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Digital multicast television network
Digital multicast television network
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A digital multicast television network, also known as a diginet or multichannel, is a type of national television service designed to be broadcast terrestrially as a supplementary service to other stations on their digital subchannels. Made possible by the conversion from analog to digital television broadcasting, which left room for additional services to be broadcast from an individual transmitter, regional and national broadcasters alike have introduced such channels since the 2000s. By March 2022, 54 such services existed in the United States.[1]

Typically run on a lesser budget, national multicast services often rely on archive and imported content and are tailored to allow advertisers to reach specific demographics. Most of their revenue is derived from national advertising.

Digital multicast services by country

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Australia

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The first multichannel broadcast in Australia was ABC Kids, which broadcast from 2001 to 2003; in the succeeding years, the country's commercial broadcasters also launched secondary services to compete against DVDs and online piracy.[2] However, their ability to do so was hampered at first by a ban on adding channels, with a focus on such services as datacasting and high-definition. It was not until 2009 that commercial broadcasters were allowed to add multichannels; in that year, the three major networks all did so, bringing the number of channels they offered from three to eleven.[3]

The original commercial multichannels were generalist in nature, which made it difficult for advertisers to target specific demographics and therefore made them less lucrative. The shift to specifically targeted services and their reliance on existing programming has allowed these channels to survive despite drawing comparatively low shares of the audience: in 2018, 7mate led the group with an audience share of 4.1 percent among metropolitan audiences.[2] However, after the Australian Communications and Media Authority permitted the commercial broadcasters to move required children's programming and national drama commitments to their multichannels, ratings and visibility fell precipitously; by 2013, the ABC had more viewers for its children's channels than the commercial broadcasters combined.[3] The commercial broadcasters also became more reliant on news, sport, and reality competitions on their main channels.[3]

Each of the five major broadcasters offers its own suite of multichannels:[4]

Mexico

[edit]

In 2017, TV Azteca launched a+ (now A Más), initially conceived as a hybrid regional-national service to be carried on its existing Azteca 7 transmitters in most of Mexico.[5][6] The new channel—as well as news channel adn40, aired on Azteca Uno transmitters, achieved sufficient national coverage to be classified a national network by the Federal Telecommunications Institute in December 2017, making it mandatory for satellite TV providers to add it to their lineups.[7]

United States

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For most of the 2000s decade, digital multicasting in the United States remained less used. One of the earliest successful uses of subchannels was to broadcast automated weather information. The first such subchannel was the 69 News Weather Channel, launched in February 2001 by WFMZ-TV in Allentown, Pennsylvania, with the assistance of AccuWeather.[8] In 2004, NBC and its affiliates launched NBC Weather Plus, which was available in its peak from more than 80 stations nationally.[9] Another early subchannel user was The Tube Music Network, which broadcast music videos from 2005 to 2007 until closing for financial reasons.[10][11]

2008 was a critical year in the shift toward programmed digital multicast services. NBC Weather Plus was shut down at the end of 2008 in a decision taken by the network's affiliates.[12][9] Several new channels offering classic TV programming were launching or growing at the time. These included the Retro Television Network (RTN), started in 2005 by Equity Media Holdings as the first such service,[11][13] and This TV, a film-aimed service run as a joint venture between Weigel Broadcasting and film studio MGM (now owned by Amazon).[9] Another planned subchannel of this type, the .2 Network, was announced and signed up affiliates but never launched amid the Great Recession.[14] These subchannels offered stations the ability to expand their advertising inventory and offer lower prices on the secondary services.[14] In addition to services signing up national affiliates, some station groups were starting to experiment around this time. CBS explored, but never launched, a complementary secondary channel, dubbed "CBS 2".[15] In 2007, Ion Media, which owned a network of transmitters serving most major American markets, launched its 24-hour kids channel Qubo (owned by Canada-based Corus and NBCUniversal, closed in late February 2021) and health and wellness service Ion Life.[16] Weigel launched MeTV, which had formerly only been a local service in Chicago and Milwaukee, on a national basis in December 2010; four years later, it was the most widely distributed multicast network.[17] It remains the most-watched; in 2021, it had an average prime time audience of 752,000, nearly double the next-highest diginet and greater than cable channels such as Bravo, Lifetime, and A&E.[1]

