent volume across programs and channels
- Enhanced Internet Content on demand
Features available on NEXTGEN TV will vary by device and by broadcaster as commercial service becomes available in local markets.