There is great TV, and then there are those live TV moments that people remember for a lifetime. The 1969 moon landing, which was watched live by 650 million people worldwide. Usain Bolt slowing down at the finish line as he won gold at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. And thousands more iconic cultural moments across our screens, as reality TV made its way into the zeitgeist over the last 20 years…from Eurovision, to the Kardashians, to Ronaldo’s unforgettable bicycle kick.
But beyond the drama on the screen lies innovation that’s here to take us into the next era of television. The future of television won’t be defined by what we watch, but by the invisible innovations that make global viewing and streaming seamless—from the standards that connect billions of devices to the immersive tech that makes remote experiences feel real.
Whether it’s streaming a live event from a distant stadium or sharing a global concert via a mobile device, what matters most are the standards, compression, network and immersive experiences that allow billions of viewers to connect seamlessly. Our role is to make sure that the signals, codes and networks all align so that people simply watch—no matter where they are, no matter what device they use.
From shared moments to seamless ones
Television at its best is communal. It brings people together to create collective cultural moments that we share, discuss, and remember where we were when we watched them, to feel part of something bigger over time. Large-scale events like the FIFA World Cup, Glastonbury, or history-making live moments like election results or presidential inaugurations embody that sense of togetherness.
Behind those shared moments is an invisible web of interoperability, ensuring content travels from producer to viewer across a vast variety of devices, formats and networks. Open standards ensure that whether you’re watching on a smart TV, tablet, smartphone or VR headset, the data transfer can work seamlessly. Nokia is proud to have been a leader in the development of video technologies and global standards that support this seamless experience over several decades, right through to the latest standards shaping TV experiences today.
These standards create the common language that enables billions of devices to speak the same video-streaming dialect. Without them, each viewer might need a custom app, bespoke format or special network, and the opportunity for shared cultural moments would fragment. The greatest moments of television become truly global only when the underlying technology quietly does its job.
The invisible backbone of modern storytelling
Advances in video compression, from H.264 to H.266, have enabled this streaming revolution, making it possible for more immersive TV experiences that bring the viewer closer to the action.
In the early 2000s, the switch to the H.264/AVC standard enabled high-definition video to become mainstream. Nokia’s inventors contributed heavily to this era, with decades of leadership behind them.
More recently, the H.266/Versatile Video Coding (VVC) standard has arrived to deliver significantly better compression than its predecessor, enabling 8K, 360-degree video and immersive formats at far lower data rates.
More powerful compression has meant more viewers, more devices, more flexibility – allowing networks to carry richer video, and devices to decode data more efficiently. In the latest standards, AI is now being embedded to extend compression and quality even further – for instance, via neural-network post-filters that boost video quality without increasing bitrate.
The next wave of storytelling will lean heavily on these invisible layers: codecs, algorithms and standards all evolving in lockstep. And this evolution can happen only through industry collaboration and open standards.
Feeling the future from connection to presence
Immersive video, spatial audio, and smarter networks are reshaping what it means to ‘watch’ live moments, by turning distance into presence and laying the groundwork for the next era of human connection.
Streaming today is no longer simply about seeing a picture on a screen. It’s increasingly about feeling present, immersed, and involved. With volumetric video, 360-degree formats and spatial audio, television and live events are evolving into experiences. At Nokia, we’re active in standard-setting with our industry partners and collaborators, to enable volumetric 3D video coding and render immersive communication for consumers, however they want to watch content.
Meanwhile, smarter networks equipped with video-specific optimisations, and devices capable of decoding next-gen formats, are turning ‘watching’ into ‘being there’. As we transition from connection to presence, the invisible tech stacks we build today will underpin tomorrow’s experiences: remote concerts that feel live, sports that feel in-stadium, viewing that feels shared even when you are apart.
The next revolution in television
To the everyday viewer, the surface of TV content might well remain familiar: pictures, sound, story. But there is a revolution known to collaborators happening below that layer, in standards, compression, algorithms, networks and infrastructure.
