With the Federal Communications Commission rules for an auction of at least the congressionally mandated 100 MHz of C-band spectrum expected as soon as July, many broadcasters had a laser-beam focus on how best to proceed with signal contribution and distribution alternatives during the 2026 NAB Show.

A breakfast event organized by The Hive Group, a public relations and creative agency headquartered in McLean, Va., on behalf of LTN, shed a great deal of light on the issues and alternatives from both the broadcaster and vendor points of view. For the purposes of this column, I’ll focus on the former.

Brad Cheney, vice president of field operations and engineering at Fox Sports, moderated a panel discussion about the challenges of living with less C-band spectrum. Panelists included David Johnson, senior vice president of technology at The Walt Disney Co., Alastair Hamilton, senior vice president of distribution, engineering and architecture at Fox, and Ken Fuller, vice president of distribution and technology operations at Paramount/CBS.

While video of the event posted to YouTube is available, panelists made several points worth calling attention to here.

There are multiple ingredients to success, including quality, reliability and availability, that must match what broadcasters have today in C-band. What each broadcaster ultimately chooses to do will include a mix of technologies. “There is not one silver bullet solution that gives us what we have today,” Fuller said. Finding what’s right will require “a testing curve” and a “learning curve.”

Matching C-band reliability is a big job. As things stand today, broadcasters have 99.999% C-band reliability. Disney has a lot of experience using non-satellite fiber IP and the public internet. That provides it with a good basis for comparison with C-band. “The primary challenge there is, it’s not five 9s,” said Johnson. “When you think about five 9s compared to four 9s, that’s four minutes difference in a 30-day period.” That translates into a “significant difference in quality and reliability that we need to solve for.”

Packet recovery via the internet is concerning. Some alternatives to C-band involve multiple transport paths, such as Ku-band with internet backup for dropped packets. After looking at nearly 200 major markets, Fox found ISP internet outages to be “quite alarming,” said Hamilton. “Some major markets were down for hours and hours.”

Distribution to small MVPDs will be a challenge. Taken together, Disney, Fox, Paramount/CBS, Warner Bros. and other major broadcasters deliver more than 10 Gbps of content to MVPD partners. That’s not a problem for the largest players with fiber connectivity. But the 10% of MVPDs that are smaller operators is “the bit that worries me,” said Hamilton. “I think we are going to have to get creative to service those.”

Opex reimbursement will be key. Unlike the last C-band auction, maintaining service won’t simply be a matter of replacing capital equipment. Recurring operational expenses for alternatives to C-band will be a major factor. “The blanket statement…is you [government reimbursement funds] will have to pay for our Opex for 10 years,” Fuller said. “Now, what does that mean? We don’t know yet.”

We will be holding a TV Tech Talk webinar July 29 on the ramifications of the C-band auction and available alternatives. Rebecca Hanson, director-general of the North American Broadcasters Association, will be our featured speaker. I am moderating.

Here’s a short summary of this year’s NAB Show in Las Vegas: Fewer people, smaller booths and not much new on the RF and transmission side. However, there was a lot of excitement around the launch of TV 3.0 in Brazil, with some products designed specifically for that market. In addition, there was an obvious urgency to complete the transition to ATSC 3.0.

In addition to the lack of a defined date for the end of ATSC 1.0, the major impediment to an ATSC 3.0 switch is a lack of viewers, due to a relatively small number of compatible TV sets and limited low-cost options for receiving ATSC 3.0 on existing devices.

A quick search on walmart.com revealed pages of TV sets, including a “55-inch class” Hisense model for under $200. None show ATSC 3.0/NextGen TV capability. A search for “nextgen” gave no broadcast-related results, but a search on “ATSC 3.0” did list the HDHomerun Flex and the ADTH dongle. Set-top boxes or dongles are an option, but reviews indicate that viewers find them complicated to use if they require a separate remote control.

Reception Progress
The good news from the ATSC exhibit this year was that the low-cost dongle ($70) from ADTH, along with other low-cost devices, supports reception of stations with content protection and also enables broadcast applications.

When combined with a compatible streaming box, like the Onn. 4K Pro, the ADTH dongle allows a viewer to move between NextGen TV and streaming content with the same remote. I bought one and so far, I have been happy with it.

The dongle’s off-air reception of ATSC 3.0 signals via its Saankhya Labs chipset was better than that of my Airwavz Redzone receiver with the original LG chipset, and even better than my GTMedia HDTVMate ATSC 3.0 dongle with the Sony chipset.

I was able to get perfect reception of ATSC 3.0 stations, including protected content, in Honolulu, Reno, Nev., and Los Angeles with just a whip antenna. The other dongles had problems with KCOP’s Channel 13 signal in Los Angeles, even with a better antenna.

One problem that likely applies to any device that doesn’t provide an HDMI output is that the device it is connected to must support AC-4 audio, HEVC video and Widevine Level 1 content protection (DRM). It worked great on my Samsung S24, but not on my recent Lenovo M11 tablet (which has Dolby Atmos and Widevine L1, but not AC-4). This requirement also rules out compatibility with any Apple device.

This problem has been recognized and work is underway to support multiple digital rights management (DRM) formats, like Apple’s FairPlay Streaming, as well as to provide options for devices that do not support AC-4 audio. Ideally, this can be accomplished with firmware updates instead of hardware replacement.

Transmission Requirements
While Brazil’s TV 3.0 is based on ATSC 3.0, there are some major differences in transmitter and antenna requirements. TV 3.0 uses MIMO, which splits the signal into horizontally polarized and vertically polarized components, increasing capacity. It requires a dual-polarized antenna with dual feed lines, two individual high-power amplifiers, and a modified exciter. Both Rohde & Schwarz and GatesAir had TV 3.0 transmitters available and Dielectric was showing antennas for TV 3.0.

Another major difference in TV 3.0 compared to U.S. broadcasting is Brazil has opened up new spectrum around 300 MHz for TV, which requires unique antennas. Dielectric was exhibiting its designs on the show floor. Due to the dual polarization, each transmitter will require two mask filters in addition to two HPAs, including new designs for the 300 MHz channels.

While my focus is on RF, Brazil’s TV 3.0 not only requires new antennas, transmitters and exciters, but new baseband gear. Enensys Technologies showed a complete baseband solution, from encoder output through the exciter. Triveni also showed support for TV 3.0 in its Streamscope analyzer and Guidebuilder scheduler/gateway product line.

New Gear at NAB Show
Back in the U.S., D2D was showing new firmware/software for its advanced Flex video gateway. Flex can convert an ATSC 1.0 transport stream into an ATSC 3.0 STL-TP output. The device handles transcoding, scheduler and gateway functions, providing a low-cost (under $10,000) way for an LPTV or translator operator to transmit ATSC 3.0. D2D is also working on a box to receive an ATSC 3.0 signal and retransmit it as ATSC 1.0.

This is more complicated, given that ATSC 3.0’s HEVC compression and modulation provides much greater capacity than ATSC 1.0 and MPEG-2. This will likely require either reducing the resolution of the ATSC 3.0 stream when converting HEVC to MPEG-2 or dropping some program streams.

Avateq showed a line of products to support the ATSC 3.0 Broadcast Positioning Service (BPS). (I’ll have more on BPS in part two of my NAB Show review, which will look at the Broadcast Engineering and IT Conference sessions). It is difficult to conduct mobile reception studies with ATSC 1.0 due to Doppler and multipath preventing receiver sync.

That isn’t a problem for many ATSC 3.0 configurations, and Avateq showed software that took signal data from the Avateq AVQ-200 receiver and combined it with GPS data to plot signal strength on a map. I had some suggestions on how to improve the map display, which should appear in an update.

Anywave Broadcast was hoping to show its new liquid-cooled, low-to-medium power transmitter at NAB Show, but it didn’t arrive in time. Looking at photos, the design is interesting in that it doesn’t use an outdoor heat exchanger but one incorporated into the transmitter rack. Anywave said liquid cooling is better than air in removing heat from amplifiers.

Even with the liquid-to-air exchanger, fan and pump, the new transmitter is more energy-efficient and much quieter than force-air-only cooling. Anywave also showed its exciter line, which supports both ATSC 1.0 and 3.0. It can be configured as an ATSC 3.0 translator, using either an ATSC 3.0 or ATSC 1.0 input signal.

TRedess updated me on its exciter and transmitter, which are capable of simultaneously transmitting ATSC 3.0 and 5G Broadcast signals in a manner compliant with ATSC 3.0 standards. Castanet also showed ATSC 3.0 and 5G Broadcast in the ATSC booth (see story, page 17). The system uses time-division multiplexing and ATSC 3.0’s bootstrap to identify segments with ATSC 3.0 and 5G Broadcast content.

The demonstration used all but 10% of the channel capacity for 5G Broadcast. TRedess showed me an application that calculated data capacity and bandwidth for different ratios of ATSC 3.0 and 5G Broadcast time.

As I’ve written before, I have not seen any 5G Broadcast phones, dongles or receivers for sale to the public in the U.S. As with ATSC 3.0, the success of 5G Broadcast in the U.S. will depend on the availability and cost of receivers.

The flexibility of the ATSC 3.0 standard, which allows for interleaving with other standards like 3GPP, presents new possibilities for broadcasters. In my next column, I’ll review sessions covering these opportunities and what broadcasters will have to do to take advantage of them. I’ll also have a short report on the National Translator Association (NTA) conference in Reno.

As always, comments and questions are welcome. Email me at dlung@transmitter.com.

The organizers of the 2026 NAB show have announced that more than 200 videos from sessions on a wide range of topics are now available on demand.

The move allows attendees who had a packed schedule during the show to watch sessions they may have missed.

Sessions from the Main Stage, show floor and Streaming Summit are available, covering a wide variety of topics and labels, including:

• All Sessions
• Main Stage
• Artificial Intelligence
• Cloud Virtualization
• Creator Economy
• Sports
• Streaming

Breakdowns by additional categories such as NextGen TV are available here.

Mounting demand for a next-generation video streaming solution that surpasses the latency and unidirectional limitations imposed by the currently dominant streaming architecture is generating strong support for a new standard known simply as "MOQ" (Media over QUIC).

While by all accounts, it will take at least a few more months before the Internet Engineering Task Force finalizes the MOQ specifications, there are now multiple projects underway allowing producers to try out this new multidirectional, multi-latency approach to streaming.

“There’s a buzz and excitement in the air about MOQ we’ve never seen before,” says Will Law, chief architect for the cloud technology group at Akamai and a leader in the IETF MOQ initiative.

HEIGHTENED INTEREST AT NAB
This was evident at the recent NAB Show where MOQ demos abounded on the exhibit floor and an overflow crowd filled the large meeting room devoted to the NAB’s first-ever session on the standard. Entities announcing infrastructure support for MOQ included public CDN operators Broadpeak, CacheFly, Cloudflare, and CDN77 as well as cloud compute platform providers Akamai, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI).

Streaming software system suppliers demonstrating delivery of payloads and advanced features over MOQ-enabled facilities included Ateme, Bitmovin, EZDRM, Nomad Media, Norsk Media, Oracle Media, Synamedia, Red5 and Wowza,.

While proprietary real-time streaming systems supporting video conferencing and a host of other applications have been around for several years, MOQ is meant to satisfy the need for a standardized, ubiquitously available two-way superhighway over which video flows in any direction at any scale with latencies attuned to specific use-case requirements. That’s why Red5, a successful provider of a highly scalable WebRTC-based streaming platform, is throwing its weight behind MOQ, says Red5 CEO and co-founder Chris Allen.

“WebRTC was designed as a peer-to-peer protocol, which means there’s no standard for scaling the way we do by building out clustered cloud resources,” Allen says. “MOQ was designed from the get-go as a scalable broadcast technology for the internet, which we believe will accelerate adoption of next-generation streaming.”

The foundational set of MOQ specifications, known as MOQ Transport (MOQT), marks an incompatible break with conventional streaming modes like HLS and MPEG DASH that are based on the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). As a so-called connectionless platform, MOQT employs a simple publish/subscribe approach to streaming by signaling the start and end points of a session while avoiding the thousands of request/response exchanges that transpire between clients and servers in HTTP streaming.