As digital multicast services began to proliferate and gain viewers in the 2010s, they also became more specialized in an attempt to stand out and reach potential viewers. However, those that were not owned by large station groups and thus could not count on a backbone of significant national coverage struggled to negotiate distribution, having to do so with individual stations in each of the United States's more than 200 television markets.[18] This market favored new services launched by the station groups.[19] The business was also maturing significantly due to the rise of cord cutting, enabling some services to make a profit off advertising. Nielsen's list of top 100 television channels in 2016 did not contain any diginets; in 2018, eight made the list.[13] This led to increased mergers and acquisitions activity. In 2017, the E. W. Scripps Company acquired Katz Broadcasting for $302 million. The purchase was notable for adding four diginets: the women-aimed Escape (now Ion Mystery), the men-targeted Grit, Bounce TV to serve the African-American/Black market, and the comedy-focused channel Laff. Scripps saw an opportunity to reduce the proportion of advertising on these services that was direct response and toward more expensive general-market advertising.[20] The deal was seen as a validation of the diginet business.[19] Scripps then acquired most of the Ion Media transmitter network and affiliated with the remainder in 2021, using the transmitters to broadcast a growing array of targeted, thematic diginets.[21][22] Tegna, like Scripps an owner of full-service broadcast stations, acquired the Justice Network (now True Crime Network) and Quest for $91 million in 2019.[13]

Multicast services typically pay local stations to affiliate, with higher payments going to stations with lower major channel numbers; owning the host station, as Scripps does with the Ion transmitters, allows for the reduction of costs by eliminating such payments in some markets.[21] In some cases, switching stations can also lead to the service gaining carriage on cable in its broadcast area. For instance, in 2022, Sinclair Broadcast Group moved Comet, one of its three diginets, from WSBK-TV to WFXT in the Boston area, which also led to cable carriage for the Comet subchannel.[22] Between the late 2010s and early 2020s, diginets such as NBC-owned Cozi TV began making national distribution deals with satellite, paid streaming, and ad-supported streaming providers that previously had not carried them, further increasing their reach.[23] Further, the use of more efficient generations of MPEG-2 encoders by TV stations allowed for the transmission of additional subchannels from the same transmitter; a representative for Harmonic, a seller of encoders, noted that stations were seeing a return on their investment within less than a year from the additional revenue stream opened up by adding another diginet.[24]

Public television stations in the United States were also comparatively early adopters of multicasting, and public TV content distributors joined a meeting in the mid-2000s, such as with the launch of Create by American Public Television in January 2006.[15] In 2016, PBS began providing a 24-hour PBS Kids service to member stations replacing Spanish-language V-me.[25]

References

[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Digital multicast television network

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from Grokipedia
A digital multicast television network, commonly referred to as a diginet, is a form of over-the-air broadcast television service that delivers syndicated national programming through secondary digital subchannels on local stations, utilizing technology to transmit multiple streams of content simultaneously within the bandwidth allocated for a single . This approach divides a station's into several subchannels, allowing broadcasters to offer diverse programming options without requiring additional . The development of digital multicast networks stemmed from the U.S. federal mandate for the transition from analog to , completed in 2009, which freed up spectrum efficiency and enabled stations to up to four or more standard-definition channels—or a mix of high-definition and standard-definition streams—in place of a single . Prior to this shift, early experiments with multicasting occurred during the digital rollout in the early , but widespread adoption accelerated post-transition as station groups sought to monetize unused subchannel capacity through low-cost, niche programming. These networks typically feature rerun-based content, lifestyle shows, or targeted demographics, distributed via agreements with local affiliates and supported by a combination of national and reverse compensation from content providers. By the 2020s, diginets had become a significant segment of free over-the-air television, appealing to cord-cutters and reaching approximately 23 million U.S. households with digital antennas (as of 2024), often filling subchannels with evergreen genres like classic sitcoms, dramas, and movies. In 2025, new networks such as West and were launched, further expanding offerings. Prominent examples include , focusing on classic television from the 1950s to 1980s; , emphasizing retro sitcoms and dramas; , targeting African American audiences with urban-oriented programming; and Grit, specializing in Westerns and action films, all of which are syndicated across hundreds of local stations nationwide. Regulatory aspects, governed by the (FCC), include rules that prioritize primary channels but allow voluntary carriage of streams, influencing their growth and distribution strategies. As broadcasting evolves toward (NextGen TV), diginets continue to adapt, incorporating enhanced features like interactive elements while maintaining their role as accessible, ad-supported alternatives to cable and streaming services.

