Audio Video News

A dozen companies that own TV stations are teaming up to form Pearl Mobile DTV Company LLC, a joint venture that aims to reach 150 million American viewers with mobile DTV. The venture was announced at the annual meeting of the National Association of Broadcasters in Las Vegas.

Content will include live and on-demand video, news from print and TV media, sports, and entertainment. Look for the first programs to air on 150 stations by year-end.

Spectrum will come from stations owned by Fox, Ion Television, and NBCU/Telemundo. The other partners include Belo, Cox, Gannett, Scripps, Hearst, Media General, Meredith, Post-Newsweek Stations, and Raycom Media.

The venture comes as the Federal Communications Commission is preparing a national broadband plan that is likely to include persuading DTV broadcasters to give up some of the spectrum they acquired in the just-concluded DTV transition. By using their spectrum for mobile DTV, broadcasters can avoid sharing spectrum with other companies.

See Broadcasting & Cable.