QUIC is a modern transport protocol built on UDP that is designed to make web connections faster, more secure, and more resilient. It was originally developed by Google and later standardized by the Internet Engineering Task Force as RFC 9000

Moreover, the new standard provides a way to automatically tune end-to-end latencies to whatever levels meet user requirements, including real-time 200-400ms latencies that are imperceptible to humans as well as what Law calls “interactive live” at 2 seconds for use in sports betting, online casino gambling, banking and similar applications and “conservative live” supporting ironclad HD, 4K, and, eventually, 8K quality persistency at 5 seconds.

ALL YOU NEED IS CACHE
With decoding and other device rendering processes managed through leading browsers, MOQ in most instances doesn’t require client plug-in software. And depending on how MOQ-ready CDNs are designed, MOQ can also support recording live content for short-term replay and catchup and long-term storage for VOD archives and cloud DVR applications. “VOD just means my cache is big enough to hold stuff that was live a while ago,” Law says.

Paralleling MOQT development, there are other initiatives within IETF and through the closely affiliated ad hoc organization known as the OpenMOQ Software Consortium that are aimed at creating a practical operating environment for the transport protocol. They include media layer streaming formats emerging from IETF, a new client player template developed by Red5 and endorsed by the consortium, and several ready-to-deploy players, , including a MOQ-based plug-in for Bitmovin’s new multi-purpose Player Web X platform.

“We have an array of features we enable, and each is treated as an individual plug-in,” says Bitmovin product manager Jacob Arends, who describes Player X as the latest, completely rebuilt version of its popular Web X player. “From a player [configuration] perspective there’s not much more to it than that,” but with MOQ playback departing from the HTTP norms, “it takes a lot of heavy lifting on the cloud side.”

While much of the focus on MOQ has to do with overcoming the limitations of conventional B2C streaming, the protocol also needs to be accommodated in post-production playouts to producers’ broadcast and OTT affiliates, notes Gwendal Simon, senior director for video network technology at Synamedia. “We’re bringing MOQ into our Quortex PowerVu multitrack contribution management system,” Simon says.

Futuresource Consulting’s post-NAB 2026 report has concluded that the long-discussed convergence of pro AV and broadcast is no longer a trend but an established reality, with enterprise clients now expecting broadcast-quality output from pro AV budgets and pro AV teams.

The report, co-authored by Helen Matthews, senior market analyst, pro video & broadcast at Futuresource, points to attendance figures as an early indicator of the shift. Corporate media professionals at NAB 2026 numbered more than 13,000 – almost double the 2025 figure – and NAB introduced a dedicated Enterprise Video Strategies track for the first time. Overall attendance reached just over 58,000, up from 55,000 in 2025, with representation from 146 countries and 132 first-time exhibitors among a total of more than 1,100.

The report identifies IP networking as the primary technical enabler of convergence, with IPMX momentum at the show confirming what Futuresource describes as a clear industry goal – creating a seamless bridge between pro AV and broadcast environments. SMPTE 2110 workflows, previously the preserve of broadcast production infrastructure, are now being specified and supported by enterprise AV teams.

The report cites product launches on the show floor as evidence of how vendor strategies are responding – pointing to Shure’s DCA 901, a compact digital broadcast microphone array designed to deliver eight channels over a single network cable with native REMI workflow support, as an example of a traditionally pro AV manufacturer now pitching directly into broadcast applications.

Virtual production is identified as another area where the boundaries have shifted materially. Tools that originated in film production – LED volumes, real-time compositing, camera tracking – are being packaged and priced for organisations with no post-production team or broadcast engineering resource, with Sony’s virtual production showcase at NAB cited as an explicit illustration of that direction.

The report also outlines where the challenge now sits. Matthews said the gap between a brief that says conference room and a client expectation of broadcast studio is where integration expertise is being tested, and that pro AV integrators who understand broadcast signal chains, IP video standards and production switching infrastructure are in a fundamentally different advisory position to those who do not.

Download the report here.

This article originally appeared on TV Tech sister brand Installation.

The National Association of Broadcasters has launched a podcast dedicated to delivering timely broadcast industry news.

New episodes of “AirTime” will be released every Wednesday morning, highlighting the legislative and regulatory developments that impact local television and radio stations. The first episode is available now, addressing Washington’s interest in keeping live sports on broadcast TV.

“Local broadcasters are on the front lines of informing communities, whether it is breaking news, severe weather or the issues shaping our democracy,” NAB Chief of Staff and Executive Vice President of Public Affairs Michelle Lehman said. “AirTime is about connecting those real-world impacts to the policy decisions being made in Washington and ensuring our industry, policymakers and the public understand what is at stake. When local stations are strong, so are the communities we serve.”

“AirTime” will deliver insights into the policy decisions shaping the future of local broadcasting, and how those decisions affect communities’ access to trusted news and emergency information. Against the backdrop of a rapidly evolving media landscape, the podcast underscores the essential role broadcasters play in serving their communities and the need for policies that support this critical mission.

The debut episode features insights from Jon Miller, president of Acquisitions and Partnerships at NBC Sports, in a conversation with Puck’s John Ourand at NAB Show. Miller explains why broadcast television remains indispensable to the future of live sports, citing its unmatched ability to deliver massive audiences for marquee events. The episode also explores the policy debate over sports rights, the importance of keeping games available free over the air and NAB’s Game On campaign.

The NAB Leadership Foundation (NABLF) recently announced the recipients of the Diane Sutter Shooting Star Award and the Broadcast Leadership Training (BLT) Champion Award during its annual BLT Alumni Reception held in Las Vegas during 2026 NAB Show.

This year’s Diane Sutter Shooting Star Award honor went to Lori Waldon for her outstanding leadership and contributions to the broadcast industry. Waldon is president and general manager of Hearst Television station KOAT-TV and graduated from the BLT class of 2016. She has been a trailblazer, advancing through the ranks of television news with an intuitive knowledge of programming and how to best serve local audiences.

Waldon was praised for her ability to build a collaborative culture and equip her teams for success. She is known for her keen understanding of people and for empowering and mentoring others to advance their broadcasting careers.

This year’s BLT Champion Award was presented to Barbara Kreisman, recently retired chief of the Video Division for the Federal Communications Commission, in recognition of her long-term support of the BLT program and overall impact on the broadcast industry. She has played a central role with BLT since its earliest days, serving on the faculty and encouraging other FCC staff and commissioners to take part over the past 25 years.

“Throughout their careers, both Lori and Barbara demonstrated exemplary leadership in their respective positions,” stated NABLF president Michelle Duke. “Both women have been positive and powerful role models for the up-and-coming generation of pathfinders and innovators in our industry. We are so proud to honor them with these prestigious awards.”

Readers who know someone who would benefit from the transformative experience of the BLT program should encourage encourage them to apply for the 2027 cohort by May 18, 2026: https://www.nabfoundation.org/programs/broadcast-leadership/.

Sinclair/ONE Media’s kiosk in the ATSC booth at the 2026 NAB Show said it simply and succinctly: “ATSC 1.0 Must Go!”

Sunsetting the original digital TV standard on a certain date (or dates) is essential to the future success of the broadcast industry, ATSC 3.0 proponents say.

While 3.0 channel-sharing has served its purpose, neither broadcasters nor the public can truly realize the full benefit of NextGen TV without an end to 1.0. In other words, as things stand, broadcast spectrum cannot be used to its full potential.

Laurence Zimmerman, a wireless industry veteran, agrees. On April 15 as the broadcast industry was traveling to Las Vegas for its annual gathering, Zimmerman’s company, Landover Saturn 5 LLC, filed a petition with the FCC seeking a rulemaking “to permit the repurposing of UHF Channels 28-36 (554-608 MHz) into a contiguous nationwide block of low-band spectrum for flexible 5G and future 6G use.”

In the petition, Landover proposes serving as a “neutral Sponsor” coordinating broadcaster participation, managing spectrum clearing, repacking broadcasters below channel 28 and “implementing the monetization” of the repurposed spectrum—for a cut of the proceeds.

The company says it can generate more than twice as much money for the federal government –some $15 billion—as the FCC’s Auction 1001.

Whether or not Landover’s proposal has merit is for the commission to decide. In the end, it may derail the efforts of U.S. broadcasters to make better use of their spectrum via 3.0. Ironically, it would enable 5G and 6G wireless providers to leverage the spectral efficiency of 3.0 to clear the desired 50MHz block of TV spectrum and as a consequence inhibit broadcasters’ full ability to develop a new, recurring revenue stream as wireless data service providers.

Regardless of the petition’s datacasting implications, however, the proposal identifies ATSC 3.0 channel sharing as one of two key lynchpins (the other being relocation) for clearing the spectrum without forcing broadcasters to give up their local voice. As the petition puts it: “Broadcasters retain their market presence and program distribution rights by transitioning to shared ATSC 3.0 capacity below Channel 28, at no cost to Broadcasters.

“This allows them to continue delivering their full broadcast signal while simultaneously aligning with industry-wide movement toward streaming distribution. In other words, Broadcasters will convert under-monetized spectrum into immediate enterprise value without forfeiting brand identity, local programming obligations, retransmission eligibility or the growing opportunities that ATSC 3.0 offers for data, multicast, and digital-first delivery.”

NextGen TV proponents have told the commission for some time that continued, indefinite 1.0 and 3.0 transmission is a path to nowhere. As a Gray Media senior executive has put it, the current approach delivers the “worst of both worlds” for broadcasters and viewers alike.

Perhaps the Landover petition will underscore for FCC Commissioners why there’s little room to move forward—whether that’s for licensed broadcasters or a third-party disrupter with a new point of view—when the vast majority of TV spectrum in a market is devoted to transmitting via 1.0.

While individual broadcasters may or may not favor Landover’s petition, Sinclair’s NAB message and the petitioner’s appear to have something in common: “ATSC 1.0 Must Go!”

Every NAB Show gives the media and entertainment industry the chance to assess trends and challenges and create and strengthen personal networking connections, and the 2026 version was no different.

Attendees were greeted with a fully finished Las Vegas Convention Center and, while the National Association of Broadcasters reported an increase in registered attendees at approximately 58,000, attendance felt similar to last year. With a non-NAB event in the South Hall, and with the remodeling and better bridging of the front of the North and Central halls, the visible number of people was harder to gauge.

Nearly half of those 58,000 registered attendees were “first timers,” and their presence was felt on the show floor, in conference rooms and at booth discussions.

Vertical Video and AI
With much of the online video world moving towards 9:16, the integration of vertical video was a hot topic. And where last year’s dominant themes were artificial intelligence and tariffs, this year it was the impact of AI on both creativity and infrastructure.

Vertical films were also part of the show-floor discussions, but it wasn’t about simply how to “flip an image on its side.” Rather, the talk centered on how to switch and compose shots for both horizontal and vertical use and then add multilayered graphics that will work in both 16:9 and 9:16.

Among the standouts in this area were Amazon Web Services (AWS), which showcased its new Elemental Inference, which creates vertical cuts using AI and the power of AWS Cloud, as well as FOR-A, which demonstrated viztrick AiDi, an on-device AI solution developed by Nippon TV, delivered globally by FOR-A and powered by NVIDIA AI infrastructure. The solution's GoVertical! feature provides real-time auto tracking and AI-aided 9:16 autocropping for live streaming to mobile platforms.

Another trend this year was more services. Companies are offering to manage streaming billing and customer service, and using AI for quality control and outsourcing to third parties for content manipulation and even creation.

Deepdub, for example, uses AI and human intervention for quality control. Its process analyzes entire movies, creating scripts and determining which character is delivering the lines. AI chooses the voices, “marking” the video for when script lines begin and end. An editor then monitors and “babysits” the AI voicing, replacing the original dialogue (in a voice the editor/producer chooses, not a recreation of the actor, but a similar voice to match the character).

The entire movie can be revoiced in any of dozens of languages in a fraction of the time and at a fraction of the cost.

Agentic AI
A good example of the use of agentic AI could be found in the TVU Networks booth which showcased “TV Cortex,” a service that uses agentic AI to aggregate and manage the audio and video content used to create news stories. TV Cortex has the power to act autonomously and purposefully to achieve an outcome independently of our interaction with it. In theory, operating this way may involve less “human shading” of events and more factual coverage.

