On October 14, ATSC 3.0 received a 2026 Technology & Engineering Emmy® Award from NATAS. Over the last 15 years, Fraunhofer IIS has contributed key technologies to this standard, including MPEG-H Audio, Next Generation Audio (NGA) concepts, and related transport and signaling technologies. MPEG-H Audio is already used commercially every day in ATSC 3.0 services in South Korea and Brazil.
ATSC, The Broadcast Standards Association, has been selected to receive a 2026 Technology & Engineering Emmy Award from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) for developing ATSC 3.0, the first fully IP-based broadcast standard to reach commercial scale. The award recognizes the collaborative effort behind NextGen TV and DTV+.
Fraunhofer IIS has been an active ATSC member for more than 15 years. A key contribution was the development and standardization of the MPEG-H Audio system, which became ATSC 3.0’s advanced audio solution. Fraunhofer experts contributed to the Next Generation Audio (NGA) framework and metadata concepts for immersive, interactive, and personalized audio experiences. Beyond audio coding and metadata, Fraunhofer IIS developed together with ATSC experts the NGA signaling mechanisms and descriptors for the ATSC 3.0 transport layer, supporting the delivery of MPEG-H Audio and other NGA services over DASH-ROUTE and MMT. Together, these contributions helped establish a comprehensive framework for next-generation television audio, enabling broadcasters to deliver more engaging viewing experiences while maintaining interoperability across devices and platforms.
Personalization and Immersion for TV
Audio plays a central role in making television services more accessible, immersive, and personal. MPEG-H Audio allows broadcasters to move beyond traditional channel-based sound. It supports immersive audio and personalization features through user-adjustable audio mixes such as enhancing hard to understand dialogue or selecting an alternative commentary. Within ATSC 3.0, MPEG-H Audio gives broadcasters a standardized way to offer richer and more engaging audio services.
From Standardization to Commercial Deployment
One of the strongest validations of the ATSC 3.0 standard has been its successful deployment in commercial broadcasting. South Korea was the first country to launch ATSC 3.0 UHD TV services in 2017 shortly after the standardization work was completed. This transition from specification to operation showed that the standard was ready for deployment. For Fraunhofer IIS, the successful rollout confirmed that MPEG-H Audio and transport specifications developed with industry partners were ready for large-scale real-world use. In Brazil, MPEG-H Audio is the mandatory audio system for DTV+, the country’s next-generation television platform based on ATSC 3.0. Today, commercial services in South Korea and Brazil operate 24/7 using MPEG-H Audio, bringing immersive and personalized television experiences to millions of viewers.
Celebrating Shared Achievements
The Emmy Award recognizes the work of ATSC and its experts who contributed to ATSC 3.0. As Madeleine Noland, President of ATSC, stated: “ATSC 3.0 is the result of extraordinary collaboration among hundreds of experts and organizations, past and present, who contributed their ideas, technical expertise, time and leadership over many years.”
“This recognition is a testament to the strength of international collaboration and the dedication of the many experts who helped shape NextGen TV. Fraunhofer IIS is proud to have contributed key technologies including MPEG-H Audio to the ATSC 3.0 ecosystem. Seeing MPEG-H Audio deployed daily in commercial services in South Korea and Brazil demonstrates the real-world impact of standards-based innovation and the value of working together to advance the future of broadcasting,” said Harald Fuchs, head of the media systems and applications department at Fraunhofer IIS.
For Fraunhofer IIS, this Emmy recognition reflects one of its mayor contributions to international media technology standards.
Looking Ahead
The 2026 Technology & Engineering Emmy® Award for ATSC 3.0 demonstrates what can be achieved when broadcasters, technology providers, manufacturers, and research organizations work together towards a common goal. As ATSC 3.0 expands globally and next-generation television ecosystems emerge in additional markets, MPEG-H Audio will continue to deliver immersive, accessible, and personalized viewing experiences.
Header Image (C): Skip Pizzi
The Emmy name and the Emmy statuette are the trademarked property of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (“NATAS”) and The Television Academy (“TVA”)
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