Overview

Definition and characteristics

A digital multicast television network, commonly known as a "diginet" or "multichannel," is a supplementary television service that broadcasts multiple program streams simultaneously on digital subchannels using multicast technology. These networks operate as additional feeds alongside primary broadcast channels, leveraging the expanded capacity of digital transmission to deliver diverse content without requiring separate spectrum allocations. Key characteristics include the ability to transmit several standard-definition (SD) or high-definition (HD) channels within the allocated frequency band for a television channel, typically 6-8 MHz depending on the broadcasting standard. In the United States, using the ATSC standard, this is a single 6 MHz band assigned to a television station. This efficiency is achieved through digital compression techniques, such as MPEG-2 or H.264, which reduce data rates while maintaining video quality, allowing a station to subdivide its bandwidth into multiple independent streams. Access to these networks is free over-the-air (OTA) via antennas, making them available to viewers without subscription fees, though signal quality depends on location and reception conditions. In distinction from traditional analog broadcasting, which typically supported only one channel per frequency band, digital multicast networks enable the addition of subchannels without consuming extra , thereby facilitating targeted programming for niche audiences such as those interested in classic shows or specialized genres. Reception requires televisions or set-top boxes equipped with digital tuners to decode the signals, as cannot process these multicast streams.

Significance in modern broadcasting

Digital multicast television networks have gained prominence in the cord-cutting era, as viewers seek cost-free alternatives to subscription-based services. Amid accelerating shifts away from traditional cable, these networks have reported substantial audience increases; for instance, several multicast channels experienced double-digit growth in viewership during the 2024-25 television season. Nielsen data indicates that over-the-air multicast viewing accounted for 4.4% of total U.S. TV consumption in late 2024, reflecting an upward trend as broadcasters leverage subchannels to retain linear audiences. These networks excel in demographic targeting by offering content tailored to underserved groups, such as older viewers drawn to classic reruns and niche audiences seeking ethnic, educational, or specialized programming that cable and streaming platforms often overlook. Subchannels frequently feature nostalgic or heritage shows, appealing particularly to mature demographics who value familiar formats over on-demand novelty. This strategy addresses gaps in the broader , providing accessible entertainment for demographics less inclined toward digital subscriptions. The over-the-air delivery model provides a key advantage, enabling networks to reach a large portion of television households without any subscription fees; for example, networks like reach approximately 92% of U.S. television households. This broad, no-cost accessibility sustains viewership among cost-conscious consumers and reinforces the networks' role in inclusive . While particularly prominent in the United States, similar digital services exist internationally under various standards and names, with country-specific details covered later in this article. Industry consolidation has further amplified their impact, as seen in E.W. Scripps' 2021 acquisition of , which integrated capabilities to extend distribution to nearly every U.S. household and solidified Scripps as a major player in national networks. Such mergers enhance for wider content dissemination, driving efficiency and scale in a fragmented media landscape.

History

Origins and early developments

The origins of digital multicast television networks in the United States trace back to the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) spectrum allocation decisions in the , which laid the groundwork for the transition from analog to . In 1996, following the Telecommunications Act, the FCC adopted (DTV) standards that granted each full-power broadcaster a second 6 MHz channel alongside their existing analog allocation, enabling experimentation with digital signals without disrupting analog service. This dual-channel approach, formalized in FCC rules by December 1996, provided the spectrum necessary for broadcasters to explore multicast capabilities, where a single digital frequency could transmit multiple programming streams simultaneously. By the late , early tests demonstrated the potential for subchannels, as the FCC had established voluntary digital transmission requirements in its 1997 build-out schedule to develop infrastructure. Initial subchannel tests emerged in the early as broadcasters began leveraging the allocated . A notable example was the launch of the 69 News Channel by in , in 2001, recognized as the nation's first 24-hour local weather channel broadcast as a on 69.2. This test highlighted 's role in delivering specialized content, such as continuous weather updates, using the efficiency of digital compression to fit multiple streams within one frequency— serving as a tool to optimize capacity without additional . These early efforts were limited to select markets with digital receivers, but they validated the technical feasibility of subchannels for niche programming. A pivotal milestone came with the 2009 digital television transition, mandated by the Digital Television Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005, which required full-power stations to cease analog broadcasts by February 17, 2009 (later delayed to June 12). This shift freed up spectrum previously used for analog, allowing broadcasters to repurpose their full 6 MHz digital allotment for multicasting, potentially accommodating multiple subchannels. Prior to the deadline, early multicast networks like NBC Weather Plus exemplified this potential; launched in November 2004 as the first all-digital broadcast network, it operated on subchannels of NBC affiliates, providing 24-hour weather and local information until its discontinuation at the end of 2008 due to strategic shifts. The adoption of the ATSC A/53 standard in 1995, which underpinned these efforts and enabled—through MPEG-2 video compression and multiplexing—up to four to six standard-definition subchannels per 19.39 Mbps digital stream. Despite these advancements, initial challenges hindered widespread adoption before 2009, primarily due to limited penetration of digital television receivers among households. As of 2008, only about 40% of U.S. homes had digital-capable TVs or converters, restricting multicast viewership to early adopters and leaving much of the population reliant on analog signals. Low awareness and the high cost of digital tuners further slowed subchannel usage, with surveys indicating minimal audience engagement until the post-transition period. These barriers delayed the full realization of multicast's efficiency until analog spectrum recovery in 2009.