According to TVU Networks President Paul Shen, TV Cortex is intended to augment human productivity, not to replace it. If used effectively, the system frees up producers and editors to focus more on the creative aspects of news production, like crafting compelling stories and providing more human context.

“TV Cortex leverages agentic AI, deploying a hierarchy of master and subordinate agents that dynamically scale to handle the volume and complexity of incoming stories,” Shen said. “These agents automate the retrieval, categorization and scoring of stories based on factors such as recency, relevance, market size and customizable editorial priorities.”

ENCO showcased the use of AI in advertising and sales, demonstrating how its SPECai can generate client spec spots using multiple scripts, different background music and dozens of voices, allowing a spec spot to be produced for a client in just seconds.

On the camera side, Sony marked the NAB Show debut of its PXW-Z300, its first ENG camera to capture content and mark it with the C2 PA certification protocol to confirm that it is (in its words) “Genuine…No AI.”

“You’ll be able to see before you distribute the content…a broadcaster, for example, will be able to see what has been done to that media,” Martin Lindsay, head of networked solutions for Sony Professional, said. “It’ll show what’s been edited specifically, if there’s any AI that had been introduced into that clip throughout the [production] chain.”

The Dark Side of AI
But there was another side of AI that became a part of nearly every booth conversation: its impact on software and hardware development.

AI—and the amount of processing seen at the show—is related to what’s in the news today. The data center needs of private enterprise, and in particular the M&E industry, are dominating the headlines. Remember how power-hungry tubes were replaced by transistors and LEDs seemed to be the answer to reducing power consumption?

Processors came about (as did the heat and fans), and we then went back not just to “full power,” but needing even more. Massive data centers are now required to carry the processing load, and this is creating a crisis for our own power grids to the point where we’re seeing a lot of discussions on these data centers: where they’ll go, how many (or few) they’ll employ and who will pay for the infrastructure upgrades needed to deliver the massive amounts of power.

The other, more immediate impact from data centers is the shortage of chips and memory. That raises costs for exhibitors, many of whom admitted they would have to consider raising prices.

“I think everybody has, or will have to [raise prices] shortly, if they haven’t already, because they have no choice,” Jeff Moore, executive vice president and chief marketing officer at Ross Video, said. “The pricing changes are so extreme that anybody that’s in the hardware business will have to increase prices.”

NextGen TV
For broadcasters, content delivery was top of mind, particularly in the transition from satellite acquisition and services to IP-delivered content. With reduced “space bandwidth” due to the increase in Earth-bound 5G—and an anticipated Federal Communications Commission auction of C-band spectrum in 2027—we’ve seen more issues with satellite delivery and reliability than in the past.

A number of developments in the industry’s transition to ATSC 3.0 were highlighted on the show floor. The ATSC showcased prototypes of new sub-$60 converter boxes designed to prime consumer demand for NextGen TV at its Central Hall pavilion and celebrated the worldwide expansion of its adoption, hosting communications executives from India, the Caribbean, South Korea and, in particular, Brazil, which announced its adoption of the standard’s physical layer last summer.

The Broadcast Positioning System was also front and center, with the BEIT offering tech updates.

There was also talk about monetizing the standard. GatesAir showcased its work supplying exciters for NAB’s pilot testing of BPS in the Washington, D.C., area. GatesAir Director of Global Marketing Keith Adams discussed BPS’s commercial potential, suggesting that with the federal government considering BPS as a “backup” to GPS, it could be offered as a service to private industry.

BPS and GPS can complement each other, he said, suggesting that financial institutions would be among the first industries to consider its use.

Any business that makes extensive use of GPS is a candidate, Adams added. “I do see a monetary application, absolutely,” he said. “Because once you open that up as an alternative to GPS, some people will say, ‘OK, we’re just going to use BPS period, because I don’t need the GPS at that point,’ right? But then there’s going to be others to say, maybe I want to use both.”

The 2027 NAB Show will take place April 4-7 in Las Vegas.

Another NAB Show has come and gone and thankfully my feet are still talking to me (my sleep-deprived brain, well that’s another story, give me a couple more days). But I’m still coherent enough to share my thoughts about our industry’s largest annual gathering and wanted to do so while my memories are still fresh.

This year was my 30th show and I celebrated my milestone like I mark every show, talking with exhibitors and attendees and gathering their thoughts about new products, services and the trends they are seeing.

This year also marks the 103rd such NAB Show, which began at the dawn of broadcasting in the early 1920s. Radio (and eventually television) are the original “mass electronic media” and this year’s show demonstrated how resilient we are as well as how the show itself is adapting to those changes.

The Reality of ‘Swipe Left’
The NAB Show focused heavily on the content creator economy this year, featuring conversations from the people who are driving the next generation of media. Creators of all shapes and sizes have more options than ever to inform and entertain through outlets such as YouTube, TikTok and Instagram.

In most of those conversations, the new generation of creators (of all ages, by the way) found that they have a lot in common with the generations who were informed and influenced by the evolution of television, in particular; the desire for “broadcast quality,” which so many of us still consider the gold standard.

And when I refer to that term I’m not talking about traditional methods of talking heads, static backdrops and old-style Hollywood production styles, or even video resolutions. No, today’s viewers have far more choices than ever before and that media has to grab your attention immediately. The very definition of television has changed over time (the subject of my first editorial for TV Tech when I started back with the magazine back in 2001) and the demands have become higher.

The meaning of “broadcast quality” has changed and while today’s creators don’t want to necessarily recreate the traditional TV show, their goal is the same: to keep the viewers’ attention, especially since more and more are viewing content on a variety of screens.

In essence, broadcast quality is no longer a set of specifications, but rather a mindset to which creators are approaching on their own terms. Broadcasters are content creators too but as gatekeepers, they’ve opened those gates to a wider community.

Television production was already becoming more “democratized” two decades ago when the dawn of YouTube gave a voice to anyone with an IP connection and digital software-based editing platforms were becoming more widely available. Since the launch of Youtube and social media over the past two decades, we’ve seen an explosion of new production styles that have eventually forced both the TV and film communities to adapt.

The NAB Show has had to evolve to meet the crop of new content creators and the show floor still had a plethora of high-end technology demanded by media companies worldwide.

But those same exhibitors—from AWS, Sony, Blackmagic Design and For-A to Shure and Audio Technica to name just a few—were also talking about new audio techniques and vertical video. In essence, anyone who develops media technology was showcasing (or at least discussing) new media creation technologies and techniques designed for this rapidly expanding media.

I spoke with one such content creator prior to the show. Jefferson Graham, host of the PhotowalksTV travel series on Youtube talked about how having his show broadcast on Scripps stations on a weekly basis impacted his career.

Jefferson said the relationship with Scripps pays off when he visits communities where Scripps owns a local TV station. “I get to work with some of the local people there, so big shout out to WCPO in Cincinnati!” he said. “They spent a day with me shooting and then I also went on the air and did a segment with them, that was fantastic,” adding that he also worked with local broadcasters in Detroit, San Diego and Missoula Mont. as well.

But Content is Still King
The NAB Show’s theme this year was about “unveiling powerful new tools and technologies that put storytelling in everyone’s hands,” according to Karen Chupka, executive vice president of NAB Show, and overall I think they did a great job guiding the discussions and giving those storytellers the opportunity to test drive those new tools on the exhibit floor.

I’ve seen enough NAB Shows to understand the need to adapt and to change. Over the past 30-plus years, I’ve seen the lines blurring between “professional” broadcasters and the creators (who remembers the term “prosumer” which was all the rage 15-20 years ago?), so the trend is not necessarily new. But like my editorial of 25 years ago, when I tried to anticipate the popularity of the Internet and its impact on television, the reality of this evolution just took a bit longer than I anticipated.

Today, it’s no longer a question of if those worlds converge—it’s happening in real time, and NAB Show remains one of the few places where you can see it unfold.

The NAB Show entered my bloodstream three decades ago and with nearly half of this year’s attendees first-timers, it will probably do so for many of them as well. But unlike me, they’re seeing a radically different media landscape that no longer requires a massive budget and where the distinction between broadcaster and creator matters less.

LAS VEGAS—The 2026 NAB Show has announced that it attracted more than 58,000 registered attendees between April 18 and 22, as the show continued to bring in new audiences and explore new topics that reflected a rapidly changing media and entertainment industry.

This year, nearly half (48%) of all attendees were first-timers and international attendees from 146 countries accounted for 22% of attendees.

About 55,000 attended last year’s NAB Show, and the post-COVID high for the event so far has been 65K in 2023, according to Radio World.

“The 2026 NAB Show captured the energy and transformation driving today’s media and entertainment landscape, unveiling powerful new tools and technologies that put storytelling in everyone’s hands,” said Karen Chupka, executive vice president of NAB Show. “This year, we brought together a truly global community to spark innovation, elevate new voices and ignite the conversations shaping what comes next — where anyone, anywhere, can create and share stories

Top figures in the creator economy also weighed in on the value of the Show and its value to a new generation of entrepreneurs and attendees. “NAB Show is a great place to get both sides of the production workflow. ... [It] is incredibly strong on the content creation process ... [and] there’s several sessions on the business sides of how to manage your content creation business as a general thing,” said Jonathan Liu, CEO, Zhong

“If you want to connect with all the best and the greatest in broadcast media technology, this is the place to be. … [T]his is where you will get your lay of the ground, build your community, and also talk directly to the folks who are building the products,” added Nicki Sun, CEO, Nicki Sun Media and NAB Creator Council member

The organizers said that three audience areas in particular are driving growth in both the evolving media landscape the show:

• Content Creators: The number of registered attendees who are content creators increased 140% over 2025, with NAB Show’s Content Creator VIP Program and other initiatives poised to expand that universe.
• Enterprise: More than 13,000 attendees reported that they are corporate media professionals, almost double the 2025 number.
• Sports: The 2026 NAB Show included attendees from about 75 professional sports teams, 22 professional leagues and governing bodies, 30 sports venues, 15 esports/gaming organizations, 35 collegiate athletic departments, and 15 sports content producers/distributors.

The Show featured more than 1,100 exhibitors from around the globe, spanning the equivalent of nearly eight soccer fields and highlighting 132 first-time participants showcasing their innovations. Global brands included Sony, Canon, Ross, Blackmagic Design, Adobe, Google Cloud, AT&T and AWS.

NAB Show returns to New York Oct. 21–22, 2026 and the 2027 NAB Show returns to Las Vegas, April 3–7, 2027 (exhibits April 4–7, 2027).

TV Tech's complete coverage of the 2026 NAB Show can be found here.

LAS VEGAS—The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has inducted two legendary figures into the NAB Hall of Fame, honoring their impact on the industry.

This year’s ceremony recognized Rob Lowe for his storied and ongoing excellence in television and John Tesh for his monumental contributions to radio. The inductions took place at the NAB Hall of Fame Awards Dinner on Tuesday, April 21, as part of the 2026 NAB Show.

The prestigious honor recognizes individuals and programs that have earned a lasting place in broadcasting history through excellence, innovation and influence. The inductions are part of NAB’s longstanding tradition of recognizing the most impactful voices and visionaries across radio and television.

“Rob Lowe and John Tesh represent the very best of broadcasting — creative pioneers whose work has informed, entertained and inspired audiences for decades,” said NAB President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt. “Their contributions have shaped the industry in profound and lasting ways, and we are proud to welcome them into the NAB Hall of Fame.”

With a career spanning more than four decades, Rob Lowe has established himself as one of television and film’s most versatile and enduring talents. From iconic roles in “The West Wing” and “Parks and Recreation” to memorable performances in films such as “St. Elmo’s Fire” and “The Outsiders,” Lowe’s work has left an indelible mark on popular culture.

A two-time Screen Actors Guild Award winner with multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominations, Lowe continues to shape the television landscape. Most recently, he starred in and produced FOX’s hit series “9-1-1: Lone Star,” one of the highest-rated shows on television, and hosts the No. 1 game show, FOX’s “The Floor,” which continues to expand with recent renewals for seasons six and seven.

