The future of broadcasting may no longer be defined by the television screen. It could be defined by everything connected to it.
On October 8, 2026, ATSC, The Broadcast Standards Association, announced a significant milestone in its emerging Broadcast-to-Everything (B2X) initiative, approving a new Candidate Standard designed to bring broadcasting and mobile communications closer together.
For broadcasters, wireless carriers, streaming platforms, technology manufacturers, and the next generation of media professionals, this represents a potential turning point in how information and entertainment reach connected devices worldwide.
A New Standard for a Connected World
At the center of the announcement is ATSC A/391, B2X System Discovery and Signaling, approved by ATSC Technology Group 3 (TG3) for public review. The new specification establishes an essential foundation that will allow compatible devices to discover and identify future B2X transmissions. Unlike traditional broadcasting systems designed primarily for television reception, B2X envisions a much broader connected ecosystem that could eventually include smartphones, connected vehicles, wearable technology, and remote sensors.
Importantly, B2X is being developed independently of existing ATSC 3.0 standards, complementing the evolution of next-generation broadcasting rather than replacing current specifications.
Why Broadcast-to-Everything Matters
Traditional mobile networks often deliver content through individual connections. When millions of users request the same information simultaneously, network demand can increase dramatically. Broadcasting offers a different advantage: one transmission can efficiently serve millions of receivers at the same time.
B2X explores how that efficiency can complement wireless broadband infrastructure, potentially creating new opportunities for connected television, mobile services, live events, public safety communications, and the Internet of Things. As ATSC President Madeleine Noland emphasized in the announcement, cooperation between the broadcast and mobile industries is essential to defining broadcasting’s future role within the communications landscape.
Cooperation between the broadcast and mobile industries is essential to defining broadcasting’s future role within the communications landscape.
Dakar Live — on ATSC President Madeleine Noland’s remarks in the announcement
The Road to LA28: A New Era of Connected Media
With the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games approaching, the convergence of connected television, mobile broadband, satellite-to-device communications, and emerging broadcast standards is becoming increasingly relevant. Global audiences will expect content to move seamlessly across living rooms, smartphones, public venues, and connected platforms. Although B2X commercial deployment and its use at LA28 have not been established, the standard creates a foundation worth watching as broadcasters and telecommunications companies prepare their next-generation infrastructure.
The strategic question is no longer simply who produces the content. It is who develops the standards, operates the networks, and trains the workforce capable of delivering connected media at scale.
Dakar Foundation: Preparing the Next Generation of Broadcast Professionals
For the Dakar Foundation for the Performing Arts, ATSC’s announcement reinforces an important workforce-development opportunity. Through the emerging Hive Broadcast Consortium, SIGGRAPH Scoops Backpack Journalism, and Dakar’s pre-apprenticeship ecosystem, the Foundation is working to connect emerging professionals with the technologies transforming media production and distribution. The next generation of broadcast professionals will need skills that extend beyond cameras, lighting, and editing.
They will increasingly need to understand AI-assisted production, IP-based broadcasting, cloud infrastructure, network distribution, connected devices, and emerging communications standards. Dakar’s proposed B2X-focused educational initiative offers a framework for bringing industry professionals, employers, educators, and students together to explore these evolving career pathways.
BrownBagTV: Student Journalism Meets Broadcast Innovation
Dakar’s BrownBagTV platform provides another important connection to this emerging broadcast ecosystem. Through archived iHeartRadio podcasts, student-produced video trailers, Instagram features, and Gatekeepers industry interviews, BrownBagTV has created opportunities for young storytellers to engage directly with entertainment and technology professionals. Combined with SIGGRAPH Scoops and Dakar’s Backpack Journalism initiative, these platforms offer a foundation for documenting the innovations reshaping broadcast, cinema, artificial intelligence, and connected media.
Students should not simply consume the next broadcast revolution. They should be trained to document it, help implement it, and participate in the workforce behind it.
An Open Invitation to Industry
ATSC’s B2X Candidate Standard is available for industry evaluation through June 2027, allowing broadcasters, wireless providers, semiconductor manufacturers, technology developers, and other interested organizations to examine the specification and contribute feedback. This review period offers an important opportunity for educational institutions and workforce organizations to engage with the technical concepts that may influence future media careers. For Dakar, the opportunity is to connect technical standards with practical workforce preparation — building relationships among industry, education, apprenticeships, and emerging media talent.
The Future of Broadcasting Needs the Future Workforce
ATSC’s Broadcast-to-Everything initiative represents more than another technical specification. It signals a potential transformation in how broadcasting, wireless communications, connected television, and digital services operate together. As these technologies evolve, Dakar Foundation’s mission is to help ensure that the next generation of storytellers, engineers, technicians, and digital innovators has a place in that transformation.
The future of broadcasting is not just about connecting every device. It’s about creating opportunity for everyone.