The future of media is coming to the media industry’s capital city on Oct. 21–22 when NAB Show New York convenes once again at Manhattan’s Javits Convention Center.
NAB Show New York is more than just a chance for busy professionals who can’t make the trip to the massive spring NAB Show in Las Vegas to catch up on the latest content creation technologies and trends. It’s the East Coast’s go-to event for content creators and production professionals across TV, broadcasting, podcasting, radio, advertising, marketing and film.
And this year’s event will offer plenty of learning opportunities and product demonstrations across those fields, said Karen Chupka, executive vice president, Global Conferences and Events at the National Association of Broadcasters.
“There is a lot of great content on the floor,” she said. “We have about 60 sessions that we run throughout the program. And we're taking a look at everything related to what's happening in the creator economy, how you can work with brands, how creators are building audience and things like how AI is impacting the newsroom.”
Each day of the show will be organized to help attendees focus on their interests. Wednesday’s content will emphasize matters of interest to broadcasters, such as sports content and local news. Thursday’s program will focus more on AI and the creator economy. Streaming will be spotlighted across both days.
Areas of focus include the growing business of live sports, new revenue opportunities for local TV stations and how AI is helping to make broadcast newsrooms more efficient.
Spotlight on Sports
Wednesday’s sports-themed content will kick off with the session “Game On: The Power of Sports on Broadcast.”
Clay Travis, Fox Sports contributor and host of “The Clay Travis Show” on FS1, will chat with NAB President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt on such topics as the future of sports media, evolving fan expectations and why broadcast is still essential for delivering live sports at scale.
Sports gambling, one of media’s biggest growth areas, gets the spotlight in the panel session “The Future of Sports Betting: Growth, Media & Responsibility.”
CNN’s Clare Duffy will speak with FanDuel President Christian Genetski and Craig Carton, the WFAN New York and Fox Sports personality who serves as FanDuel’s responsible gaming ambassador, about the convergence of betting and media, the changing regulatory landscape, the future of fan engagement and the industry’s responsibility to address problem gambling.
“Inside the Live Sports Economy With Jon Ledecky” will address the business side of sports media. Ledecky, co-owner of the NHL’s New York Islanders, will speak with Stathletes Co-Founder and CEO Meghan Chayka about the opportunities for companies that operate at the intersection of content, technology, distribution and fan engagement.
The Business of Local
Wednesday’s programming also includes the Local TV Strategies conference, presented in partnership with TV NewsCheck. This content track will address the business pressures local station groups face in a shifting economy.
“It’s looking at everything from where are opportunities for new growth and the next revenue sources to what's happening on the finance side and where investment is going to help grow that market,” Chupka said.
“We’re also looking at things that can connect with younger audiences, how to get more eyeballs, especially across the omnimedia landscape with younger consumers who are obviously bouncing around on different platforms. “I don't even think that's just younger audiences,” she added. “That's everybody now, right?”
Those issues will be explored in sessions on local TV finance, the advertising marketplace and streaming strategies.
Finance executives from Cox Media Group, Hearst Television, Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair will discuss investment and new business opportunities, while a separate panel will bring together media buyers and sellers to examine the advertising outlook for 2027.
The streaming panel will feature Dean Littleton of E.W. Scripps, Meredith McGinn of NBCUniversal Local, Mike Braun of Gray Media and Sahand Sepehrnia of CBS News, Stations, Entertainment and Sports. They will discuss how local media companies are developing streaming audiences and building sustainable business models.
AI will also be a focus, with sessions on how station groups are developing AI road maps and how stations are applying the technology to news production and other aspects of their business.
Convening Creators
Thursday’s programming will be geared to content creators, and how that segment has shifted from audience-building to building businesses, Chupka said.
“From Following to Franchise: Building the Next Generation of Creator-Led Entertainment” will explore how creators and media companies can use their original programming and IP to turn fan engagement into long-term commercial value.
Michael Kassan, founder and CEO of 3C Ventures, will moderate a panel that includes UPROXX Co-Founder and CEO Jarret Myer; Christine Cotter, managing director and head of social innovation at 360i/Dentsu; and Chelley Bissainthe, a content creator and contestant on reality show “Love Island.”
“Seoul Search: Leveraging ATSC 3.0 and K-Culture to Unlock New Opportunities” will explore the intersection of next-generation TV technology and the global popularity of K-pop.
NAB Chief Innovation Officer and Senior Vice President of Emerging Technology John Clark and Sinclair Broadcast Group President of Technology Del Parks will discuss how ATSC 3.0 could open up new opportunities for streaming entertainment built around K-pop and the broader lifestyle interests of its fans.
Chupka said NAB Show New York is also building community among creators through its VIP Creator Club, which now has about 100 members.
Launched ahead of this year’s NAB Show in Las Vegas, it brings content creators together to share information and help one another grow their businesses.
”It's a really active and interesting community,” she said. “They all want to help each other. They all want to help other creators grow.”
She said one member started out as a college student and has since built a business with an estimated 30 to 40 employees.
Building Community and Skills
Another opportunity for NAB Show New York attendees to hone their skills will come at Post|Production World, which runs Oct. 20-21.
This year’s program features an expanded AI focus as well as practical content-creation skills, Chupka said, with topics running from sound to Cinema 4D effects to documentary video production. Sessions offer hands-on training and a chance to learn from experts.
Tuning Into Audio
The Audio Engineering Society (AES) is back at NAB Show New York this year with a half-day of programming on Thursday afternoon. Sessions will tackle audio, remote production and wireless applications.
Also, the 34th Radio Wayne Awards will take place on Wednesday.
Over both days of the show, a career fair will give jobseekers a chance to learn about openings and meet potential employers. Hiring companies can benefit from NAB Show New York’s location in a region with a deep pool of universities and media talent, Chupka noted.
The show floor will feature some 250 companies, including 37 first-time exhibitors and at least 65 that did not participate last year.
Exhibitors of note, according to Chupka, include BirdDog, whose tools help teams capture, produce, manage and share professional video, and CuttingRoom, which enables users to edit timelines while a stream is live. Ribeye Media offers tools for streaming TV advertising and digital ad workflows aimed at local media, while Lost in Space helps filmmakers and creators take projects from concept through production and delivery.
And it’s a global mix of companies: Some 90 countries will be represented at Javits. Many international exhibitors use NAB Show New York to introduce products to the U.S. market, she said.
Close to Home
Chupka said the broad range of programming and exhibitors is part of the appeal of a show that can be easy for local industry professionals to overlook.
“Sometimes we don't think about things being in our backyard as much as we think about some place where we maybe have to travel to,” she said. “But I think there's a lot of great content on the floor, and [not going is] a missed opportunity for anybody who’s in the industry.”