Lowe also connects with audiences through his podcast, “Literally! With Rob Lowe,” featuring candid conversations with leading figures across entertainment, business and sports, including Magic Johnson, Oprah Winfrey, Chris Pratt and Jennifer Aniston. His creative range extends further with projects including Netflix’s original comedy “Unstable,” roles in upcoming movies such as Bleecker Street’s horror film “The Third Parent” and an untitled romantic comedy alongside Cameron Diaz.

“Rob Lowe’s career is a masterclass in evolution and longevity in television,” said LeGeyt. “From defining roles in some of the most beloved series in TV history to his continued success as a producer and host, he has remained a dynamic force in the industry, consistently connecting with audiences across generations and platforms.”

An accomplished author, Lowe’s memoirs “Stories I Only Tell My Friends” and “Love Life” are both New York Times bestsellers, further showcasing his storytelling impact beyond the screen.

John Tesh’s remarkable career is a testament to perseverance, reinvention and creative excellence, the NAB said. In television, Tesh served as an award-winning CBS News correspondent covering global sporting events such as the Olympic Games, Tour de France and Wimbledon. He then became a household name as co-host of “Entertainment Tonight,” where he spent a decade before taking a bold leap to fuel his music aspirations.

Tesh’s first PBS music special, “John Tesh: Live at Red Rocks,” became one of the most successful in public television history, propelling a full-time music career that today includes six Emmy Awards, four gold albums, more than 8 million records sold, sold-out concert tours and an induction into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame.

As a composer, Tesh created what many have hailed as “the greatest sports theme in television history,” “Roundball Rock.” The song was the theme for the “NBA on NBC” from 1990–2002 and was played an estimated 12,000 times during that run. In October 2025, the song marked its triumphant return to NBC.

In 1999, Tesh reinvented himself yet again, launching a radio show alongside his wife Connie Sellecca and son and co-host Gib Gerard. The concept was unique: a five-hour-long daily program featuring a combination of expert advice and personal development content on the subjects that are important to listeners and their families– all surrounded by listeners’ favorite music.

“The John Tesh Radio Show: Intelligence for Your Life” has grown into an internationally syndicated powerhouse, airing daily in all time slots and on multiple radio formats including Adult Contemporary, Hot AC, Classic Hits, Urban and Oldies. The show, as well as a spin-off, “Intelligence for Your Health with Connie Sellecca,” airs on more than 350 stations and reaches 7.6 million listeners each week.

“John Tesh’s work reflects a unique blend of creativity, risk-taking and reinvention across broadcasting,” said LeGeyt. “From shaping iconic television moments to building one of the most successful syndicated radio programs in the country, his work has consistently pushed boundaries and expanded what’s possible in media.”

LAS VEGAS—TV Tech has announced its Best of Show Awards for the 2026 NAB Show in Las Vegas.

Future’s Best of Show Awards, which were presented at the 2026 NAB Show by TV Tech, are evaluated by a panel of engineers and industry experts. They are selected based on innovation, feature set, perceived value and application in serving the industry.

Winners received a crystal-glass trophy for display at the NAB Show and will be featured in TV Tech. Winners will also be featured in promotional material for the awards which includes online articles, newsletters, social posts and subscriber-facing emails.

“The products nominated for the Best of Show program, provide an outstanding overview of new technology on the show floor and shine a spotlight on the very best,” said the awards editorial team.

Congratulations to this year's winners (listed here with the company name followed by their winning product):

Adder Technology – Adder API for the ADDERView Matrix Range

Adobe – Frame.io Drive

Advantech Corporation – VEGA-7141

AgileTV – TV Platform

AJA Video Systems – BRIDGE LIVE IP

Akta – Akta AI First Video Platform

Amagi – Amagi Newspulse

Amazon Web Services – Elemental Inference

American Amplifier Technologies – EmPower Controller VNA

Apex RF– Rainier

Appear – VX

Appear – XM

Avid – Avid Content Core

BB&S – CFL Color

BirdDog – XL Ultra

BitFire – Spark Live MCR

Boland Communications – 4K55HDR7SNB Super Narrow Bezel 12G 4K HDR Display

Bolin Technology – R9-L420N Production PTZ Camera

Bridge Technologies – VB440’s Multi-Service AVSync

Calrec Audio – Calrec's ImPulseV Virtualised Audio Mixing Engine

Canon – CINE-SERVO 40-1200mm T5.0-10.8 lens

Cleeng – Cleeng AI Assistant

CloudAscent – Qrate

Cobalt Digital – blueCORE Platform

Comcast Technology Solutions – Comcast Media360

CueScript – CueiT 4.0

Dalet – Dalia

Dejero – TITAN Command

DigitalGlue – creative.space Intelligence

Emergent Vision Technologies – eSDK Pro Software Development Kit

Emergent Vision Technologies – ZENITH 100GigE High Speed / Resolution Cameras with New Sony Sensors

ENCO – SPOTai

ENCO – Qimera Virtual Production

Evergent Technologies – Evergent Agentic Revenue Orchestration Platform

Evertz – BRAVO-BLADE

Evertz – ENX

Evertz – X-CALIBER

EVS – Choreon

Flanders Scientific – GaiaColor AutoCal and Analyzer

Frequency – Frequency Blueprints

GlobalM – GMX Cloud

Grass Valley – ACE-3901-Grid MXL Gateway

Haivision – Makito ONE

Harmonic – Spectrum X Plus Media Server

InSync Technology – OG-MCC20 Motion Compensated Frame Rate Converter Module

Interra Systems – ORION Monitoring Platform with BATON Media Player (BMP)

Lawo – Edge One

LiveU – LU900Q

LucidLink – LucidLink Connect

manifold technologies – manifold CLOUD - 400GE

Mediagenix – Mediagenix Scheduling Optimization

Miri Technologies – Miri V410 Encoder/Decoder

Moments Lab – Discovery Agent

NDI – NDI 6.3

Net Insight – Nimbra Live Intelligence

Nevion, a Sony Group Company – MOXELA Software‑based Media Processing Platform

Nippon TV/FOR-A – viztrick AiDi with GoVertical! realtime 9:16 autocropping

OBSBOT – OBSBOT Talent 2

Other World Computing (OWC) – OWC Express 4M2 Ultra

PLISCH GmbH – ATR5000

Proton Camera Innovations GmbH – PROTON 4K 3D

PTZOptics – Move 4K with Horizon

Quickplay – Quickplay AI Studio

Riedel Communications – MediorNet HorizoN ST 2110 Multiviewer App

Ross Video – XPression Tessera

Shure – DCA901 Planar Array Microphone

Signiant – Connected Intelligence

Sony – XYN Spatial Capture Solution

Synamedia – ContentArmor Edge Watermarking

TAG Video Systems – Lens Visual Service Health Analysis

Techex – tx darwin

Telos Alliance – Telos Infinity VIP SE

Tightrope Media Systems – MediaScribe Narrate

TMT Insights – TMT AI

TVU Networks – TVU MediaMesh

Videndum – Vinten VEGA Lite

Wheatstone – Blade 4

Witbe – Witbe AI-Native Infrastructure for QA and Monitoring of Streaming Video

wTVision – R³ Engine macOS Edition

Zixi – Zixi Market Switching

Bolin Technology has been showing a number of new products this week at the 2026 NAB Show, including Range, which the company is billing as the first PTZR camera built to function as an anywhere camera, allowing production teams to use the same camera across both indoor and outdoor environments.

It also expanded Bolin’s PTZ lineup with the R9-L420N, which is designed for productions that demand high image quality and precise system synchronization, and showcased the new KBD Plus, which expands Bolin’s camera control lineup with a controller designed to simplify PTZ operation within modern production environments.

In terms of Range, the company noted that most outdoor cameras sacrifice the size and usability expected from indoor production systems. Range, however, maintains the form factor and visual presence of a professional indoor PTZ while adding the durability required for outdoor operation.

With 4K60 video and 25X zoom powered by a 1/1.8-inch Sony sensor, Range is suited for applications ranging from studios and performing arts venues to sports production and live events. Its IP65 rating, concealed rain wiper, and operating range from -40°C to +60°C allow the camera to operate reliably in changing weather conditions.

Range also introduces an industry-leading motion system, with high-precision brushless motors capable of PTZR movement up to 300° per second and acceleration from 0° - 120° per second in 200 milliseconds. The image module can rotate up to 270°, enabling vertical video, creative camera angles, and horizon correction.

Additional features include an integrated screen for reviewing settings and live preview, a built-in carrying handle with threaded accessory mounting points, and support for both Ethernet and Wi-Fi connectivity. Connectivity includes 12G-SDI, HDMI 2.0, USB-C (UVC), and IP outputs, along with support for NDI, SRT, RTMP, RTSP, and ONVIF workflows.

Also expanding Bolin’s PTZ lineup, is the R9-L420N, which is designed for productions that demand high image quality and precise system synchronization.

At its core is a 1-inch sensor paired with advanced image processing, delivering 4K60 video with up to 20X zoom and 1080p up to 120 fps for productions that require high frame rate capture. Hybrid autofocus combines phase-detection speed with contrast-based precision, helping the camera quickly acquire and maintain focus during live production.

The camera also supports adjustable cropped outputs, allowing alternate framing to be generated from the same camera image. This gives operators additional production flexibility without requiring a second camera position.

For multi-camera productions, R9-L420N supports LTC timecode and Genlock, helping ensure accurate synchronization with other cameras and production systems. Built-in ND filters allow operators to fine-tune exposure in changing lighting conditions.

Connectivity includes dual 12G-SDI, HDMI 2.0, Optical SDI, and IP outputs, with support for NDI High Bandwidth, NDI HX3, SRT, RTMP, RTSP, ONVIF, and MPEG-TS, allowing the camera to integrate into both traditional broadcast infrastructures and modern IP-based production workflows.

Complementing the new cameras, KBD Plus expands Bolin’s camera control lineup with a controller designed to simplify PTZ operation within modern production environments.

The controller integrates camera control, monitoring, and automation tools into a single interface. Built-in decoding allows operators to display live video from up to four IP camera sources simultaneously, helping streamline monitoring during production.

Low-latency decoding enables video output over HDMI 2.0 and USB-C (UVC) for production monitoring, while an integrated 4-inch LCD touch display provides direct control and visual feedback.

KBD Plus also introduces a new precision joystick designed for smoother response and improved durability, along with user-definable buttons that allow operators to customize presets and control behaviors. The controller supports a wide range of control protocols, including VISCA over IP, VISCA over serial, NDI, ONVIF, and manufacturer-specific protocols from Panasonic and Canon.

A future software update will introduce AI-based subject tracking, allowing PTZ cameras without built-in tracking capabilities to gain automated tracking functionality through the controller.

More information is available at https://bolintechnology.com/.

More than ever, technology suppliers in 2026 are meeting media entities where they live and work, with a hybrid, flexible and often invisible ecosystem.

Audio infrastructure manufacturers and providers agree that while the “sound” still must be perfect, the exact location of the gear no longer matters.

“We are not moving towards a future where the physical location of the audio suite doesn’t matter anymore,” said Calrec Director of Product Management Henry Goodman. “We’re already there.”

WHO, HOW AND WHERE

While the “where” has shifted, the “who” remains the foundation of the broadcast. Humans are still largely mixing and shaping program output. “But how and where they do all this has changed beyond recognition,” Goodman said.

The show’s exhibit floor offers ample evidence for television, radio and streaming contexts.

Wheatstone is showcasing its VMX virtual mixing platform, which can serve as a single mixing backend for multiple consoles or surfaces, at its booth.

Marketing Director Dee McVicker said the cost benefits from virtualization are a focal point. “Not to mention removing the massive physical limitations of the studio as we know it,” she said.

For manufacturers, the challenge is ensuring that as consoles move from isolated desks to complex networks — whether on-site, on edge or in the cloud — the engineer’s experience remains intuitive.

Solid State Logic intends to decouple the “big console” experience from the giant desk. Berny Carpenter, SSL’s broadcast product manager, said that through the company’s Virtual Tempest Engine, the software can be deployed across public clouds or private data centers.

Does this flexibility mean that mixing can be performed truly anywhere? Wheatstone’s McVicker offered a nuanced take.

