Public Television and Cable Announce Major Digital Carriage Agreement

Public Television and Cable Announce
Major Digital Carriage Agreement 

Agreement Provides Public Television with Digital Cable Carriage
During and After the Digital TV Transition

Live Web Cast of Announcement
Comments made by Robert Sachs, NCTA President & CEO
Statement from John Lawson, APTS President & CEO
Public Television Digital Cable Carriage Agreement Q & A

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. cable consumers will be able to enjoy the rich diversity of high-definition, educational and children's programming provided by the nation's local Public Television stations for the foreseeable future under a major digital cable carriage agreement announced today by the Association of Public Television Stations (APTS) and the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA).

The “Public Television Digital Cable Carriage Agreement” ensures that local Public Television stations' digital programming will be carried on cable systems serving the vast majority of the nation's cable subscribers. Further, it provides significant digital cable carriage incentives for local Public Television stations to produce more high definition, children's and local programming. It also recognizes and enhances the unique role that public broadcasters play in national homeland defense efforts and provides for cable carriage of additional emergency public safety information.

There are currently 356 Public Television stations in the U.S. As of the end of January, digital signals from about 100 Public Television stations were being carried by cable systems.

A number of Public Television stations have created, or are planning to launch, new and differentiated programming via their digital signals. For example, the New Jersey Network (NJN) already has a digital channel lineup that includes digital distribution of NJN's regular channel, a channel for adult learners, a children's channel, and NJN JerseyVision, which features all locally-produced news, public affairs, and other programming. NJN also provides a channel of High Definition (HD) programming that features a combination of NJN's own HDTV productions and special wide-screen and HDTV presentations distributed by PBS and other program sources. Similarly, Thirteen/WNET and WLIW use their digital resources to provide cable viewers in the New York metro area with a suite of digital channels that include World, Create, Kids, and Thirteen HD. These examples show how multicast carriage enables local Public Television stations to draw on substantial programming libraries to offer their viewers a wealth of new series and specials.

APTS President & CEO John Lawson said: “This agreement is truly historic. Securing cable carriage of America 's local public television stations' digital offerings achieves one of the most important strategic objectives of our industry. Our stations developed extensive plans to use multicasting to provide new programming and services that meet the educational and public safety needs of the communities they serve. This agreement enables local stations to focus their resources on developing new digital content with the confidence that cable subscribers in their communities will be able to benefit from these services.”

NCTA President & CEO Robert Sachs said: “Public TV for many years has been an important outlet and educational resource for millions of Americans. Cable operators recognize that public TV has been a leader in producing new and compelling digital television content. Through the agreement, the cable industry is ensuring that our customers will benefit from the quality and creative non-commercial PTV digital content that is available today, and will be offered in the future.”

APTS was assisted in its negotiations by the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).

PBS President & CEO Pat Mitchell said: "PBS has been building a positive relationship with cable for many years.  We,  in support of our member stations, are pleased to have played a part in bringing this significant agreement together.  The progress made between APTS and the NCTA in addressing the issues and our concerns is commendable.  Final action on the agreement is on the agenda of the PBS Board of Directors meeting this week."

One significant benefit of the agreement is that it represents the resolution of complex digital TV issues through private contractual negotiations rather than government mandate, giving Public Television stations and cable operators the ability to make long-term business plans without the uncertainties that often accompany legislative or regulatory solutions to complicated business issues, said APTS and NCTA.

Terms of the unprecedented carriage agreement include:

•  During the period when Public Television stations are broadcasting both in analog and digital formats, upgraded cable systems that offer High-Definition Television (HDTV) will carry up to four streams of free non-commercial digital broadcast programming and associated material from one Public Television station in a market, if a station chooses to distribute that many streams, in addition to the station's analog signal.

•  After all TV stations in a market are transmitting only digital signals, upgraded cable systems that offer HDTV will carry free non-commercial digital programming of each local must-carry Public Television station. This carriage may include four streams of free non-commercial digital programming and associated material, subject to reasonable programming duplication parameters.

•  Any Public Television station that decides to shut off analog transmission and broadcast in digital-only before the DTV market transition may choose to have its digital signal carried on the upgraded local cable system at that time.

The Public Television Digital Cable Carriage Agreement does not supersede existing pre-transitional digital carriage agreements among Public Television stations and cable systems. The existing agreements would remain in effect until they expire.

Following approval by the Boards of Directors of APTS, NCTA and PBS, within 60 days the agreement must be ratified by Public Television stations in markets that comprise 80 percent of U.S. TV households, and by cable Multiple System Operators (MSOs) representing at least 80 percent of cable subscribers. The MSOs will begin carrying Public Television stations pursuant to the agreement within 180 days of its ratification.

The Association of Public Television Stations (APTS) is a nonprofit membership organization established in 1980 to support the continued growth and development of a strong and financially sound noncommercial television service for the American public. APTS works closely with individual stations to produce effective strategies that allow stations to fulfill their individual missions. As broadcasters make the transition to digital transmission, APTS is working to ensure the federal government continues its commitment to universal public television services.

NCTA is the principal trade association of the cable television industry in the United States. NCTA represents cable operators serving more than 90 percent of the nation's cable television households and more than 200 cable program networks, as well as equipment suppliers and providers of other services to the cable industry.

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