Groups representing public television and the cable industry on Monday announced an agreement making digital versions of shows on public TV stations available on cable systems. ¶ The Association of Public Television Stations and the National Cable and Telecommunications Association announced a 10-year deal ensuring that digital programming from local public television stations will be available to the majority of the nation's cable subscribers. The move also encourages public television stations to create more high-definition content. ¶ It took the groups 18 months to agree on the terms of the deal, and members have 60 days to ratify it. Once approved, the terms could take effect within six months. ... Link: CNET News.com.
Public Television and Cable Announce Major Digital Carriage Agreement. 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). ...¶... 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. ... Link: PRNewswire via ArriveNet.
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