NextGen TV encryption (DRM), explained

What encryption does

ATSC 3.0 lets a station scramble its broadcast so that only approved devices can play it. The industry calls this DRM (digital rights management). The standard itself doesn’t require it: the head of ATSC, the group that wrote the standard, told the FCC that stations don’t have to encrypt. Each station or station owner decides.

Stations that encrypt use a system run by A3SA (the ATSC 3.0 Security Authority), an industry group that decides which TVs, boxes and apps get the keys. It uses one technology, Google’s Widevine. A device without A3SA approval shows a blank screen or an error on an encrypted channel, even if it receives the signal perfectly.

Encryption also lets the station set rules for viewing and recording: for example, no watching away from home, recordings that only play on the box that made them, recordings that expire, or no recording at all.

How common is it?

In an October 5, 2026 filing with the FCC, tuner maker SiliconDust counted 187 stations, owned by 15 broadcast groups, sending encrypted NextGen TV signals, well over a third of the roughly 500 stations broadcasting in 3.0 today, including many big-network affiliates. Encryption can also differ from channel to channel: one station can send one 3.0 channel encrypted and another in the clear.

Which devices can play encrypted channels

A TV or box can carry the NEXTGEN TV logo, meaning it receives ATSC 3.0, and still be unable to play encrypted channels. Check for A3SA certification before you buy. ZapperBox vs ADTH, compared →

The internet catch

Many certified receivers have to reach A3SA’s servers online before they can play an encrypted channel. ZapperBox needs a connection once after each restart; ADTH needs one the first time you watch each channel. That matters most when the internet is down. In tests reported to the FCC this year, station owner Weigel found that five of seven standalone receivers didn’t reliably play encrypted channels offline, including emergency alerts on those channels. A3SA and broadcasters blamed how the devices were built, not encryption itself.

It’s a live issue ahead of the nationwide emergency alert test on November 17, 2026 (2:20 p.m. Eastern). SiliconDust asked station groups to switch encryption off around the test; the National Association of Broadcasters opposed the request, saying it wouldn’t reflect how stations operate in a real emergency.

How to check your stations

1. Enter your zip code to see which of your stations broadcast in 3.0 and which transmitter carries them.
2. For encryption, check your market on RabbitEars.info: a padlock icon next to a channel means it’s encrypted. The 3.0 channels are the ones with a physical channel like 25.5004.
3. If a 3.0 channel won’t play but the old-format version does, encryption is the likely reason. Your TV or tuner isn’t broken.

The argument at the FCC

For encryption: broadcasters, A3SA and Hollywood studios say it protects programming from piracy and keeps the best shows and sports on free TV. They point out that it costs viewers nothing and that most NextGen TV sets play encrypted channels.

Against it, or for limits: consumer groups such as Public Knowledge, device makers such as SiliconDust, and some smaller broadcasters say it lets a private group decide which devices may show free public broadcasts, raises device costs, breaks recording and home-network tuners, and depends on the internet.

The FCC hasn’t decided whether to set rules. Where the NextGen TV decision stands →

Questions