Could spectrum be the future of radio?
While radio spectrum is the infrastructure that allows radio to reach millions of listeners every day, many commentators in the industry prefer to focus on the shiny and vibrant new opportunities brought by online development. It is often taken for granted that, at some point, radio listening will shift completely to digital.
This may prove to be a wrong assumption… unless bad management makes this a self-fulfilling prophecy.
In my latest contribution to RedTech News, I argue that radio managers should approach spectrum considering three time horizons: https://lnkd.in/ecfC8ee4.
In Horizon 1, where a company’s core business currently is, spectrum must be managed to obtain and renew radio licenses and, more practically, manage the transmission sites directly or through a broadcast network operator. This is the everyday business for most radio managers.
In Horizon 2, which relates to the company’s emerging business and products, the current and planned level of investments in DAB+ across Europe, Asia-Pacific and Africa suggests an expanded offer of linear radio broadcasting.
This comes together with the expected increase of importance of business related to online activities such as podcasts and complementary revenue streams such as subscriptions, events linked to radio and audio content, branded content, and IP exploitation by other media such as TV and cinema.
In Horizon 3, which focuses on the company’s seedling investments and ideas for future businesses, the possibility to bring 5G Broadcast to the market emerges.
This technology can deliver linear radio services to mobile devices free of charge for consumers, which would give radio direct access to those key consumption devices while avoiding a third-party platform.
A well-balanced organization must invest time, energy, and resources in exploring all three of these horizons simultaneously. Without the continuous innovation that this generates, growth eventually stagnates, and organizations decline.
Lars Backlund Jaume Pujol Jean-Pierre Faisan Michael WAGENHOFER Johann Mika Dr Roland Beutler Antonio Arcidiacono Elena Puigrefagut Walid SAMI
#radio #broadcasting #5gbroadcast #strategy #futures
Audiovisual Translation EN/ES - FR
2moBest of luck!