ION Media Networks has launched of its Digital Broadcast Triple Play in New York City and Washington, D.C. which includes the broadcast of the company's flagship network, ION Television, in high-definition, two additional digital networks, plus mobile TV.

ION claims that it is among the first broadcasters to demonstrate the viability of all three technologies in one broadcast stream in the US's largest TV market plus its capital and believes that the recent digital TV switch over opens up a host of new opportunities.

ION's focus on Washington, D.C. is part of a broader initiative in support of the Open Mobile Video Coalition (OMVC), a trade group of over 800 commercial and public television stations, working to create a showcase for mobile TV in the nation's capital to highlight the potential for expanding broadcast television beyond the living room to all mobile devices in the digital age.

"Digital technology lets us reach more homes, enables HD quality and new digital networks, as well as mobile reception," said Brandon Burgess, Chairman and CEO of ION Media Networks. "Among all these benefits, Mobile DTV may prove to be the most significant in the long run, allowing broadcasters to think beyond the living room and bring live television and real time information to consumers wherever they may be."

ION's mobile TV service is based on the ATSC-M/H standard which was developed by the Advanced Television Systems Committee specifically to enable delivery of television to mobile and handheld devices. In New York, where the signal is transmitted from ION's owned and operated station, WPXN, the mobile stream is broadcast alongside WPXN's HD signal and ION's two multicast channels. It also has additional formatting that allows the in-band signal to be picked up by receivers that are mobile, such as phones or an in-vehicle screen.

"The launch of ION's Mobile DTV signals in NYC and D.C. is a pay off from the industry's efforts to create a unifying technology standard," added Brett Jenkins, ION's Vice President of Technology. "The Mobile DTV eco system has now developed to the point that broadcasters are able to launch beta services, and we're beginning to think through consumer and business implementations. The work of the Open Mobile Video Coalition and its broadcast members have made this implementation possible, and we look forward to working with the industry to capitalize on its potential."