Global expansion and adoption

Following the completion of the U.S. in June 2009, multicast networks experienced rapid growth as broadcasters leveraged available subchannel capacity for additional programming services. , launched by in December 2009, emerged as one of the pioneering digital multicast networks, focusing on classic television reruns and quickly establishing a national footprint. By the early 2020s, the sector had matured significantly, with multicast networks collectively reaching tens of millions of households and contributing substantially to station revenues through . Internationally, regulatory changes facilitated similar expansions. In , legislation effective January 1, 2009, permitted commercial broadcasters to introduce a single standard-definition digital multi-channel alongside their primary service, marking the end of prior restrictions and spurring the launch of additional channels by networks like Ten. In , the 2013 constitutional reforms, with ongoing implementation reviewed in 2017, promoted competition in by mandating rules for signals on pay TV and enabling new entrants, which indirectly supported the development of subchannel-based services for broader content distribution. By 2025, U.S.-based networks continued to expand, exemplified by Sinclair Broadcast Group's affiliations for services like CHARGE!, , ROAR, and The Nest, which added new station partners to increase national over-the-air coverage through strategic deals announced in mid-2025. This growth reflected broader global influences, particularly the adoption of standards in Europe and parts of Asia, where the and specifications have enabled efficient transmission for since the early 2000s, supporting multiple program streams on shared spectrum. Despite these advances, adoption faced challenges, including spectrum reallocations through incentive auctions that reduced available bandwidth for —such as the U.S. FCC's 2016-2017 auction, which repurposed 126 MHz for —and an initial industry emphasis on high-definition primary channels that constrained subchannel development in the transition era. These factors delayed full-scale rollout in some markets until regulatory and technological adjustments prioritized multi-channel efficiency.

Technology

Digital broadcasting standards

Digital multicast television networks rely on several key international standards to enable the transmission of multiple channels over a single frequency, facilitating efficient spectrum use and simultaneous delivery of diverse content. The primary standards include the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) framework predominant in , the Digital Video Broadcasting - Terrestrial (DVB-T and DVB-T2) standards widely adopted in and , and the Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting - Terrestrial (ISDB-T) standard used in and parts of . These standards incorporate modulation techniques that support , allowing a single broadcast signal to carry multiple subchannels or services, which is essential for operations. In the ATSC 1.0 standard, employed in the United States and , 8-level Vestigial Sideband () modulation is utilized to transmit a total bitrate of 19.39 Mbps within a 6 MHz channel, which can be divided into multiple subchannels for services such as (HDTV) and standard-definition (SD) programming. This is achieved through the transport stream, enabling broadcasters to allocate bandwidth dynamically among several channels. The subsequent standard, deployed starting in the 2020s, introduces (OFDM) and (IP)-based delivery, supporting with a theoretical maximum capacity of up to 57 Mbps per 6 MHz channel, allowing for enhanced flexibility in delivering ultra-high-definition (UHD) content and interactive services. The standard, foundational in and , employs Coded (COFDM) modulation to achieve robust transmission in multipath environments, with a of approximately 31.67 Mbps in an 8 MHz channel, multiplexed to carry multiple channels via the transport stream for distribution. Its successor, , improves efficiency through enhanced COFDM configurations, offering up to 50 Mbps capacity in the same bandwidth, which supports a greater number of HD or UHD channels in a single multiplex while maintaining capabilities for simultaneous service delivery. Global variations are exemplified by the ISDB-T standard in and South American countries like , which uses OFDM modulation with hierarchical layering to enable at different quality levels within a single 6 MHz channel, supporting a total bitrate of up to approximately 23 Mbps that can be segmented into layers for fixed, mobile, and portable reception. This hierarchical modulation allows layered transmission where base layers provide robust signals for mobile devices, while enhancement layers add detail for fixed receivers, optimizing for diverse user scenarios. Compression plays a critical role in these standards to maximize channel capacity for multicast. The MPEG-2 codec, integral to early implementations like ATSC 1.0 and DVB-T, provides efficient encoding for SD and HD content, typically requiring 3-15 Mbps per channel to fit multiple streams within the multiplex bitrate. Transitioning to High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC, or H.265) in advanced standards such as ATSC 3.0 and DVB-T2 reduces bitrate needs by about 50% for equivalent quality, enabling more channels—up to several HD streams—per multiplex without sacrificing multicast efficiency.