“We’re not taking away from the tactile feel of a fixed console, yet we’re not limiting you to that or where you might be mixing at the moment,” she said.

Goodman too said Calrec’s approach is to provide the “big console” experience in a portable package.

FIXED HARDWARE TO MOBILE APPS

In the West Hall, Lawo is preaching a philosophy of agility through its HOME Apps platform. The concept is a departure from the “one box for each task” style of broadcasting.

For a media outlet using a generic commercial off-the-shelf server, Lawo believes the platform is ideal for managing a succession of workflows, allowing a broadcaster to decide on Monday that it’s an audio mixer and on Tuesday that it’s a multiviewer by switching containerized microservices.

“Hardware infrastructure no longer dictates workflows: Workflows now define the agile processing stack,” said Wolfgang Huber, Lawo’s public relations manager.

According to Huber, that kind of agility is important in mobile production trucks, where every inch of rack space and watt of power counts.

Wheatstone’s VML, an HTML5-based virtual console, can be accessed through a web browser, offering mixing on a laptop, tablet, smartphone or desktop. “You have a lot of flexibility to set up remote broadcasts, temporary studios in a disaster situation or even add on a permanent production studio,” McVicker said.

BY YOUR SIDE

But how does an engineer harness all of the power available now, particularly from AI and automation?

At Telos Alliance, AI is framed as a “mixing assistant riding shotgun,” said Clark Novak, its marketing content manager.

Telos’ flexAI platform utilizes the Jünger Audio Intelligent Companion, an AI-powered automixer.

Novak explained that flexAI pushes background noise down while keeping dialogue consistent, allowing the engineer to focus on the overall mix while the platform handles “small corrective moves.”

SSL offers a similar philosophy with its System T Dialogue Automix. Carpenter said that the system focuses on the active speaker across a large number of sources to reduce crosstalk.

“It allows the operator to focus on the output, rather than reacting to who is currently speaking,” Carpenter said.

Lawo, for its part, sticks to deterministic algorithms in its KICK sports mixing technology, for example, to avoid “AI hallucinations” in high-stakes environments.

But with the platform’s close-ball mixing, which is automated based on camera tracking data, Lawo’s Huber said the technology allows the audio engineer to focus on creative storytelling rather than manual gain-riding.

But a recurring theme is that disappearance of large surfaces. For instance, Telos Alliance’s Axia Altus and Studio Essentials lines allow mixing to be controlled entirely via a web browser.

“Virtual mixing isn’t about replacing the studio,” Novak said, “it’s about expanding it to other locations.”

Wheatstone’s McVicker called it a hardware-agnostic philosophy.

As NAB Show exhibitors will demonstrate, the movement to flexibility is not an all-or-nothing proposition. Most facilities are adopting a hybrid approach — keeping hardware where tactile control is needed, but moving the “heavy lifting” to the cloud.

As Calrec’s Goodman concluded, the tools must provide the operator with the ability to adapt to demanding environments.

Whether the processing happens in a basement rack or a distant data center, the mission remains the same: clear and compelling audio.

© 2026 NAB

Podcast listening in the U.S. reached new highs over the past year, as the medium continues to expand its audience base.

Yet for this audio-first medium, video is what has people talking.

The recently released 2026 edition of Edison Research’s Infinite Dial reports that 58% of Americans age 12 and older listened to a podcast in February 2026. That’s equal to about 167 million people.

That is the highest monthly podcast reach recorded in the study’s history, according to the Edison Research report.

Just how big is podcasting? Conan O’Brien said his podcast “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend” allows him to reach more people than he did in late-night TV; in an interview with The New Yorker he said this allows him to be a “master of my own destiny.”

The show told Podcast News Daily that it has amassed some 660 million downloads since its launch.

Radio entities too have been expanding their podcasting capabilities. According to Triton Digital’s U.S. Podcast Report, iHeartMedia averaged 69 million weekly downloads, followed by NPR’s 27.2 million and Audacy recording 14.8 million average weekly downloads.

Optimizing for Video

According to the Triton report, listening is still the predominant method to consume podcasting. But the popularity of video podcasting has grown dramatically, and audio-first brands are expanding quickly into multiplatform operations.

Consumers are leaning into this and expanding how and where they engage with podcasts.

In fact, most consumers both listen and watch. A whopping 80% of respondents 18-plus said they consume podcasts both ways.

(Triton’s report also looked at how various genres behave differently in video; some are “watch-forward,” others “listen-
forward.” People often listen to science, history and fiction. 
They often watch music and sports, while comedy tends to bridge both behaviors.)

iHeartMedia is enhancing its podcast offerings by adding full-length video podcast distribution to iHeartRadio. The company said the move is designed to expand reach for creators.

Beginning later this year, podcasters will be able to distribute full-length video versions of their shows directly into both the app and web versions of iHeartRadio, alongside traditional audio episodes.

iHeartMedia also recently announced a video podcasting partnership with Netflix.

On an investor call in 
March, Bob Pittman, CEO of iHeartMedia, called video podcasting “a wonderful expansion of the marketplace.”

AI continues to change podcasting in exciting ways, said Gary Levitt, an audio engineer and co-founder of Future Moments, which releases apps for content creation.

“Because AI can transcribe audio so easily, podcasts are becoming fully searchable by text. It’s turning millions of hours of conversations into an incredible knowledge resource,” Levitt said.

“Now tools like TapeSearch and Listen Notes make it possible to search any topic and instantly find the exact moment it was discussed in a podcast.”

Monetization 
of Podcasts

Podcast advertising also continues to surge, according to research firm Magellan AI.

E-commerce and retail brands remain deeply invested in podcasting, it said, with financial services, telecom and tech remaining the top advertisers.

Magellan AI analyzes podcast advertising data from the top 3,000 U.S. podcasts as ranked by Apple Podcasts. It said the top 15 advertisers spent a combined $59.8 million in January.

As part of NAB Show’s Broadcast Management and Monetization Conference, the session “Hot Digital Trends: What to Know About Video, Podcasts and AI” explores where broadcast operations should invest their time and money.

Moderated by multimedia journalist John Wordock of WTOP in Washington, D.C., the panel (2:45 to 3:45 p.m. today in Room N259) will offer insights on these key digital areas.

Wordock said every broadcaster, whether television or radio, whether small market or large market, needs to create a strategy for video podcasts on YouTube.

“Think of YouTube as a storefront window for your podcast,” Wordock said.

The session will feature Andy Slater, head of partnerships at ART19, Amazon’s podcast hosting and monetization platform. A 10-year veteran of the podcasting space, Slater works with top-tier creators and networks to optimize their publishing workflows and scale global ad revenue.

Video will also be the focus of today’s “Creating Automated Video for Podcasting” (C9226 Creator Lab Classroom). The session promises to help creators streamline camera switching, audio, recording and live streaming with smart production tech.

© 2026 NAB

As the entire media sector, from broadcasters and streamers to emerging content creators, faces another year of rapid change, Amazon Web Services (AWS) is offering a wide variety of demos, solutions, educational sessions and hands-on training at NAB Show that it says will help attendees capitalize on rapidly changing consumer habits.

Many of these AI- and cloud-based tools are designed to help broadcasters, creators and streamers address some of the thorniest challenges they face, said Stephanie Lone, global leader, Solutions Architecture, Media, Entertainment, Games and Sports Industry at AWS.

“We’re at this amazing inflection moment” of rapidly changing consumer habits that are roiling the M&A sector, she said. “There is research showing that 88% of the streaming content consumed by Gen Z viewers is on their phone” and “users are spending more time watching vertical video than the time they spend time watching Netflix, Disney+ or Prime Video on their phones … That puts pressure on broadcasters and streamers to reach these viewers on the devices and with the formats they want to see.”

One example of how AWS helps companies adapt rapidly to a “mobile-first” world, she said, is AWS Elemental Inference, being demoed in the AWS booth (W1701).

This fully managed service applies AI in parallel to live video encoding so that broadcasters and streamers can automatically deliver a vertical feed of live action with only a six- to 10-second delay. “We already have customers like Fox and NBCUniversal that are benefiting from those real-time creation capabilities,” she said.

AWS is also addressing technologies and workflows for the creator sector, which has a much-expanded presence this year.

“Every live broadcast isn’t just competing with their traditional competition; they are also competing with TikTok, Instagram and YouTube,” Lone said, citing a February study from Omdia that found global microdrama revenue will hit $14 billion this year and top $20 billion by 2030.

At the same time, AWS is showcasing technologies to help creators.

“We will have demos in the Builder Space [at the back of the AWS Theater, W1333] where people can go and get hands-on experience with various models,” she said. In addition, AWS is leaning into the creator space with an “AI Studio Startup Spotlight” at the AWS Theater on Wednesday (April 22).

Partnerships on Exhibit

AWS is also providing a host of demos from partners like AMC Networks, Sinclair, FanDuel, the NBA, Graham Media Group and Amazon’s Prime Video, as well as sessions where executives from Fox, Gray Media, Sky and others discuss how they use AI and cloud technologies in their operations.

“Most of our demos at the show are what I call the art of the real, not the art of the possible,” Lone said.

Other practical experiences include the new Builder Lab at the back of the AWS Theater, a place where attendees can see how easy it is to deploy these tools and play around with some of the AI models.

AWS is also hosting the Cloud Court Challenge, a collaboration with Toronto Raptors parent Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) that lets attendees put their basketball skills to the test while they learn how the cloud and AI can influence athletic performance and fan engagement.

Participants in the challenge, located in the West Hall lobby, will receive performance insights through detailed data analysis and computer vision and take home their own player card and social video.

Visitors to the Amazon Entertainment Loft (W235LMR) can see how emerging AWS technology powers Amazon Luna, Prime Video and Fire TV under the hood. The loft also offers opportunities to network, play the latest games, and talk with Amazon subject-matter experts.

The AWS Theater (W1333) is offering more than 20 sessions showing how companies are using Amazon’s cloud and AI solutions to improve operations.

© 2026 NAB

The future of news is not just about distribution but about building deeper, more direct relationships with audiences wherever they are.

That was the message of the session “The MS NOW Playbook: Building Community Across Platforms.”

Moderator Lachlan Cartwright of Breaker Media was joined by Marcus Mabry, MS NOW’s senior vice president of content strategy; Ari Melber, anchor and chief legal reporter; and Jen Psaki, anchor of “The Briefing Room With Jen Psaki” and social-media series “Psaki Bombs.”

Their conversation explored how the network is evolving beyond traditional linear television.

They said MS NOW’s independence — after NBCUniversal spun the former MSNBC and most of its other basic-cable networks into Versant in January — has become a strategic advantage.

Independence aligns with the brand’s editorial identity, Melber said. Psaki described the post-transition organization as “smaller, mightier, more agile.”

That shift has allowed the company to invest in areas it had not prioritized before, particularly digital products and audience engagement.

Rather than positioning itself as just another streaming outlet, MS NOW is focused on creating a community product that deepens trust and participation.

Mabry said that MS NOW’s new app, slated to launch this summer, is not a streaming app. Instead, it is meant as a news-first community platform that gives audiences more direct access to talent, reporters and analysis.

The goal is to create a relationship where users can ask questions, interact with journalists and feel part of an ongoing conversation.

The strategy begins with audience needs, not with assumptions from inside the newsroom, Mabry said. It is rooted in research about what viewers want most: trustworthy information, context and a sense of connection in an overwhelming news cycle.

That sense of connection was central to the discussion of “superfans,” a term the panel used to describe the highly engaged viewers who do more than simply tune in.

Psaki said that at live events and in product testing, it became clear that the audience sees itself as part of a community, not just a passive viewership.

Melber added that “people don’t watch the news, they watch people,” noting that audiences connect with hosts through personality, perspective and shared experience. That dynamic, the panel argued, is what differentiates MS NOW in a crowded media market.

The conversation also described an aggressive digital expansion.

Melber discussed his early embrace of YouTube as a way to extend interviews and conversations beyond the limits of linear television. Psaki echoed that point, saying that an hour-long show leaves little room for the lengthier discussions audiences increasingly want.

Both described digital video, YouTube originals, podcasts and short-form social content as ways to reach people who may never watch cable news but still want credible journalism. The network now draws more YouTube views than other news networks, heightening the payoff of that investment.

