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The FCC Tries to Ease NextGen Nerves

Plus, Google gets to have their cake and eat it too (but they have to share)

September 05, 2025

Welcome to The TV Room. Your weekly digest of television, streaming, and digital media insights that matter.

This week we're covering:

  • 🔮 FCC Offers Clarity on NextGen TV

  • 🏡 Roku Becomes a Household Name

  • 🎥 Creative Spotlight: WhatsApp: “Surprise Party Group Chats”

  • ✨ Google Gets to Stay All Shiny and Chrome

FCC Pushes Forward on Nextgen TV Rollout

The FCC is moving to speed up the shift to NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0), the broadcast standard that promises sharper video, interactive features, and more personalized programming.

On September 2nd, the agency issued a Public Notice clarifying how broadcasters can apply for ATSC 3.0 licenses and what qualifies for expedited approval. The move is meant to give broadcasters more flexibility while keeping public interest obligations intact.

FCC Chair Brendan Carr said the transition will help broadcasters “stay competitive well into the future,” framing the update as both a consumer win and a way to keep broadcast TV relevant in a streaming-heavy market.

What's changing?

Nothing, really. The notice from the FCC clarified several rules that were already in place, hoping to make it easier for stations to experiment with new features:

  • Simulcast relief: Only a station’s primary stream must be simulcast in ATSC 1.0, not multicast streams.

  • Content flexibility: The “substantially similar” rule applies only to the primary stream, opening the door for interactive features, hyper-local content, and enhanced formats.

  • Host station options: Broadcasters can use multiple ATSC 1.0 host stations to meet the 95% population coverage threshold for expedited processing.

  • Low-power freedom: LPTV and translator stations face no simulcast requirements but can voluntarily host signals for full-power stations.

The bigger fight

The National Association of Broadcasters wants a firm ATSC 1.0 sunset between 2028 and 2030 and mandates for 3.0-capable tuners in all new TVs. Large station groups support the push, but smaller broadcasters, pay-TV providers, and consumer electronics companies are resisting.

The FCC may be easing the path for broadcasters, but the real opportunity lies in how marketers use these new capabilities. With 3.0 adoption accelerating, the pressure is on to test, measure, and prove what television can deliver in a performance-driven era.

ATSC 3.0 opens the door to interactive ads, advanced targeting, and new revenue streams that traditional broadcast has never been able to deliver. As broadcasters gain flexibility to roll out NextGen TV, marketers have a clearer path to tie advanced TV inventory to measurable business outcomes. The technology shift is happening, and the tools to make it accountable are already here.

Read More:

TV Industry Updates

  • Roku takes the lead: Roku surpassed broadcast TV viewership for the third consecutive month in July, capturing 21.4% of total US TV viewing time.

  • Disney's COPPA slip: The entertainment giant settled with the FTC for $10 million over children's privacy violations related to pandemic-era YouTube videos.

  • Gen Z magnet: Amazon Prime Video's "The Summer I Turned Pretty" tripled its viewership from Season 1 to Season 3, bolstered by brand integrations.

  • Broadcast battle: Pearl TV accused CTA members of trying to "stifle broadcast innovation”, claiming FAST channel ownership creates conflicts of interest.

  • NFL's media play: League executive Hans Schroeder said potential equity stakes in Paramount and ESPN will not affect the NFL's distribution deals.

  • AI animation clash: A new report flagged generative AI as a dividing line in animation, with supporters touting cost savings and critics warning of job losses.

Creative Spotlight: WhatsApp: “Surprise Party Group Chats”

WhatsApp’s campaign “Surprise Party” featured actors Adam Scott and Adam Brody in a split-screen story that showed how a party went smoothly with its app and fell apart without it.

The Details:

  • “Surprise Party” contrasted two scenarios: Brody’s party went smoothly thanks to WhatsApp notifications, and Scott’s collapsed when a location change got buried in text clutter.

  • Both actors are at peak cultural relevance, with Emmy nominations and high-profile streaming roles adding extra visibility to the campaign.

  • Messaging emphasized WhatsApp’s reliability across iOS and Android, spotlighting features like polls, events, and group calling.

What We Loved: The split-screen storytelling turned a universal frustration into sharp comedy, showcasing WhatsApp’s value proposition in a single, funny, and instantly clear moment with start power to back it up.

Performance marketers, meet your new secret weapon.

Meet Guaranteed Outcomes is tvScientific’s new webinar for marketers who need to scale results, not just impressions.

In just 30 minutes, we’ll walk through why Performance TV is outperforming other digital channels, how AI is optimizing campaigns in real time, and why our no-risk model is transforming media buying.

Holiday campaigns are already in motion

Introducing The Nice List: your one-stop shop for holiday marketing resources, tools, and inspiration. Consider it your holiday prep HQ, where you’ll find:

  • The 2025 Holiday Advertising Trends Report, which includes insights from 600+ marketers on how brands are planning, spending, and measuring success this season.

  • What’s Driving Holiday Ad Performance in 2025?, a tvScientific x Adweek webinar that breaks down how marketers are adapting strategies in real time.

  • And more content to drive your 2025 holiday advertising strategy.

Marketing Mix

  • Search shakeup: A federal judge ruled Google can keep Chrome but must share some of its prized search data with rivals.

  • Upfront surge: Amazon exceeded expectations in its second upfront, with live sports like the NBA and Thursday Night Football driving strong commitments.

  • Retail ad boom: Walmart's global ad business jumped 46% in Q2, led by Walmart Connect’s 31% US growth.

  • Agency giant: The UK’s competition authority cleared the $13 billion Omnicom-IPG merger, moving the deal closer to creating the world’s largest ad agency.

  • Entry-level reset: Agencies are rethinking junior roles as AI cuts out "button-pushing jobs," but sentiment is divided across the industry.

  • Off to the races: Microsoft’s Copilot outpaced ChatGPT in mobile usage during Q2, driven by enterprise tie-ins.