Castanet launches commercial ATSC 3.0 and 5G Broadcast Internet pilot

Castanet Corporation announced a commercial-ready hybrid ATSC 3.0 and 5G Broadcast Internet pilot network in Las Vegas at NAB 2026, building on an earlier demonstration in Silicon Valley with Major Market Broadcasting. The system uses ATSC 3.0 as the transport layer for 5G Broadcast, enabling high-quality streaming with low latency independent of unicast network congestion, across both fixed and mobile devices. The consortium of LPTV spectrum owners now covers approximately 60% of the U.S. population.

Castanet also launched its C5G Interactive Live Sports platform at the show, targeting second-screen experiences for sports fans. The underlying approach converts existing LPTV spectrum holdings from ATSC 1.0 to a hybrid broadcast-internet service without interrupting current over-the-air service to viewers.

"The broadcast internet era is no longer theoretical. It is here," said Vern Fotheringham, founder and executive chairman of Castanet. The announcement adds to a broader pattern at NAB 2026 in which ATSC 3.0 is increasingly framed not as a next-generation TV standard but as infrastructure for wireless broadband delivery, particularly to audiences in low-connectivity environments where unicast streaming is unreliable.