Multicasting Stalls

If there's an elephant in the room this winter as the Federal Communications Commission considers how to repurpose more than 100 MHz of digital broadcast spectrum for other services as part of a national broadband plan, it could be the relative dearth of multicast channels among commercial broadcasters more than a year-and-a-half into the digital transition.

By December 2010, there were 1,618 multicast signals being provided by all TV stations in America, according to BIA Advisory Services. But only two-thirds of these channels (1,086) are commercial -- averaging out to less than one multicast signal per commercial licensee. The remaining multicast outlets (532) are generated by only 360 non-commercial stations. BIA Vice President Mark Fratrik said some commercial broadcasters are filling their multicast spectrum with various newer networks like This TV (owned by MGM and Weigel Broadcasting) and RTV (aka Retro Television Network, owned by Luken Communications) to unserved areas, as well as content from the big four in regions where they're not otherwise available. The lack of multicast buildout (no doubt exacerbated by a down economy) has disappointed some key multichannel proponents in Washington.