Multicast transmission mechanisms

In digital multicast television networks, transmission relies on multicast protocols that enable one-to-many delivery of identical content streams over the broadcast spectrum, in contrast to unicast methods which require separate point-to-point connections for each receiver, thereby consuming more bandwidth for simultaneous viewers. This multicast approach leverages the inherent efficiency of broadcast infrastructure, such as digital terrestrial television (DTT) channels, to distribute IP packets without duplicating data streams, making it ideal for delivering multiple subchannels of programming to a wide audience simultaneously. Stations implement transmission by encoding multiple video, audio, and streams into a single transport stream (TS), where elementary streams are packetized into 188-byte fixed-length packets and multiplexed using (PSI) tables. Multiplexers assign unique packet identifiers (PIDs) to each stream component—such as PID 0x0000 for the program association table (PAT) and higher values for program map tables (PMT) and individual elements—to enable identification and synchronization within the TS. The resulting multiplexed TS, typically operating at a of 19.39 Mbps for 8-VSB modulation in ATSC systems, is then transmitted over-the-air (OTA) via broadcast towers, allowing a single physical channel to carry several virtual subchannels without additional allocation. At the receiver end, digital tuners capture the OTA signal and demultiplex it by filtering TS packets based on their PIDs, using the PAT to locate PMT PIDs and the PMT to extract specific audio, video, and streams for decoding and presentation. Virtual channels, denoted in formats like (e.g., 2.1 for the primary subchannel and 2.2 for a secondary one), are mapped through the table (VCT) in the (PSIP), facilitating user-friendly navigation across subchannels independent of the physical RF frequency. This process ensures seamless selection and rendering of content on devices like set-top boxes or integrated tuners. Advancements in introduce IP-based via the ROUTE (Real-time Object delivery over Unidirectional Transport) protocol, which builds on (File Delivery over Unidirectional Transport) to deliver files, streams, and signaling data as IP/UDP packets over broadcast channels, supporting higher efficiency and integration with for hybrid services. ROUTE enables dynamic sessions identified by transport session identifiers (TSIs) and source IP addresses, allowing for scalable delivery of adaptive bitrate content to fixed and mobile receivers while facilitating features like through IP addressing.

Business and operations

Revenue models

Digital multicast television networks primarily generate revenue through national spot advertising, which leverages low cost-per-thousand (CPM) impressions to attract brands targeting niche audiences, such as older demographics. These rates are typically 20-50% lower than those on cable networks, often falling in the $10-20 CPM range due to the specialized viewer base and direct-response focus. Syndication deals form another core revenue stream, involving licensing agreements for classic programming from major studios like Warner Bros., which supply timeless content at reduced costs to fill schedules. Networks also engage in revenue-sharing arrangements with affiliates, where advertising proceeds are divided between the multicast service and local stations, providing mutual financial incentives without traditional reverse compensation payments from broadcasters to networks. Supplementary income comes from infomercials broadcast during off-peak hours, capitalizing on lower production demands to monetize unsold ad slots directly. Digital extensions further diversify earnings, with over-the-air networks like expanding to ad-supported streaming via apps and platforms, enabling additional inventory for targeted ads beyond traditional signals. As of 2025, integration with connected (CTV) and (FAST) services has significantly enhanced revenue potential, contributing to growth in ad inventory for major diginets amid rising and a projected $33 billion in U.S. CTV ad spend. As of 2025, major diginet operators like Sinclair have reported double-digit audience growth, further enhancing revenue potential through increased viewership. This convergence allows operators to cross-promote content and capture digital viewers, amplifying overall in a fragmented media landscape.

