Ahead of NAB Show New York (Oct. 21–22), TV Tech surveyed a group of key exhibitors to find out which tech trends are on their radar and what key products they plan to highlight at the Javits Convention Center, including Glodina Lostanlen, chief revenue officer at Imagine Communications.
TV Tech: What do you expect will be the most significant technology trends this year at NAB Show New York?
Glodina Lostanlen: AI will undoubtedly be one of the biggest themes at NAB Show New York, but the conversation is changing. The question is no longer whether AI has potential, but where it can deliver practical, measurable value in day-to-day media operations. We’re already seeing applications emerge across the media business, from advertising sales, forecasting, and scheduling to playout, control, monitoring, and diagnostics. We’re also seeing increased interest in technologies such as Model Context Protocol (MCP), which provides a structured way for AI systems to interact with applications and operational data. But ultimately, the objective isn’t technology for technology’s sake. Customers are looking for concrete ways they can use AI to make media operations more efficient and easier to manage, so people can focus their expertise on where it creates the most value.
TVT: What’s your key product announcement for the show, and what problem does it solve?
GL: The bigger story for Imagine this year is how we’re bringing practical AI capabilities across our portfolio and into the systems our customers already use to run their businesses. For example, in our widely deployed Magellan Control System, we recently launched Magellan PanelFlex freeform control surfaces and PanelFlex-AI, which uses MCP to provide AI systems with structured access to information from live production environments. We also introduced advances in our XVR media server, demonstrating AI-augmented playout operations and Media Exchange Layer (MXL) interoperability.
In our ad tech portfolio, we’ve had strong market response to the introduction of AI‑assisted scheduling in our Landmark Rights & Scheduling platform. By embedding machine learning (ML) that applies existing business rules at speed and scale, we’re helping customers shorten scheduling cycles and free their teams to focus on higher-value editorial decisions that drive performance.
What ties these developments together is a common customer challenge. Media companies are tasked with managing more channels, platforms, and workflows while controlling costs and protecting core operations. We’re applying AI where it can remove repetitive work, surface useful information faster, and enable our customers to generate real profitability without introducing new sources of risk.
TVT: How does this new solution stand out from what’s available on the market?
GL: One of the questions we hear most often from customers is how much change AI will require. It feels transformative enough to warrant a clean slate, yet most broadcasters already have workflows that successfully deliver content, run channels, and serve audiences.
The question is no longer whether AI has potential, but where it can deliver practical, measurable value in day-to-day media operations.”
Glodina Lostanlen
Our approach starts with the systems customers already trust. These platforms sit at the center of critical revenue and operational workflows and contain years of market, workflow, and operator intelligence. We don’t believe AI replaces that intelligence; we think its greatest value comes from making it more accessible and actionable.
That’s also why openness and governance matter. Imagine has a longstanding commitment to open interfaces and protocols, and we’re extending that philosophy to AI. MCP gives us a way to provide AI systems with structured, governed access to information and capabilities while protecting the underlying systems of record.
TVT: What makes NAB Show New York so essential for your business, and what brings you back each year?
GL: NAB Show New York gives us an opportunity to have focused conversations with customers and partners about the realities they’re facing in their businesses right now. It brings together the people making technology and business decisions with the people solving operational problems every day, which makes it a particularly valuable environment for understanding where the industry is headed.
That exchange works both ways. We can share what we’re developing and where we see the technology going. But just as importantly, we hear directly from customers about their priorities, what’s working, and where they still need better solutions. Those conversations help shape our development priorities and keep our innovation grounded in real-world requirements. That direct connection with customers and partners is what continues to make NAB Show New York such a valuable event for us.
Visit Imagine Communications in NAB Show New York Booth 138.
