Pearl TV has announced the NEXTGEN TV Converter Box Program, an industry-led effort focused on ensuring that over-the-air TV households have an affordable and user-friendly way to access NEXTGEN TV services while continuing to rely on free, local broadcast television.Pearl TV has announced the
The new program is designed to support a new category of affordable, basic NEXTGEN TV converter boxes that connect to existing televisions and antenna products, to provide consumers with access to NEXTGEN TV broadcasts without the need to purchase a new NEXTGEN TV set. The initiative aligns with key policy considerations raised in the FCC’s ongoing proceeding, including consumer access, affordability, and continuity of service as NEXTGEN TV broadcasts become more widely available.
At CES 2026, Pearl TV is showing early converter box examples in collaboration with industry partners. Representative NEXTGEN TV devices are on display at CES in Las Vegas in the ATSC exhibit booth in the Central Hall Grand Lobby and include an example developed with set-top manufacturer ADTH as well as a second example developed by Skyworth (a high volume global device manufacturer) and iWedia (a certified ATSC 3.0 software stack developer). Pearl TV is also engaged in discussions with additional manufacturers, including Zinwell, as part of its broader market engagement.
To provide options for consumers and support affordability goals, the NEXTGEN TV basic receiving devices will join a roster of more advanced offerings from other companies that offer features such as digital video recording and whole home networking capability.
