Image from Business Wire.

Edge Networks, a company whose focal point is ATSC 3.0, is releasing a pay-TV service, but with a portion of their gross revenue going to the US government, will they be able preserve a substantial profit?

Edge Networks will need to pay the US government a fee of 5% of gross revenues for Evoca, a new pay-TV service that will offer more than 80 channels and sell for a price of less than $50 monthly. 

According to Todd Achilles, head of Edge Networks, broadcasters are required to pay that 5% fee from “ancillary or supplementary uses of the digital television spectrum for which they charge subscription fees or other specified compensation.”

Edge Networks has not set an exact price, but the plan is to launch Evoca in Boise, Idaho, during the summer and possibly expand to tier 2 and 3 US markets in 2021.