“The audience is so spread apart,” Psaki said. “You have to capture them where you can find them.”

Looking ahead, the panelists said their success will depend on staying experimental, meeting audiences across platforms and maintaining trust in an era shaped by misinformation and AI-generated content.

For MS NOW, the playbook is not just about audience growth. It is about creating a news brand built on authenticity, accessibility and community.

© 2026 NAB

NAB Show celebrated 50 seasons of CBS’s “Survivor” with the presentation of the NAB Spirit of Broadcasting Award during Monday’s Opening Session.

NAB President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt was joined by “Survivor” host Jeff Probst, who beamed into the session via video from the show’s location in Fiji, and fan-

favorite competitor Cirie Fields to discuss the show’s journey.

Probst learned about “Survivor” while listening to the radio as he drove around Los Angeles. He heard Mark Burnett, the original producer, talking about how he was going to put 16 people on an island and force them to live together while voting each other out.

“I’m not exaggerating when I say, from that moment forward, I wanted to be a part of ‘Survivor,’” Probst recalled.

“And I went after it with everything I could. I tried everything to get their attention. And when I finally got the job, I was so excited. The crazy part is, my enthusiasm is the same today. I love being a part of making ‘Survivor.’”

Probst took over as showrunner in 2010, bringing innovation into the production workflow. He wanted to make the show even more cinematic than it had been under Burnett.

“We have elevated the cinematic experience through our cameras and our microphones, with the intention to fully immerse the audience as much as we can with the disconnect of a screen,” he said.

“We want to say, ‘This is what it’s like to wake up after a storm and look at your fingers, and then you hear a whisper over that person’s shoulder.’ … Between a camera and a microphone, we’re taking you inside their world.”

Fields said the show’s immersive nature is something she particularly enjoys as a viewer.

“When I watch it back now, I can feel that immersion,” she told the audience. “My children can almost feel what I’m feeling when they see me dirty. They can actually see the sand and the grime on me, knowing that I slept just right there in the middle of the camp.”

Cinematic in Live

Cinematic visuals are also finding their way into live production. For Jesse Collins, CEO of Jesse Collins Entertainment and renowned producer of the Grammys, Oscars, BET Awards and Super Bowl halftime show, technology is helping push the boundaries of what’s possible on-screen.

“We are able to use cinematic lenses now. They are enabling us to change the way that we shoot performances,” Collins said in a conversation with entertainment journalist Carolyn Giardina during the Opening Session.

“Technology is everywhere, and when it’s used properly, it helps make the content better.”

Collins cited Lauryn Hill’s performance at this year’s Grammys as an example of how technology has enabled him to bring an amazing visual and audio experience to the screen.

“Ten or 15 years ago, I don’t know if we could have gotten that many live instruments in a live show, but we were able to get it done through advances in audio technology,” he said. In fact, Hill’s performance had more audio inputs than any performance in Grammy’s history.

Collins also shared his thoughts on artificial intelligence and its potential impact on live production. He said the technology is being used to help create visions of what producers want to accomplish. But he doesn’t think it will replace what viewers see on-screen.

“At the end of the day, an artist is going to be an artist. Beyoncé is Beyoncé. People want to see Beyoncé. And, especially in live television, that’s what people want. So I haven’t seen it really creep into the final broadcast.”

Asked if he has a wish list for how technology could help achieve something that’s not currently possible, Collins gave the audience food for thought. During the Super Bowl halftime show, the broadcast is transferred from the broadcast game truck to one that handles just the musical performance. “There’s a terrifying moment leading into that, which is called the point of no return, that last minute when they’ve given us the broadcast and there’s no turning back,” he said. “Sometimes not all the cameras are connected, and then they’re working through it and working through it and working through it. Fortunately, it’s always worked out.

“If someone could create something where at the beginning of the event, everybody’s dialed in, I don’t know if that’s a massive truck with an entertainment side and a live broadcast sports side,” he said. “It would take a lot of that anxiety away in the transition and it would give us more time for entertainment.”

© 2026 NAB

LAS VEGAS—In a notable effort to improve the quality of audio in OTA broadcasts, Dolby Laboratories and TV Azteca have announced a project to bring Dolby Atmos to free-to-air television in Mexico over ATSC 1.0 transmissions.

The two companies said the distribution of immersive audio within the current ATSC 1.0 transmission standard marks a significant step forward in the evolution of live television and opens the door for other broadcasters to make similar improvements to audio quality of OTA broadcasts.

Those involved in the project said immersive audio has a particularly powerful appeal in live sports events, where sound is an essential part of the emotion. With Dolby Atmos, sound moves above and all around, placing viewers at the center of the action and making every game more thrilling and memorable, Dolby said.

“Our work with TV Azteca represents a decisive step in bringing immersive experiences to mass audiences in Mexico,” said Pankaj Kedia, vice president of Americas, commercial partnerships at Dolby Laboratories. “Imagine watching a game from your living room and hearing where every cheer in the stands comes from, the sound of the ball, and the voice of the commentator moving around you. That is what Dolby Atmos makes possible today in Mexico.”

Pedro Manuel Carmona Ortiz, CTO of TV Azteca added that “this project with Dolby Laboratories marks a technological milestone, as well as a turning point for the industry, which would not have been possible without the support and collaboration of our strategic partners in this journey.”

In addition to Dolby, those include Imagine Communications and Ateme, a global provider in video compression and distribution solutions.

“We are collaborating with Dolby to demonstrate that innovation in audio can transform free-to-air television,” added Pedro Carmona Ortiz. “Our goal is to bring people closer to the real emotion of every story, with a quality that was previously reserved for premium environments.”

The announcement was made in Las Vegas, during the 2026 NAB Show, where Dolby, Imagine and Ateme are exhibiting.

LAS VEGAS—At the 2026 NAB Show, the IABM has announced that it has rebranded itself as the International Association of MediaTech (IAMT) and unveiled a number of new initiatives.

Those include a new AI-powered intelligence platform and the IAMT Global Alliance.

The transition to IAMT represents a fundamental strategic shift reflecting the reality of today’s market, the group said.

“This is beyond a rebrand—it’s a recognition of the market we now inhabit,” said Saleha Williams, CEO of IAMT. “The media value chain has been permanently transformed, moving from hardware-centric silos to a fluid, software-defined, and cloud-integrated ecosystem. IAMT is a lever for our collective growth.”

Building on its broadcast heritage while expanding into a broader MediaTech ecosystem, IAMT said it now supports a wide range of sectors including streaming, enterprise media, AI-driven workflows, immersive experiences and emerging content platforms.

The group said it made the change at a time when it was seeing record levels of audience engagement and industry reach. In 2025 alone, the organization achieved an 8.8% LinkedIn engagement rate—nearly three times the industry average—alongside more than 356,000 website sessions and over 220,000 active users.

“IAMT is not just growing its audience—it is activating it,” said Williams. “We are delivering high-value visibility, meaningful engagement, and trusted influence that translates directly into stronger credibility and more commercially valuable connections for our members.”

A key component of its new strategies is the launch of MAI (MediaTech Agentic AI), an advanced agentic AI-powered discovery platform developed in collaboration with IAMT member Alpha Cogs. MAI is an integral part of IAMT’s new website, TheIAMT.org

MAI is trained on IAMT’s full knowledge ecosystem—including research, member thought leadership, journal content, and its Business Intelligence Unit—transforming the organization’s digital platform into an active, always-on engine for insight and discovery.

IAMT has also launched its new Marketplace platform as part of its reimagined website, designed to work in tandem with MAI to enhance member visibility and enable agentic AI-powered discovery of company profiles, products, and innovations, with content continuing to expand as members build out their presence on the platform.

“MAI is a gamechanger for member industry amplification,” said Williams. “It moves us from a static repository of information to a 24/7 global advocate for our members.”

Using Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), MAI generates direct, synthesized responses to user queries—citing IAMT member content as authoritative sources with:

• Direct Citations: Answers are built from member-contributed insights, articles, and data
• Authoritative Positioning: Members are presented as definitive experts within a trusted, neutral platform
• Dynamic Content Integration: Updates from the IAMT Marketplace are continuously incorporated

“We are moving beyond traditional AI integration into systems capable of interpreting intent and contextual signals,” said Nicola Cogotti, founder and CTO of Alpha Cogs. “Leveraging the Emotional Intelligence Engine originally developed for

Cogi, MAI applies that same human‑centric architecture to information discovery—helping people access insights in a way that feels natural, adaptive, and deeply intelligent.”

IAMT also announced the launch of its IAMT Global Alliance, a reimagined ecosystem designed to bridge the gap between innovation and real-world application, showcase the though leadership of our partners and deliver information in the form of insights and intelligence. The IAMT Global Alliance is built on three core pillars:

• Media Partners: Bringing MediaTech buyers and end users into direct dialogue with MediaTech providers
• Educational Partners: Supporting the next generation of MediaTech talent through academic collaboration
• Industry Collaboration Groups: Connecting organizations such as standards bodies and sustainability initiatives to address global challenges

“At its core, this is about aligning innovation with real-world needs,” said Williams. “By bringing buyers, educators, and industry groups into the same ecosystem, we are creating a more connected, responsive, and forward-looking industry.”

To further amplify member and partner voices, IAMT is launching its Visual Podcast Series at NAB Show 2026, providing a broadcast-quality platform for thought leadership, interviews, and industry dialogue—distributed globally across major streaming platforms and digital channels.

“We’re creating a direct connection between those building MediaTech and those buying it and those using it,” said Matt Stagg, of Neutral Wireless and an IAMT Global Alliance Ambassador and host of the IAMT Visual Podcast Series. “By bringing senior MediaTech buyers into the conversation—through research, roundtables, and real-world dialogue—we can ensure innovation is aligned with actual industry needs, not assumptions.”

Together, the rebrand to IAMT and the launch of MAI and the IAMT Global Alliance represent a unified platform for insight, connection, and influence—helping the MediaTech industry navigate transformation, unlock new opportunities, and shape the future of content creation and MediaTech worldwide. To get involved contact globalalliance@theiamt.org.

Although the current U.S. sports TV market is more fluid than ever — with sports rights getting more expensive and more leagues moving onto streaming platforms — the state of broadcast sports has never been stronger.

That was the sentiment of Jon Miller, president, acquisitions and partnerships for NBC Sports, during the “NBC Sports Playbook: Rights, Partnerships and What’s Next” panel, held on the Main Stage. Moderator John Ourand, sports correspondent for Puck, led the conversation that covered everything from NBC’s commitment to expanding its broadcast sports lineup to recruiting Snoop Dogg to “make the Olympics cool again.”

It’s easy to understand Miller’s enthusiasm. Getting his start at local NBC affiliate WRC-TV Washington, D.C., nearly 50 years ago, Miller rose through the ranks at NBC to his current role managing the network’s relationships with sports of all stripes.

Miller said he’s seen this movie before.

“I don’t think [broadcast] really went anywhere — a lot of people wrote our obituaries, which happens quite often,” he said. “But I think broadcast is, quite honestly, stronger and more important than ever. And I think our partners realize that.”

"I think it's definitely having a moment," he added.

While certainly not dismissive of streaming’s encroachment on live televised sports — all of NBC’s programming, including sports, appear on NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming service — Miller said broadcasters’ reach and ability to adapt to new technologies gives the industry continued relevance.

“I think the streamers have a different set of priorities and strategic objectives than we do,” he said. “They have very deep pockets, but they can’t offer a lot of what broadcast can offer, and they can’t offer the marketing and the promotion. Certainly, they can’t offer the production expertise that NBC, CBS, Fox and Disney [ABC/ESPN] can offer to partners.

“The investment NBCUniversal has made over the last several decades — not only in broadcast rights, but in production infrastructure and data analytics and being able to provide 1080 HDR or 4K to our broadcast affiliates — I think all of those things are key factors,” he said. “And it’s the largest reach that you can get out there.”

Miller said NBC’s expansion into streaming has given the network more leverage when negotiating sports rights.

