Time and place:
Monday, 5 October 2026, 14:30–17:30 (Room K, ITU)
Background information
The broadcasting sector is undergoing rapid transformation, driven by technological advances, changing audience behaviour, and increasing convergence between broadcasting, broadband and digital platforms. Traditional terrestrial broadcasting now coexists with IP-based delivery, streaming, hybrid broadcasting and mobile technologies, reshaping how audiovisual services are delivered and consumed, particularly among younger, mobile-first audiences.
For developing countries, this transition presents significant technical, regulatory and economic challenges, including infrastructure and investment constraints, affordability, spectrum management and uneven broadband access. Many countries are also still transitioning from analogue to digital terrestrial television (DTT), while facing growing pressure to refarm spectrum, including the digital dividend and parts of the 470–694 MHz band, for mobile broadband and 5G deployment.
At the same time, broadcasters and regulators must respond to competition from global OTT platforms and growing demand for flexible, personalized and multi-platform services. The emergence and coexistence of next-generation standards, including DVB-T2/DVB-I, ATSC 3.0 and 5G Broadcast, further raise important questions around standards, interoperability and sustainable business models.
Brief Concept Note The workshop “Next-generation broadcasting: challenges and prospects for developing countries” will be organized in the framework of the September/October 2026 Rapporteurs Group Meeting of Question 2/1 of ITU-D Study Group 1. The session will focus on the key challenges faced by developing countries in the transition towards next-generation broadcasting technologies and services, including IP-based and hybrid broadcasting environments. Particular attention will be given to regulatory, technical, economic, and infrastructure-related issues, as well as changing media consumption patterns and the growing convergence between broadcasting and broadband services.
- Emerging technologies in broadcasting and innovations in radio and television delivery;
- Regulatory and policy aspects;
- Technical and spectrum aspects: transition to next-generation standards, spectrum management and reallocation, the digital dividend, hybrid broadcasting/broadband scenarios;
- Implementation of the GE06 Agreement, completion of digital switchover, and sharing national experiences;
- Economic aspects: funding models, infrastructure and terminal costs, sustainability of public service broadcasters;
- Ecosystem aspects: changing usage patterns, digital sovereignty, the role of regional players in relation to global platforms.
Objectives of the workshop The workshop aims to provide a platform for exchange of information and experiences and to contribute to a broader understanding of the key challenges and trends affecting the future development of broadcasting technologies and services in developing countries.
More specifically, the aim is to:
- identify the main regulatory, technical and economic barriers to the transition to next-generation broadcasting;
- sharing concrete examples, best practices and feedback from national and regional experiences;
- exchange experiences on the implementation of the GE06 Agreement, completion of digital switchover, and spectrum management strategies, including spectrum refarming;
- examining regulatory approaches to convergence and the regulation of hybrid and OTT services;
- identifying avenues for cooperation and elements likely to inform the work and final report on Question 2/1.
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