Executive Interview: Private 5G in Live Broadcasting at TV 2 Denmark
Featuring Mika Skarp, Senior Product Manager, Cumucore, and Morten Brandstrup, Head of News Technology, TV 2 Denmark
Overview
TV 2 Denmark is Denmark’s leading commercial broadcaster, delivering 24/7 news, entertainment, sports, and digital-first content through a lean and highly efficient production model. To support increasingly mobile, real-time live broadcasting requirements, TV 2 Denmark has transitioned private 5G from experimentation into daily production use.
This interview brings together Morten Brandstrup, Head of News Technology at TV 2 Denmark, and Mika Skarp, Senior Product Manager at Cumucore. Together, they discuss why private 5G was adopted, how it was deployed, and what it means for the future of live media production.
Brandstrup brings nearly four decades of hands-on production experience across camera, directing, graphics, and audio engineering, with a strong focus on live storytelling. Skarp provides the product and architectural perspective behind Cumucore’s private 5G core, which underpins TV 2 Denmark’s deployment.
1. Origin Story & Vision of TV2 Denmark
TV 2 Denmark did not initially plan to operate its own network infrastructure. The preferred approach was to rely on existing connectivity services rather than manage the network layer internally. However, the lack of trusted, secure, and production-grade wireless networks at live locations made this increasingly impractical.
Early use of 4G proved sufficient for basic news coverage, where latency was less critical. For professional live production, however, commercial networks lacked the reliability, control, and service capabilities required. This gap prompted TV 2 Denmark to explore private 5G.
The turning point came through participation in the 5G RECORDS project, where TV 2 Denmark worked alongside Cumucore and the BBC. What began as experimentation quickly demonstrated that private 5G could meet real production demands, setting the foundation for operational deployment.
2. Private 5G Network Deployment Overview & Infrastructure Integration at TV2 Denmark
TV 2 Denmark adopted a deliberately minimalist deployment model. The core setup consists of a single 5G radio connected to a compact server running Cumucore’s 5G mobile core software. The radio is comparable in size to a Wi-Fi access point, enabling rapid deployment with minimal physical infrastructure.
Despite its simplicity, the system supports multi-camera connectivity and full-duplex communication—video feeds, audio intercom, camera control, tally, and machine signals—over a single 5G connection.
This architecture has been integrated across multiple production environments:
- Studios, where fixed setups benefit from wireless camera mobility
- Remote and ad hoc events, such as political conventions and mobile news coverage, where fast setup and minimal cabling are critical
- OB vans and live venues, replacing bulky infrastructure with compact, transportable 5G equipment
3. TV2 Denmark’s Key Use Cases & Operational Impact
The most immediate gains have come from wireless camera workflows, where mobility is central to live news, sports, and entertainment production.
Historically, camera deployments relied on extensive cabling, resulting in static setups and long installation times. Private 5G enables cameras to be placed wherever needed, supported by stable, low-latency wireless connectivity.
Additional use cases delivering measurable benefits include:
- Large live events (such as the Eurovision Song Contest and major sports events), where roaming cameras enhance coverage
- Press centers and post-event interviews, allowing multiple international crews to operate wirelessly in congested environments
- Temporary venues, where private 5G can be deployed quickly with a minimal technical footprint
TV 2 Denmark has now moved beyond trials into full production, achieving time savings, reduced operational complexity, and greater flexibility in camera placement and crew workflows.
4. TV 2 Denmark: Spectrum, Security & Network Architecture
Spectrum planning remains an evolving challenge. In Europe, the N77 band supports low-power private 5G, but licensing is still largely trial-based. In Denmark, regulatory approval can take several weeks—often incompatible with the short notice typical of live news and event production.
From a network design perspective:
- Traffic is predominantly uplink-focused, reflecting live video contribution requirements
- TV 2 Denmark self-manages both the core and radio, enabling traffic prioritization using time-division duplexing (TDD)
- While 5G offers stronger native security than Wi-Fi, interference risks remain, requiring robust contingency planning
TV 2 Denmark is also testing centralized core deployments in its data center. This allows production sites to deploy only a radio, connecting back to the core over Layer 2, improving speed, security, and redundancy.
5. TV2 Denmark: Strategic Impact & Future Outlook
Looking ahead, both TV 2 Denmark and Cumucore see significant value in advanced private 5G capabilities:
- Network slicing, even in private environments, to separate video, control, and intercom traffic
- Shared private 5G networks at large venues, allowing multiple broadcasters to operate simultaneously while maintaining isolation
- AI-driven network management, addressing limited real-time visibility and enabling automated optimization
Latency improvements are already substantial. Commercial mobile networks typically introduce around 1.5 seconds of delay, while private 5G enables sub-200 millisecond performance—transformational for live production workflows.
TV 2 Denmark also expects private 5G to evolve toward a rental-style model, bundled with cameras or microphones rather than operated by mobile network operators. Today, the network is run entirely in-house with Cumucore’s support, without telco involvement.
Notably, the entire private 5G operation is managed by a two-person team—an IT-savvy photographer and a connectivity specialist—demonstrating that small, focused teams can successfully deploy and operate advanced 5G in media environments.
Closing Perspectives
Hema Kadia (TeckNexus): TV 2 Denmark’s experience highlights how private 5G is becoming a foundational enabler for modern live media production, not merely a connectivity upgrade.
Mika Skarp (Cumucore): Private networks are fundamentally changing how industries operate, and media is among the clearest examples of this shift.
Morten Brandstrup (TV 2 Denmark): Broadcasters do not need to rely on traditional telcos to deploy private 5G. With the right partners and architecture, it can be managed independently and effectively.