“Peacock is a great complementary service to NBC,” Miller said. Noting Peacock’s penetration (via the streaming service and NBCSN homes which present most live Peacock events) into about 65 million homes — “numbers equivalent to ESPN, Fox or Turner [TNT Sports],” Miller added that the service was “never meant to displace anything on broadcast.”

“But it’s enabled us to make investments in properties that we wouldn’t have been able to make otherwise,” Miller added. “We would not have been able to acquire NBA [rights] if we didn’t have Peacock as a platform; we would not be able to acquire the exclusive [U.S.] rights to the Premier League.”

As the longtime U.S. broadcaster of the Olympics, Miller said the network has aspired to make the event more relevant to younger viewers.

“Snoop Dogg has been spectacular, and he’s really become an Olympic fan and he knows the games, he goes to the events, the athletes react to him and they embrace him,” he said.

Miller said NBC is dedicated to building on broadcasters’ legacy in delivering the most exciting and entertaining action to fans.

“We think it’s really important that broadcast television be recognized for how it delivers audiences, for how the quality of production is important to partners,” he said. “And we like the hand we’ve been dealt.”

In 2025, horror movies made almost $1 billion at the U.S. domestic box office, proving that the genre is alive and well, even if some of its characters aren’t.

Much of this is due to the collective experience, according to Michael Clear, president of production company Atomic Monster.

“Everyone is kind of driven by watching media alone. But I think horror movies are an opportunity to go on a ride with a group of people,” Clear told the audience at “The Scary-Smart Business of Horror” panel.

When evaluating whether to go ahead with a project, Clear added, the team at Atomic Monster is all about the scares.

“It always goes back to that core experiential element,” he said.

“We don’t need a big scope or spectacle to really scare people. For us, it always starts with, ‘What are we afraid of? What’s the primal fear at the core of this?’ And then you build the scaffolding on top of it. You try to tell a compelling, emotional story.”

“M3GAN” screenwriter Akela Cooper revealed that when writing the movie’s script, she began to think of her character as one of the most iconic horror movie characters of all time.

“When I got the notes on my first draft, the producers said they had no idea how the doll was going to be made and that I needed to pull back on active movement,” she recalled. “That created a creative challenge for me, but it was also like a fun challenge.

“I then started thinking of ‘M3GAN’ kind of like ‘Jaws.’ Famously, they could not get that shark to work, so then they had to fill around it. You saw it in bits and pieces. So in the sequence where M3GAN is chasing the bully through the woods, I wrote that you only see her in certain spots, very, very quickly. It was kind of like a shark on land hunting this little boy.”

YouTube creator Mark

Fischbach, aka Markiplier, worked outside the traditional Hollywood machine, writing, producing, directing and starring in his movie “Iron Lung.” He even self-distributed the project, which has earned more than $50 million at the global box office. And on top of all that, he edited the trailer.

“Being outside the traditional studio sphere, there were deadlines that I didn’t know about,” he said. “When it came to the deadline of the trailer going out to movie theaters, I had no idea. So I put it together in two days.”

However, Fischbach acknowledged that doing everything yourself can be dangerous, as there is no one to say no.

“You have to say no to yourself,” he said, “and I often won’t do that. I was like, ‘I can take some Houdini tutorials, I could do that. I could build a render farm, I can do that.’”

The panel offered budding horror filmmakers words of advice when trying to find an audience for their movies: Don’t chase virality. “M3GAN” became a meme following the release of the movie’s trailer, but Clear stressed that when marketing a project, it’s important to stay authentic.

“We were never chasing that type of attention,” he said. “People responded to the uniqueness of M3GAN and the authenticity of it, and then it took on a life of its own.”

“For the past year, the media industry has asked, ‘What is possible with AI?’” says Google Cloud’s Global Managing Director, Strategic Industries, Anil Jain. “Now the conversation has shifted from experimental pilots to production-scale execution. And as we enter the era of agentic AI, the distance between a creative spark and a finished frame is shrinking even further.”

Whereas generative AI helps people produce content, Jain said, agentic AI goes further, “reasoning through multistep processes and using specialized tools to solve complex problems, always with human oversight.”

At NAB Show, Google Cloud is discussing its holistic AI strategy and highlighting the use of its technology by companies like Adobe, Dailymotion, Globo, Fox Sports, Sphere and Paramount to remove production bottlenecks from the creative process.

For instance, Brahma AI uses Google’s AI stack to deploy and scale high-fidelity digital likenesses that help humanize data sets.

Groupe CANAL+ is applying generative media models to extract value from its archives. Using Gemini’s multimodality, it can process video, audio and text to automate asset categorization.

GETTING PERSONAL

Media companies are also using AI to personalize audience experiences, as with Major League Baseball’s new Scout Insights in the MLB Gameday app. It uses Gemini to provide AI-powered color commentary based on millions of Statcast data points.

And AI is enhancing enterprise productivity. For example, Cadent uses custom AI agents built on Gemini Enterprise to automate complex tasks, leading to an increase in campaign return on ad spend and saving thousands of hours of manual internal work.

Global Director, Telco, Media & Technology, Albert Lai said Google’s tools are used by broadcasters and studios, social networks, streamers, news publications and pay TV operations, and noted that using agentic AI at production scale in such applications requires specialized infrastructure.

He said Google Cloud provides multimodal intelligence that understands and generates text, audio and video natively. Its DeepMind research has enhanced the capabilities of Gemini, Veo, Nano Banana and Lyria. Google’s infrastructure also offers custom chips that match media workloads, all protected with enterprise-grade security.

“Media companies are integrating agentic AI into a supply chain that they themselves describe as ‘AI in the loop,’” Lai said. “It means creatives are being deliberate in their application of agentic AI into their workflows to augment human creativity and storytelling.”

In just two years, Jain said, AI has moved from experimentation and pilot projects into production and now into the realization of business value across the media supply chain.

Companies are using it to create storyboards, extract metadata, automate the logging of clapperboards, generate subtitles and dubs, turn text into animation, identify ad breaks, change aspect ratios, create multiple pieces of content for highlight reels and personalize that content.

REPLUMBING THE PIPELINE

At a time when the creator economy has exploded and a platform like TikTok can create cultural change, Jain said media companies must reshape their content pipelines to meet consumer demands.

“We believe AI is a much larger and more impactful, transformative technological shift than we’ve seen in our lifetimes. But it’s also a time of tool fragmentation, which is a nightmare for CTOs, CIOs and chief data officers,” he said.

“Our mission is to help organizations think through and implement new ways of working. You can think about us as the AI cloud now, and we’re here for the long game.”

Google Cloud is in booth W2731. It also will participate in several sessions, including one on the Main Stage (N141) Tuesday afternoon.

Jain and Google’s Márcia Mayer will discuss “The Augmented Studio: Supercharging Creativity With the Power of AI,” along with Dustin Myers, executive vice president of production operations and technology for Fox Sports.

One of the highlights in Central Hall at NAB Show is the Creator Lab, which gives attendees the chance to examine how new media styles are transforming the way content is created, produced and distributed.

Drew Baldwin, founder and CEO of Tubefilter, moderated Sunday morning’s “State of the Creator Economy” panel to kick off a myriad of insightful discussions to come over several days.

Baldwin was joined by Alessandro Bogliari, co-founder and CEO of The Influencer Marketing Factory; Natalie Jarvey, editor of Ankler Media’s Like & Subscribe newsletter; and Pierre-LoÏc Assayag, co-founder and CEO of Traackr to break down the now and the future of content creation, looking at both the brand and content creation sides of the mix.

The four dissected emerging trends like AI, new styles of content, the niche audience and opportunities that are coming to drive the creator economy of the future.

“Brands are all-in on everything AI these days,” Assayag said. “The good, the bad and the ugly.”

The real benefit of AI in the creator economy, he said, is the taking of datasets to connect facets that were once in silos into a unified stack where creators no longer have to fill any individual role.

Jarvey said that the perception of generative AI, once seen as an existential threat, has shifted as creators see the value in such tools. And while there are ways to make fun, creative content with it, AI still looks and feels different than real content with the human touch.

“The creator economy is a people business,” Bogliari said. “It’s a friend I’ve never met, and I follow them because you can see part of myself in them. AI simply cannot replace that.”

There has also been a shift in content from popular to compelling — from going bigger for wider appeal, to a period in which niche content creators may be at an advantage, Jarvey said.

The “Beastification” of content — a creator becoming as massively popular as YouTuber MrBeast — may never happen again, she said. Now most growth is from smaller, more niche creators who return higher engagement due to a more devoted community, allowing for higher conversion.

New types of content, such as clipping and microdramas, are leading to longer-term partnerships in branding and marketing. Microdrama platforms, for example, use short-form video to get people interested in stories, ultimately sending people back to an app where they pay to watch a series in full. Creators are the ones who are going to own the microdrama space, Jarvey said.

The panelists closed by discussing the state of live video and the creator studio of today and tomorrow.

Live video is in an ebb tide, said Baldwin, as creators realize the magnitude of roles that go into it — a subject matter expert who can answer questions on the fly, a moderator for real-time comments, or a production person behind the video. Creation factories, like Mr. Beast or sports-themed comedy troupe Dude Perfect, are becoming studios, not simply removing themselves from video but bringing in talent to expand their platforms further.

For broadcasters and streamers, a migration to the cloud is no longer a simple technical upgrade. The era of merely replicating on-premise infrastructure in a virtual environment — the so-called lift and shift — is over.

The most successful organizations are embracing the journey as a fundamental operational and creative transformation, requiring a phased approach that addresses architectural resilience, cultural change and the accelerated adoption of new technologies like AI.

The initial hurdle for many is realizing that the journey to the cloud is less about IT infrastructure and more about people.

“Cloud migration isn’t just a technical decision. It’s a creative and operational one,” Sami Aziz, executive producer and founder of Pale Blue Originals and former head of live broadcasts at NASA, said.

“The organizations that navigate the move to cloud best treat it like a production: a phased approach, very clear communication, investment in training and intentional standardization across tools.”

Any move to the cloud comes with challenges, including managing real-time media workflows that demand low latency and high reliability.

“To tackle this, it’s important to ensure workflows are consistent to reduce training time and use real-time monitoring tools to keep an eye on network and media performance,” said Bryan Bedford, director of consumer industries and business solutions at Cisco Systems.

“Automation and orchestration can simplify operations and help scale efficiently. Plus, collaborating with vendors and adopting open standards ensures everything works well together.”

Reliability Concerns

Reliability, especially for real-time media workflows that demand low latency, remains a constant challenge. Organizations must design their systems to survive multiple problems, from public internet performance issues to data center and region outages.

Mike Pilone, enterprise architect at National Public Radio, suggested that any system deployed in the cloud has to “utilize multiple regions to ensure they can survive an interruption. Using multiple cloud providers can give you an additional layer of availability as well as flexibility if a provider is no longer attractive due to service or pricing changes.”

Content protection and ownership in a cloud-first world are also new challenges facing content owners, especially with the need to protect their assets and set clear parameters in case a platform goes down.

“Most broadcasters don’t ask these questions until something goes wrong,” Aziz said. “Redundancy and contracts with clear data ownership language are two critical starting points. Security should also be treated as an ongoing operational priority, not just a one-time setup. The same care you would apply to protecting a finished master should apply to every stage of your cloud pipeline.”

The growth of AI is also linked to the move beyond a basic cloud deployment. Most AI tools, such as automated captioning, content tagging and quality control, are cloud-based. AI models are resource-intensive operations that may only be practical in a shared computing environment such as the cloud.

“As we see more AI adoption in various use cases, we can expect to see greater use of the cloud to provide the core models and compute,” said Jon Cyphers, senior manager of product and support, distribution at NPR.

AI is transforming how broadcasters operate in the cloud, Bedford agreed, helping to automate and optimize media production and delivery, making workflows more efficient and reducing manual errors.

“Combining AI with cloud and edge computing opens up exciting possibilities like personalized content delivery and intelligent network orchestration,” he said.

“This integration helps broadcasters stay competitive by enhancing efficiency and creating new ways to engage audiences.”

According to Aziz, organizations that have already started migrating to the cloud will be able to adopt and adapt to AI incrementally, with human judgment still a large part of the workflow.

