ATSC “Broadcast-to-Everything” Candidate Standard Marks Major Step Toward a More Connected Future
ATSC, The Broadcast Standards Association®, today announced an important milestone in the development of Broadcast-to-Everything (B2X), with the approval of a new Candidate Standard that establishes a critical foundation for the emerging B2X platform.
The Candidate Standard represents much more than a new technical specification. It is an important first step toward ATSC’s vision of enabling broadcast and mobile technologies to work more closely together — potentially extending the reach and efficiency of broadcast to a much broader range of connected devices, networks and services, while creating a more efficient means for unicast networks to take advantage of one-to-many network architecture.
Approved by ATSC Technology Group 3 (TG3) for public review, S44-2-002r6, “B2X System Discovery and Signaling,” provides one of the essential building blocks needed for devices to find and connect with future B2X services. B2X is intended to combine the strengths of broadcast with the enormous scale of the mobile ecosystem. The initiative could create new opportunities for broadcasters, wireless providers, device manufacturers, technology companies and service developers while opening new markets for broadcast-based services.
“ATSC is committed to advancing broadcast technologies that meet the evolving needs of our industry and create new opportunities for broadcasters, technology companies and consumers,” said Madeleine Noland, President of ATSC. “The progress on B2X is a strong example of that commitment. By bringing together expertise from across the broadcast and mobile ecosystems, ATSC is helping define how broadcast can evolve, and work alongside other networks as an essential part of the communications landscape.”
Extending the Power of Broadcast
Broadcast has a unique advantage: it can efficiently deliver the same information or content to very large numbers of receivers at the same time. B2X is exploring how that capability can complement mobile broadband networks and reach a much wider universe of connected devices. Over time, that could mean opportunities extending well beyond traditional television receivers to mobile and connected devices.
“B2X can bring together broadcast efficiency in the mobile ecosystem, create new business opportunities, and ultimately extend advanced services to a broader range of devices, including very low-power devices such as wearables or remote sensors,” said Joe Fabiano, CTO of EdgeBeam Wireless and Chair of the TG3 Specialist Group on B2X.
The potential significance is substantial. As the number and variety of connected devices continue to grow, networks will need increasingly efficient ways to distribute information and high-demand content at scale. B2X is being developed to explore how broadcast can become part of that broader communications environment, complementing other networks rather than operating separately from them.
An Important First Building Block
The new Candidate Standard addresses a fundamental requirement for B2X: providing a common way for compatible devices to discover and access a B2X transmission.
Rather than changing existing ATSC 3.0 standards, the specification establishes an independent mechanism specifically designed for B2X. It is envisioned as the first building block in a broader suite of standards that ATSC expects will ultimately define a complete B2X platform.
Candidate Standard Opens the Door to Industry Participation
Candidate Standard status is an important step in ATSC’s standards-development process because it moves B2X from internal development toward broader industry evaluation and implementation experience.
The designation gives companies and organizations across the broadcast, wireless, semiconductor, device and communications industries – ATSC members and non-members alike – an opportunity to review the specification, evaluate its implementation and provide feedback that can help shape the future B2X platform.
ATSC welcomes broad industry participation as this work advances. The Candidate Standard review period closes at the end of June 2027.
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About ATSC
ATSC, The Broadcast Standards Association, is defining the future of broadcast around the world with the Internet Protocol-based ATSC 3.0 next-generation standard. ATSC is an international, non-profit organization developing voluntary multimedia standards. ATSC member organizations represent the broadcast, professional services and equipment, motion picture, consumer technology, computer, cable, satellite, and semiconductor industries. For more information, please visit www.ATSC.org.
“ATSC,” “The Broadcast Standards Association,” and the ATSC logo are Registered Trademarks of the Advanced Television Systems Committee Inc.
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