SK Telecom has forged a partnership with Sinclair Broadcast Group and its subsidiary ONE Media 3.0 to jointly explore business opportunities on next generation broadcasting technology.
The companies signed a MoU at CES 2018 in Las Vegas last week, under which the trio will jointly develop a broadcasting platform based on the US next-generation TV standard ATSC3.0 that slated for launch by first half of the year, SK Telecom said in a statement.
The new platform will combine the best of terrestrial broadcasting, IPTV and mobile technologies to realize UHD quality of content, customized IP-based service for interactivity, personalized and location-based advertisement, fixed and mobile broadcast, and emergency alert services.
With the partnership, SK Telecom will be able to bring its innovation in mobile IPTV and media technology to the US broadcast industry. These include the “MMT (MPEG Media Transport” ultra-low latency transmission technology for high-definition video, subscriber-based contents recommendation service and optimized network service that utilizes AI technology, the Korean mobile carrier said.
Starting with the US TV industry, SK Telecom will gradually expand its platform to India, the country that pursues the ATSC 3.0-based next-generation broadcasting.
“Working with Sinclair, SK Telecom’s media technology is now aiming to bring innovation to the global broadcast industry and create new growth engine,” Park Jung-ho, CEO and president of SK Telecom said.
“The company will share its core infrastructure with global companies to come up with convergent business models that will create new business platforms.”
Sinclair is one of the largest TV broadcasters in the US, owning 173 local TV stations and 513 channels and reaches 40% of US homes.
Separately, Indian satellite pay TV services provider Tata Sky is expanding its long-term partnership with Irdeto to implement the security firm’s Irdeto Cloaked CA and Middleware to deliver an improved customer experience and enable Tata Sky to securely deliver premium content across any devices and platforms in India.