BALTIMORE, April 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: SBGI), the "Company" or "Sinclair," announces its full support of MobileDTV and will begin broadcasting mobile-capable signals over 10 stations in nine markets over the next six months. Currently, Sinclair, in partnership with Cunningham Broadcasting Corporation, provides mobile DTV on two stations (WSYX-TV and WTTE-TV) in Columbus, Ohio. Consumers in mobile DTV markets that have portable devices, such as smart phones and tablets, will be able to enjoy, for free, over-the-air content from their local broadcast stations by simply adding a plug-in adaptor.
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"As local broadcasters who serve our communities every day, we witness first-hand the value our content and services provide to millions of viewers and businesses," commented Mark Aitken, VP of Advanced Technology for Sinclair and Chairman of the ATSC A/153 MobileDTV standardization activity and a broadcast industry leader in developing next generation television opportunities. "The pace of technology makes it imperative for broadcasters to continue to lead in serving our communities. Broad adoption of MobileDTV, as a part of our local broadcast television offering, is the next step. We are confident our Network partners will see the value mobile simulcasting brings in building station and Network brands, audience share, and local television relevancy."
Sinclair, a long time mobile TV advocate and founding member of the Mobile500 Alliance ("M500"), has agreed to commit certain of its FOX affiliates to operate within the Mobile Content Venture's ("MCV") Dyle™ mobile TV environment, as the M500 and MCV continue to work towards a common platform solution. Dyle technology provides a number of benefits to both the consumer and broadcaster through its conditional access authentication process. This social environment offers broadcasters an array of measurement analytics that can facilitate targeted advertising with the convenience of a "TV anywhere" experience for the consumer. The other affiliate stations Sinclair is committing will operate inside of the Mobile500 MyDTV™ application, offering a similar level of user information and conditional authentication.
Mr. Aitken stated, "In supporting today's MobileDTV standard, along with other local broadcasters in these markets, we will enhance the local broadcast television experience for free to our viewers. Broadcast MobileDTV will allow the delivery of new broadcast services and products, greater access to news and events, and allows broadcasters to continue to maximize the effective use of the nation's spectrum resources."
The stations and markets that Sinclair will support MobileDTV are:
Austin KEYE (CBS)
Baltimore WBFF (FOX)
Cincinnati WKRC (CBS)
Columbus WSYX (ABC) - already "on-the-air"
Columbus WTTE (FOX) - already "on-the-air"
Dayton WKEF (ABC)
Dayton WRGT (FOX)
Asheville WLOS (ABC)
Pittsburgh WPGH (FOX)
Salt Lake City KUTV (CBS)
St. Louis KDNL (ABC)
W. Palm Beach WPEC (CBS)
About Sinclair:
Pro forma for pending transactions, Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc., the largest and one of the most diversified, independent television broadcasting companies, owns and operates, programs or provides sales services to 112 television stations in 61 markets. Sinclair's television group reaches approximately 29.8% of U.S. television households and is affiliated with all major networks. The Company regularly uses its website as a key source of Company information and can be accessed at www.sbgi.net.
SOURCE Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc.