Robert Nordh (Sveriges Radio)
To navigate a landscape defined by rapid technological development and geopolitical instability, you need a fixed point of reference. For the EBU and its members, that point is our ‘North Star’, the new EBU Cloud Strategy.
The destination is set. By 2028 we aim to establish a secure, sustainable and interoperable cloud ecosystem for European public service media. However, the guiding star is only the beginning. Now we need to align our roadmaps.
The strategy is not just a document, it’s a compass built on four strategic ‘beacons’: cloud-first, proactive sovereignty, partnership advantage, and shared solutions.
Cloud-first
By cloud-first we don’t mean public cloud only; rather it’s cloud native by default. We advocate for a pragmatic hybrid model where we balance the innovation and elasticity of a public cloud against the need for control and compliance found in sovereign and on-premises environments. At Sveriges Radio we translate this into engineering reality. We ensure cloud-first by building everything cloud native. More specifically, portability will be key for us to become a nimble organization that can adapt to any scenario, be it ransomware, flooding or geopolitical instability.
Proactive sovereignty
For PSM, proactive sovereignty is non-negotiable. It’s about safeguarding journalistic integrity and independence by ensuring that the underlying technology stays in European control, rather than passively accepting generic vendor roadmaps. When it comes to sovereignty, at Sveriges Radio we are considering a new datacentre. The goal is geo-redundancy for our most business-critical capabilities. This is hybrid in practice: investing in the cloud for innovation and efficiency, and in on-premises solutions for resilience. If the public cloud goes dark, we stay on air.
Partnership advantage
Individually as EBU members, we are relatively small customers, but collectively through the partnership advantage, we represent an industry. We must use this leverage to demand solutions that are optimized for media, compliant with EU law, and truly interoperable. At Sveriges Radio we engage deeply in EBU initiatives like the development of MXL, the Media eXchange Layer within the Dynamic Media Facilities project, to drive interoperability. Other examples are PEACH for personalization and recommendation, AI-powered news search through NEO, the Connected Cars group, and Security4Media.
Shared solutions
Why should 50 different broadcasters build the same infrastructure and solutions 50 times? Through the North Star we are able to align, collaborate on proofs of concept and, in the long run, establish solutions where we have mutual interests. At Sveriges Radio, we are looking into shadow runs and policy-as-code to automate the verification of technical portability and compliance. These frameworks will enable simultaneous on-premises and cloud sandbox deployments and ensure that code adheres to our policies.
The North Star is set. We are moving towards a sovereign, hybrid and collaborative future. To EBU members: let’s own the strategy and set the technical direction. It’s time to find pragmatic ways to collaborate. To the vendors: this is our strategy. Are you ready to help us deliver it on our terms?
This article first appeared in the March 2026 issue of tech-i magazine. Robert Nordh gave a presentation on this topic at the EBU Production Technology Seminar 2026