Content strategies and programming

Digital multicast television networks curate content with a strong emphasis on niche programming to leverage subchannel limitations for targeted viewer retention. A common strategy involves featuring classic TV reruns, such as sitcoms from the 1970s to 1990s, which offer cost-effective options due to inexpensive licensing fees and enduring popularity among older audiences seeking nostalgic entertainment. Genre-specific formats, including dedicated movie channels or lifestyle programming, further refine this approach by appealing to specialized interests like action films or shows, thereby maximizing limited airtime efficiency. Scheduling tactics prioritize operational simplicity and regulatory adherence, often utilizing continuous 24/7 programming loops that minimize promotional needs and ensure constant availability for over-the-air viewers. Networks incorporate Educational/Informational (E/I) blocks to meet FCC children's programming mandates, with multicast streams allowed up to 13 hours per quarter of regularly scheduled weekly core content. Seasonal tie-ins, such as themed marathons during holidays, enhance engagement by aligning content with viewer expectations for timely, event-driven viewing. Content acquisition relies heavily on barter syndication, where networks obtain programming at no upfront cost by allocating ad inventory shares to distributors, enabling low-overhead operations suited to subchannel . While original low-budget productions are uncommon due to financial constraints, they are increasingly pursued in genres, such as lifestyle or news-hybrid formats, to differentiate offerings and build exclusive appeal. Limited budgets pose significant challenges, often resulting in repetitive programming cycles to sustain 24/7 schedules without excessive expenditure. Following 2020, strategies have shifted toward diverse demographics, incorporating content for younger viewers and ethnic minorities—such as urban-focused series or youth-oriented —to counter aging audiences and capitalize on growth. These approaches underpin ad-driven revenue models by fostering niche viewership that attracts specialized advertisers.

Implementations by country

United States

In the , digital multicast television networks, commonly referred to as diginets, form a mature and diverse ecosystem that leverages subchannels of local broadcast stations to deliver free over-the-air programming to cord-cutters and antenna users. As of 2025, dozens of these networks operate nationwide, with major players like Co. managing popular channels such as (focused on classic television) and (emphasizing action and drama series), while oversees sci-fi oriented and action-packed Charge!. These networks generate significant revenue through advertising, estimated at $250 million to $350 million annually across the sector. Collectively, leading diginets achieve broad penetration, with many reaching over 90% of U.S. households via affiliations with station groups like Nexstar and E.W. Scripps. Notable examples illustrate the variety in programming strategies. , launched on January 3, 2011, by (now part of ), specializes in classic sitcoms and series from the 1950s through the 1990s, including shows like and . , which debuted on September 26, 2011, targets African American audiences aged 25-54 with a mix of original content, movies, and sports from . More recently, Sinclair's TBD network, introduced in 2017 to appeal to and Gen Z viewers with digital-first content like , , and viral videos, rebranded as Roar on April 28, 2025 to emphasize comedy franchises. The regulatory framework supports this expansion through (FCC) policies that allow full-power television stations to multicast multiple programming streams on subchannels without specific leasing restrictions, enabling stations to affiliate or lease capacity to national networks. A pivotal development was the 2021 merger between and , completed in January after a September 2020 announcement, which integrated ION's 37 owned-and-operated stations to create the largest distributor of multicast programming, reaching nearly 39% of U.S. television households and facilitating migrations of networks like and Grit. Viewership for these networks has grown steadily amid trends, with over-the-air channels accounting for 4.4% of total U.S. TV usage in late according to Nielsen . This rise is bolstered by surging for OTA antennas, as the U.S. digital TV antennas market, valued at approximately $2.8 billion in , is projected to grow to $4.2 billion by 2033 at a CAGR of around 4-5%, driven by affordable access to free content.

