Tom Butts

Reston

Editor-in-Chief, TV Tech, leading source of news and insight for broadcasters and pro video markets. Also proud & stubborn Maine native! Views are my own.

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Articles

SMPTE's Bits By the Bay Tackles AI's Impact on Media's Future

1 week ago | tvtechnology.com | Tom Butts

Artificial intelligence, and its implications for the film and TV industry, were among the main topics of discussion at SMPTE’s “Bits by the Bay” conference held in Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, from May 21-22. The conference—organized by the late Peter Wharton, former chief strategy officer for TAG Video Systems—returned in 2024 after a long hiatus, and the event is dedicated to his memory.
TNT, Eurosport Announce French Open Coverage Plans

2 weeks ago | tvtechnology.com | Tom Butts

TNT Sports and Eurosport have announced details of their coverage of the French Open, the year’s second grand slam event on the professional tennis tour, taking place at Roland-Garros stadium in Paris for two weeks starting May 25. TNT Sports will operate two on-site studios from Musketeers Square where distinct shows will be presented for U.S. and UK audiences.
BMG Taps Grass Valley for New DC NOC

2 weeks ago | tvtechnology.com | Tom Butts

Broadcast Management Group (BMG), a U.S.-based video production company is integrating Grass Valley solutions integrated across operations at BMG’s new centralized cloud Network Operations Center (NOC), in Washington, D.C. The new NOC has been built to support BMG’s managed services and live production clients, adding to its first Cloud Broadcast Center and fleet of REMI mobile units built between 2021 and 2025.
Cox, Charter to Merge in $34.5 Deal

3 weeks ago | tvtechnology.com | Tom Butts

Charter Communications and Cox Communications announced today that the two companies will merge in a deal valued at $34.5 billion. The transaction—which consists of $21.9 billion in equity with $12.6 billion in net debt—combines the nation’s second and fourth largest broadband providers with an estimated 36.5 million broadband subscribers. If approved, the merger could make it the nation’s largest cable-based broadband provider, leapfrogging Comcast’s 32 million.
Sinclair CEO Chris Ripley: EdgeBeam Could Be 'A Very Significant Expansion of Revenue Opportunities for the Industry'

3 weeks ago | tvtechnology.com | Tom Butts

At the 2025 NAB Show in April, four of the most prominent TV station groups announced the launch of EdgeBeam, a new datacasting service targeting the enterprise market. The four groups—Sinclair, Nexstar, Gray and EW Scripps—plan to use the ATSC 3.0 standard as a more efficient "one to many" data offload service that could be used by the automotive industry for software updates, for example.
Parks: U.S. Ad-Supported SVOD Subscriptions to Top 278M by 2029

3 weeks ago | tvtechnology.com | Tom Butts

DALLAS—Ad-supported subscription-based streaming services will increase in popularity over the next four years, reaching 278 million viewers by 2029 according to Parks Associates. With Nielsen’s estimates of 315 million TV viewers nationwide (representing almost 97% of U.S. households), this means more than 88% of TV viewers will be watching ad-supported SVOD.
KBTC Public TV Launches ATSC 3.0 Virtual Channel KBTC-VC

3 weeks ago | tvtechnology.com | Tom Butts

TACOMA, Wash.— Seattle public broadcaster KBTC Public Television has launched KBTC-VC, a new virtual ATSC 3.0 channel, broadcasting on virtual channel 28-11. The programming on KBTC-VC mirrors that of KBTC’s main channel 28-1, while providing enhanced accessibility for those with NextGen TV-enabled televisions. Virtual ATSC 3.0 channels provide electronic programming guide information over-the-air to NextGen Smart TVs using the host broadcaster’s data channel capacity.
Cable Industry Backs Broadcasters’ Move to Software-Based EAS

1 month ago | tvtechnology.com | Tom Butts

The cable industry has told the Federal Communications Commission it supports the National Association of Broadcasters’ proposal to allow broadcasters to use software-based Emergency Alert Systems. At issue is a petition from the NAB (PS Docket Nos. 15-94 & 22-329), filed at the end of March, to fast-track its request to allow broadcasters to transition from hardware-based decoders to software for emergency alerting.
Studios Delaying Moving Films to Streaming to Protect Box Office

1 month ago | tvtechnology.com | Tom Butts

LONDON—Movie fans hoping to save money by waiting until their favorite new films appear on streaming services will have to wait a bit longer now, according to a new report from Ampere Research. In a new report released this week, the researcher noted that more than half (55%) of U.S. studio movies took 90 days or more to hit subscription streaming platforms in 2024.
Trump Orders Tariffs on Films Made Outside the U.S.

1 month ago | tvtechnology.com | Tom Butts

President Trump on Sunday ordered the imposition of a 100% tariff on films and TV shows produced outside the U.S., lamenting what he claims is the death of the industry and a “threat” to national security. In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote:"The Movie Industry in America is DYING a very fast death. Other Countries are offering all sorts of incentives to draw our filmmakers and studios away from the United States. Hollywood, and many other areas within the U.S.A., are being devastated.