21581 - SCTE Broadband August2022 COMPLETE v1

28 Vol. 44 No. 3 - September 2022 Issue The Norwegian Television is dead, long live television ‘The King is dead, long live the King’ is a phrase that is often misunderstood. First uttered in 1422 (in French) after the ascension of Charles VII after the death of his father Charles VI, the phrase refers to the continuity of the monarchy. One King may have died, but another will always be there to take his place. The technicalities may change, but the fundamental regime endures. In Norway, the King’s role may be largely ceremonial these days, but the same cannot be said of the broadcast market. Content delivery is just as important as it ever was - perhaps even more so, and in this sense then, the regime and royal lineage is still very much the same, with many of the key players still maintaining their market dominance. But the way they’re ruling has changed significantly. The death of terrestrial TV The death knell of conventional TV is one that industry professionals ring with something close to glee in article after article. It’s all but assumed to be a universal truth. But just three years ago, DTT was still the main source of TV reception for more than a quarter of the EU, and countries such as Croatia, Greece, Italy and Spain still saw penetration levels of more than 50%, with cable and satellite also adding a fair proportion. So industry experts do a disservice - and make a significant representation - when they paint a picture of a broadcast industry that has moved exclusively to broadband- based distribution. We mention this because when we say ‘Conventional TV is dead in the Norwegian market’, we don’t want that statement to be met with a yawn. The extent to which Norway is pushing ahead with an IP rollout for almost all broadcast services can’t be overstated, and shouldn’t be underappreciated. Why is Norway leading the way on this transition, more than other EU laggard countries like Spain? The costs associated with maintaining traditional infrastructures is certainly one consideration; beautiful though the endless mountains and fjords of the countryside may be, and peaceful as the vast expanses of snow-laden Northern territory are, they represent a significant challenge in terms of the time and expense associated with truck roll-out. Not to mention the vast potential for signal disruption that comes with Norway’s meteorological extremes. Along with prohibitive OpEx as a push factor (not to mention a relatively progressive consumer mindset ready to embrace new technology), there were also pull factors in relation to the significant developments being made in terms of broadband provision, with gigabit broadband access available to more than 87% of the Norwegian market. The countrywide shutdown of 3G and high-paced rollout of 5G - securing $445 By Simen K. Frostad, Chair of Bridge Technologies Broadband and Broadcast landscape from the industry