The Tokyo Olympics opening in July 2020 will be “a major driver in the development of 8K infrastructure,” with NHK leading efforts to produce and broadcast Olympic programming to homes, Insight Media and Display Supply Chain Consultants reported Monday. “NHK continues to meet or exceed milestones for 8K broadcasting in 2020, as the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, will mark at least the sixth major world event since 2012 where NHK has demonstrated 8K capture and display.”

Fox is offering a set of "firewall" remedies to the U.K. Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to ensure Sky News' independence. In a filing posted Monday, Fox said those remedies include a commitment to maintain a Sky-branded news service in the U.K. for at least five years; a commitment to establishing a fully independent, expert Sky News editorial board that would oversee the appointment and dismissal of the head of the organization and any changes to editorial guidelines; and a commitment that no Fox employee, officer or board member will try to influence editorial choices. Fox said the firewall remedies would sunset on completion of Disney's purchase of Fox. The CMA in January issued a preliminary finding that a Fox buy of Sky may not be in the public interest regarding media plurality (see 1801230010).

An agreement between Sinclair and DOJ under which the company agreed not to buy Tribune before Jan. 30 was extended to Feb 11, the buyer said in an SEC filing. The broadcasters must provide 10 days' advance notice to Justice they plan to consummate the deal, it said.

FCC Media Bureau partial lifting of the freeze on full-power community of license petitions (see 1801120035) takes effect Monday, the day of publication in the Federal Register. Petitions that don’t require a change in service area will now be accepted without the need of freeze waiver requests. The freeze had been in place since 2004.

National Association of Black Owned Broadcaster members were hurt by "No Urban Dictates’ and ‘No Hispanic Dictates" by advertising agencies,” NABOB said Thursday, praising American Association of Advertising Agencies for this week discouraging racially discriminatory dictates (see 1802060049). The Fair Play charter AAAA is encouraging members to sign was backed by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai Tuesday.

FCC deletion of rules leftover from the DTV transition that no longer apply to any existing broadcasters took effect Thursday, said the Federal Register. The move was unanimously approved last month (see 1801240038).

The FCC Media Bureau issued five notices of apparent liability to Cumulus, four proposing $12,000 forfeitures and one $10,000 for violations of public file rules at five South Carolina radio stations, said Thursday’s Daily Digest. The stations are WDAI(FM) Pawleys Island, WSEA(FM) Atlantic Beach, WSYN(FM) Surfside Beach, WRWM(AM) Conway and WLFF(FM) Georgetown (for $10,000). All failed to file issue/programs lists going back to 2007, the orders said. Though the NALs called the violations “serious,” they don’t rise to the level required for a hearing, they said. The stations must submit license renewal applications by August 2019.

The FCC should create a new C4 FM class, take more action against pirate radio, and eliminate its rural radio policy, but shouldn’t get rid of AM/FM subcaps, said the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC) and the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters (NABOB) in individual meetings Monday and Wednesday with Chairman Ajit Pai and every other commissioner, recounted a filing in docket 14-50. Pai circulated an NPRM on C4 FM this week (see 1802060049). The new class would be an opportunity for many minority-owned stations to “improve their technical facilities” without impinging on the footprint of neighboring stations, MMTC and NABOB said: “Under the current regulatory environment, many independent and minority-owned stations are and will be forever unable to upgrade their facilities.” Eliminating AM/FM subcaps is expected to be part of the 2018 quadrennial review recommendations (see 1801080059). It would lead the radio and radio equipment industries to cease investing in radio, NABOB and MMTC said. That would be a “death knell” for AM, undermining the FCC AM revitalization, they said. “AM stations (which are disproportionately minority owned) would suffer deeply.” The FCC’s rural radio policy prevents minority broadcasters, historically shunted toward owning stations in rural areas by discrimination, from relocating to more competitive markets, the filing said. The policy should be repealed, the two groups said. The FCC needs additional enforcement power “to shut down pirates without relying on DOJ to sue,” NABOB and MMTC said.

The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied a request for emergency stay of FCC media ownership changes (see 1801260046) but asked for more information about the proposed minority incubator program, said an order (in Pacer) Wednesday. Prometheus Radio Project and Media Mobilizing Project’s emergency petition didn’t show “a clear and indisputable abuse of discretion,” likelihood of irreparable injury, a lack of alternatives for relief or an error of law, the order said. Though the rejection is a setback for public interest groups, the court’s request for an FCC report on the proposed incubator program is an indication the issue of minority ownership is still alive here, said University of Minnesota School of Journalism assistant professor-media law Christopher Terry. The incubator program is the agency’s answer to court remands requiring consideration of minority ownership in relaxation of media ownership rules, and the public comment period for the “exact design” of the program doesn’t end until April 9, the order said. “The FCC is hereby directed to file a report on or before August 6, 2018 regarding the status of the incubator program.” That’s an indication the panel will decide if the program fulfills the requirements it laid out in prior decisions, Terry said. The 3rd Circuit put the public interest group petitions of the reconsideration order and the 2014 quadrennial review on hold until August as well. That means little is likely to happen in the proceeding until then, Terry said. Wednesday was the recon order's effective date, and with a stay off the table for now, broadcast deals taking advantage of the relaxation of rules are likely to proceed, he said. The 3rd Circuit also declared (in Pacer) motions to intervene in the case by broadcasters were now rendered moot. NAB is "grateful" that the FCC's "meaningful reform" can proceed, a spokesman said via email. “We are pleased that the Third Circuit has allowed the Commission’s modernized media ownership rules to take effect," an FCC spokesman told us. Attorneys representing the petitioners didn't comment.

The BBC is launching its first augmented reality smartphone app for the "Civilisations" series coming this spring. Developed by BBC R&D and Nexus Studios, it lets people explore a virtual art exhibition. BBC’s R&D arm developed SOMA (single operator mixing application), a browser-based mixer that lets an operator cut between cameras, prerecorded video, audio and graphics for live broadcast from a remote location via the internet, it said. It also made available a 360-degree video tool with 3D audio.