Mexico

In 2017, the Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT) in issued a decision that liberalized the use of subchannels for , enabling national broadcasters to expand their reach through networks without requiring additional concessions. This regulatory shift aimed to foster competition and diversify content offerings in a market long dominated by a duopoly of and . As a direct result, launched a+ and adn40 as subchannels, achieving full national coverage by December 2017 after securing IFT approval for their multiplex operations. launched subchannels such as tiin (youth-focused) on Canal 5 in 2018 and expanded HD feeds, though less aggressively than due to duopoly dynamics. The a+ network targets youth and entertainment audiences with programming centered on music videos, lifestyle content, and interactive segments, while adn40 emphasizes news and current affairs, providing localized reporting from major cities across . These channels operate as digital subchannels, accessible via ATSC-based digital tuners, and are primarily limited to the infrastructure of the two dominant broadcasters due to the entrenched duopoly , which restricts smaller players from entering the space. Adoption of digital multicast in Mexico accelerated following the nationwide digital-to-analog transition, which was completed between 2015 and 2020, with multicast signals reaching approximately 80% of the population by 2020 through urban and suburban coverage. This growth was supported by government subsidies for set-top boxes and public awareness campaigns, aligning multicast expansion with the broader shift to ATSC standards. However, the sector faces significant challenges, including intense competition from over-the-top streaming services like and Disney+, which have captured younger demographics, and lower advertising revenues compared to mature markets, with multicast ad spend remaining below 10% of total TV budgets as of 2022.

Australia

Australia's digital multicast television network traces its origins to the early , when digital terrestrial broadcasting commenced using the standard. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) pioneered the country's first multichannel service with ABC Kids, a dedicated children's channel launched on 1 August 2001, which operated until its discontinuation in May 2003 due to regulatory and funding constraints. This public initiative provided an early example of multicast programming, filling the multiplex with age-appropriate content during off-peak hours on the main ABC channel. The standard, formalized under Australian Standard AS 4599.1:1999, enabled efficient spectrum use for multiple channels within a single 7 MHz allocation, supporting both standard-definition (SD) and high-definition (HD) transmissions across VHF and UHF bands. Regulatory changes in 2009 marked a pivotal expansion for commercial broadcasters, lifting previous restrictions on multichannelling that had limited services to simulcasts during the analog-to-digital transition. The Broadcasting Legislation Amendment (Digital Television Switch-over) Act 2008, effective from 1 January 2009, permitted commercial free-to-air networks to introduce SD multichannel services, fostering competition and diverse programming. This deregulation enabled the Seven Network to launch 7Two in November 2009, targeting women over 35 with lifestyle and drama content, followed by 7mate in September 2010, aimed at men aged 25-54 with sports, reality, and automotive shows. Similarly, the Nine Network debuted GO! on 9 February 2009, focusing on youth-oriented entertainment. By 2018, 7mate had achieved a 4.1% national audience share among key demographics, underscoring the viability of targeted multichannels. Public broadcasters also expanded, with the ABC introducing ABC News 24 (now ABC News) in 2010 for 24-hour news and SBS launching SBS World Movies in 2016 for international films. By 2025, over 15 multichannels operated nationwide, including Seven's 7flix and 7Bravo, Nine's 9Life and 9Gem, Network 10's 10 Bold and 10 Peach, alongside ABC's four channels and SBS's three, plus regional variations. These multichannels emphasize demographic segmentation to complement main channels, with 7Two capturing a stable share among older female viewers through repeat dramas and cooking shows, while 7mate appeals to younger males via motorsport and comedy. Overall, multichannels accounted for approximately 20% of total free-to-air TV viewing time in 2024, maintaining steady engagement despite streaming competition, as broadcasters leverage multicast capacity for niche audiences. The Australian market's structure, regulated by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), prioritizes free-to-air accessibility, with multichannels broadcast via DVB-T in metropolitan and regional areas. Recent developments reflect a shift toward HD prioritization, reducing reliance on SD subchannels to optimize spectrum and viewer experience. In 2025, the ABC upgraded ABC News and ABC Entertains to HD, while phased out SD broadcasts for its main channel and multichannels in major cities like (October 2025) and Perth (April 2025), converting several SD services to HD or consolidating them. This transition, driven by the adoption of MPEG-4 compression, has streamlined offerings, with some SD multichannels discontinued or repurposed to free bandwidth for HD main signals. Concurrently, integrations with streaming apps have enhanced reach; for instance, services such as , 9Now, and ABC iview now incorporate multicast feeds, allowing hybrid viewing that blends linear and nonlinear experiences.

References

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  31. https://www.nexttv.com/news/diginets-come-of-age
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  37. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280222504_Broadcast_Television_Spectrum_Incentive_Auctions_in_the_US_Trends_Challenges_and_Opportunities
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  70. https://transmission.seven.com.au/hc/en-au/articles/35885921036685-Broadcast-Channel-Changes-Perth
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