2020 Broadcast survey into the adoption of 5G
In the first half of 2020, OnePoll conducted a global poll of broadcasters on behalf of Nevion to investigate the eagerness of the broadcasting industry to adopt 5G in both production and distribution.
Overall findings
The survey found that the majority of broadcasters were optimistic about 5G, with over 90% of those surveyed expecting their organization to adopt 5G within a year or two. The biggest potential use cases envisaged for 5G in broadcasting was remote production (according to 65% of those surveyed) and for distribution (61%), with many going as far as to envisage 5G as an eventual replacement for DTV/DTT.
Despite that enthusiasm, it seems that the fewer than half of the broadcasters surveyed have already tested 5G.
Nevion and 5G
Nevion has been actively involved in investigating the potential of 5G mobile technology in production, for example through the EU funded 5G-VIRTUOSA project (5g-virtuosa.eu).
Detailed survey results
Overall, what do you think will be the top benefit of 5G within the broadcast industry?
[Single choice question]
- 42% think the biggest benefit of 5G will be providing a cost-effective back-up for contribution links
- 34% think the biggest benefit of 5G will be the improved end-user experience (watching TV anywhere on any portable device)
- One-fifth (20%) think 5G’s biggest benefit will be providing a more portable and flexible primary link for (some) outside broadcast production
For what applications / purpose would your organisation consider adopting 5G technologies?
[Multiple choice question]
- Almost two-thirds (65%) of broadcasters would consider adopting 5G for remote production
- 61% of broadcasters would consider adopting 5G technologies for distribution (e.g. replacement for DTT, satellite or cable)
- A third (33%) of broadcasters would consider using 5G for OTT services
- 29% of broadcasters would consider using 5G technologies for contribution
How much do you agree or disagree with the following statement? ‘I feel my country has the infrastructure ready to adopt 5G’
[Yes / no / don’t know]
- 94% of broadcasters agree that their country has the infrastructure ready to adopt 5G
Have you tested 5G’s capabilities within your organisation?
[Yes / no / not sure]
- 53% of broadcast organisations haven’t tested 5G’s capabilities
- 46% of broadcast organisations have tested 5G’s capabilities
When do you expect your organisation will be ready to adopt 5G technology?
[Single choice question]
- Over half (53%) of broadcasters expect their organisation will be ready to adopt 5G within 1-2 years
- More than a third (35%) of broadcasters expect their organisation will be ready to adopt 5G within 6 month – 1 year
- Only 4% think their organisation will be ready to adopt 5G within 6 months, while 8% think it will be in 3-4 years
To what extent do you think 5G will impact the consumption of content within the broadcast industry?
[Single choice question]
- 94% of broadcasters think 5G will increase the consumption of content (59% somewhat) of this, 35% think it will dramatically increase
If you agree it will increase, which type of content do you see as standing to gain the most from the rollout of 5G?
[Single choice question]
- 44% of broadcasters think news programming stands to gain the most from the rollout of 5G
- 29% live music stands to gain the most, followed by live sports (19%) and Esports (8%).
How much do you agree or disagree with the following statement? ‘I think cellular networks like 5G will eventually replace traditional broadcasting services like DTT/DTV and satellite’
[Single choice question]
- 82% of broadcasters agree that cellular networks like 5G will eventually replace traditional broadcasting services like DTT/DTV and satellite.
If you agree, when do you think that’ll happen?
[Single choice question]
- 47% of broadcasters think this will happen within 6 months – year
- Over a third (37%) of broadcasters think this replacement will happen in 1-2 years
- Only 10% think it will take more than 3 years
What do you think will be the two biggest challenges of using 5G technology?
[Double choice question]
- Half (50%) of broadcasters think the biggest challenge of using 5G will be network performance issues
- 42% think the biggest challenge of 5G will be coverage issues, followed by reliability (26%), network security (22%), environmental impact (19%), cost to implement (12%) and lack of widespread 5G infrastructures (12%).
Other 5G information
- Press release: Survey: Majority of broadcasters optimistic about 5G
- Press release: Survey: 82% of broadcasters expect TV content access via 5G to forge ahead of traditional methods
- Press release: Nevion-led consortium receives 2 million euro EU funding for 5G broadcast remote production project
- Press release: 5G-VIRTUOSA project completes initial technical IP-based studio set-up
- Website: 5G-VIRTUOSA – Exploring 5G and virtualization in broadcast production