“Organizations still anchored to legacy systems will have a harder time making the leap all at once,” he said. “We’re all watching how quickly AI is evolving. The honest truth is, it’s moving faster than any of us can set editorial and ethical standards, and that’s a conversation our entire industry needs to be having.”

© 2026 NAB

As consumer brands, B2B organizations and government agencies continue to increase their reliance on video to distribute both external and internal messaging, the need to connect creators and storytellers with corporate communicators is growing.

While the latter group may not reside in the traditional realm of broadcasting and entertainment, the companies it represents are, in their own way, fast becoming media platforms, too.

This has driven NAB Show to introduce a new Enterprise Video Strategies education track for 2026.

Designed to demonstrate how organizations are leveraging today’s video production technology to achieve meaningful business results, sessions include: “Efficient by Design: Cloud-Based Production for Modern Brands,” “The Enterprise Studio: Redefining How Organizations Create,” “From Corporate Video to In-House Studio: How Enterprises Are Becoming Media Machines” and “Architecting ROI: Scalable Virtual Production for Enterprise Teams.”

Video Gets More ACCESSIBLE

Lori H. Schwartz, CEO and principal at StoryTech, an experiential marketing firm based in Los Angeles and curator of experiences for NAB Show, said the evolution of enterprise video from simple internal messaging (think corporate training videos) to much more elaborate, external-facing campaigns is, in large part, the result of what she calls the “democratization” of video production technology.

In other words, the hardware and software have become more accessible, easier to operate and in some cases are developed with nonbroadcast users in mind.

This makes it convenient to expand video communications beyond the conventional 30-second television ad into spots specifically designed to run on social media such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

Enterprises, Schwartz said, have become their own content creators.

At the same time, many nonbroadcast or nonmedia companies seek the expertise required to develop engaging video content. Schwartz notes that this presents new opportunities to creators and producers who, up until now, have dedicated their work to television and film almost exclusively.

The 2026 NAB Show Enterprise Video Strategies track aims to build a bridge between these two groups.

“[We want] to get the people that need work to see that there are other ways they can use their skills,” Schwartz said.

“We also want to show the enterprise folks that if they come to NAB Show, they would meet the people that have the latest virtual production skill sets [for example]. They would learn about the tools and meet the right people so that they can keep expanding their content pipelines.”

For this first year, Schwartz explained, the sessions that make up the Enterprise Video Strategies track will give attendees a good idea of how the corporate world is applying video content and technology for its communications. In the future, she envisions more specialized themes.

“The best way to start, I believe, is by showing what’s happening out there,” Schwartz said. “I think it will grow over time, and then we can start to get into more niche topics inside of that.”

A Lower Barrier to Entry

At Matrox Video, a video systems developer with headquarters in Dorval, Canada, Manager of Strategic Partnerships Rob Moodey pointed to several technological advancements that have made production technology more accessible to the enterprise. He cited the growth of video-over-IP deployments as an example.

“Instead of relying on traditional interfaces like HDMI, DisplayPort or SDI — all of which are used in [the] enterprise — modern systems increasingly handle video as network-based data streams,” Moodey said.

This means that companies may leverage standard IT infrastructure without having to worry about procuring dedicated switching and cabling.

The same applies to video compression formats, Moodey added. Depending on their requirements related to bandwidth, cost, latency and quality, enterprise video teams may choose between delivering low-latency, uncompressed video; light compression formats like JPEG-XS and NDI-Full; or high compression through H.264 and H.265.

“Importantly, many of these formats can run on standard computing hardware using CPUs or GPUs, reducing the need for highly specialized equipment and lowering the barrier to entry,” Moodey said.

When Video is Mission-Critical

While “traditional” enterprise video may be about connecting customers with brands, there is another category of nonbroadcast organizations that rely heavily on the medium.

Fred Poole is director of space — Intel/Civilian at Haivision MCS, an Atlanta-based subsidiary of Haivision, a video networking and visual collaboration systems developer headquartered in Montreal. Haivision MCS serves aerospace, enterprise, government, military and public-safety clients that require mission-critical video solutions.

These customers prioritize technology that can deliver bandwidth efficiency (and the ability to control it), low latency, quality and reliability, Poole said.

He illustrated a standard U.S. Department of Defense video application with a sports analogy.

“The connection between professional sports and what happens in the DOD and the (U.S. Intelligence Community) are very strongly parallel,” Poole said.

“I want the ability to see the best video quality I can for the plays being made. I also want to be able to go back and see: Was he out of bounds? What was he carrying? What was that person doing at that time? Where were they located?”

These types of operations employ a similar number of cameras and camera controls as required in sports broadcasting, Poole explained.

AI: The Big Enabler

As in other industries, artificial intelligence is giving video production professionals every­where the ability to be more efficient by fulfilling some of the more repetitive or mundane tasks associated with creating and managing content. Schwartz pointed to basic camera operation, data analytics and content personalization as several examples of this.

In the context of mission-critical video, Poole noted that AI can serve to decrease latency and improve video quality. “We’re looking [at] what is being developed in the AI world to be able to impact and affect things in the video, how we view it [and] in how it’s delivered,” he said.

For NAB Show, Schwartz underlined that the goal this year is to bring together two different groups of professionals: creators who have traditionally focused on television and film and enterprise-level communications practitioners who can benefit from their knowledge and experience.

“They just need to meet each other,” Schwartz said. “NAB Show has always been good about being that home for people to connect. This is the next bastion of that.”

© 2026 NAB

LAS VEGAS—Ross Video CEO David Ross kicked off 2026 NAB Show with an opening keynote that unveiled a broad portfolio of innovations designed to simplify workflows, increase flexibility, and enable high-impact live production across broadcast, sports, corporate, and live event environments.

Building on advances in routing, cloud, and audio, Ross demonstrated how its unified technology stack continues to evolve into a fully integrated, end-to-end production ecosystem.

During the keynote, Ross also highlighted the launch of Indigo, a new unified platform for video production workflows, ingest, editing, workflow automation, asset management, editorial and playout.

“The way audiences consume content keeps changing, not once in a decade, not once every few years,” Ross said during the keynote. “Constantly you're being asked to move faster, to create for more platforms, to do more with fewer resources, and to adapt without rebuilding everything you've already invested. We've spent a lot of time listening to customers about that challenge, about the friction of disconnected tools, about the need for workflows that are simpler, faster and more flexible. At Ross we believe the answer isn't just another tool, a better foundation, more connected way to create, manage and deliver content.”

That foundation, he added, is Indigo.

Indigo provides a browser-based platform for fast-turn, digital-first content production and is designed to simplify ingest, playout, and transcode with scalable, all-in-one systems.

“This powerful enterprise software represents an exciting new chapter for Ross,” he said. “Indigo is a pivotal product at a pivotal time in our industry.”

In addition, Ross highlighted significant advancements in infrastructure and control:

• NRG delivers next-generation SDI routing with UHD support and optional software multiviewer, reducing system complexity and cost
• Ultricore BCS NDI Control enables seamless discovery and control of NDI alongside SDI and ST 2110 workflows
• Ultricore-SVR provides high-performance, enterprise-grade routing control in a compact form factor
• ULTRIX-MOD-JXS extends ST 2110 connectivity across bandwidth-constrained environments
• UltriGPI bridges legacy GPI systems with modern IP workflows
• Ultrix Flexible Licensing and Ultriformat improve efficiency with dynamic resource allocation and built-in signal conversion
• openGear continues to offer a trusted, open ecosystem with expanded 12G SDI capabilities

Ross also continues to redefine live production switching:

• TouchDrive 5 introduces a powerful new control surface with expanded access and customization
• Carbonite HyperMax delivers scalable production with flexible licensing and resource sharing
• Carbonite Code Solo makes professional switching accessible through a software-based, NDI-native solution

Ross showcased tools that elevate visual storytelling:

• XPression enhances real-time graphics creation with browser-based monitoring and previsualization tools
• XPression.cloud enables scalable, on-demand graphics for live sports and events
• Ross Virtual Solutions (Voyager) leverages Unreal Engine for photorealistic virtual production
• PIERO brings AI-powered sports analysis and telestration
• Raiden streamlines weather storytelling with integrated newsroom workflows

Ross outlined a number of innovations in the area of camera movement and control:

• SmartShell v8.1 introduces real-time robotic visualization for improved studio awareness
• spidercam delivers cinematic aerial coverage across venues and environments
• X650 PT Head supports higher payloads with modernized control and AR/VS tracking
• Canon PTZ integration brings premium UHD imaging into Ross workflows with automation and AI tracking

Other new improvements and solutions included:

• Rio Replay delivers intuitive, operator-driven replay workflows with reliable, high-performance operation
• Lama Mix delivers professional-grade audio mixing in a flexible software environment
• Lama Connect enables seamless routing and protocol conversion across IP and cloud workflows
• Lama AutoMix uses AI-driven processing for consistent, high-quality speech mixes
• AudioEdge bridges traditional and IP audio systems with unified control
• OverDrive expands accessibility with new Studio and Omni tiers
• Quorum simplifies integration of remote contributors into live productions
• Quorum One offers an all-in-one production system for modern communication environments
• Ross Platform Manager (RPM) enhances operational control with centralized logging, analytics, and remote management

For more information, visit Ross Video at 2026 NAB Show 2026 in the North Hall at booth #N2005, or online at: https://www.rossvideo.com/go/events/nab-2026/

NEW YORK and ZURICH—Chyron and sports technology provider Asport have announced that they will be demonstrating their integrated end-to-end sports video workflow at the 2026 NAB Show in Las Vegas.

Visitors to the Chyron booth will see demos showing how the combined solution enables sports organizations to streamline operations from live production to content distribution and monetization within a unified, cloud-based environment.

The joint showcase highlights how Chyron LIVE and the Asport platform work together to deliver a seamless workflow covering live production, automated content creation, multi-channel publishing, and branded OTT delivery.

This integrated approach enables sports organizations to produce and deliver more content with fewer resources, expand audience reach, and unlock greater value from every live event, the two companies said.

“Sports organizations today are expected to deliver more content across more platforms than ever before,” said Mike Truex, CEO of Chyron. “Together with Asport, we are demonstrating how cloud-based live production combined with AI-driven automation can help meet these demands efficiently without compromising on quality.”

At NAB Show 2026, Asport will also preview a major innovation: the AI-powered Asport Orchestrator, an intelligent automation layer that sits above live production and content management workflows. Working in combination with the Asport Content Hub, the system processes multiple inputs – including live video streams, match data, and contextual data sources – to automatically identify key moments, generate content, and orchestrate how and when assets are distributed before, during, and after each event.

The Asport Orchestrator enables:

• Automated creation of content across formats – including video highlights, editorial match reports, podcasts, graphics, and social media content
• Continuous content generation throughout the entire event lifecycle, from pre-game storytelling to real-time in-game updates and post-match coverage
• Intelligent prioritization, scheduling & publishing of content across OTT, website, owned social media channels, and media partner platforms
• Centralized orchestration of publishing workflows to ensure consistent branding, editorial tone, and timing across all channels
• By transforming raw live signals and data streams into structured, ready-to-publish assets, the AI-powered Asport Orchestrator enables rights holders to maintain a continuous content presence around every match, expand audience reach, and unlock greater commercial value while providing media organizations with relevant, localized content at scale.

“The Asport Orchestrator represents the next step in sports media operations – moving from automated production to fully orchestrated, AI-driven content ecosystems,” said Rainer Roesslhuber, chairman of Asport. “By combining Chyron LIVE’s industry-leading live production capabilities with our content intelligence layer, we enable both sports organizations and their media partners to scale their output and operate like modern digital media companies.”

Live demonstrations throughout the show at the Chyron booth N2441.will offer a hands-on preview of the Asport Orchestrator and the full end-to-end sports content pipeline.

Ikegami has announced a further expansion to its range of on-camera viewfinders with the launch of the new VFE-P07D, a combined monocular OLED viewfinder augmented by a tiltable 3.5inch ultra-compact monitor display.

The viewfinder will be on display at Ikegami's Central Hall booth C3819 during the 2026 NAB Show from April 19 to 22 in Las Vegas,

"The VFE-P07D attaches easily to shoulder-mounting and studio-format cameras in the UNICAM XE series," comments Teri Zastrow, director of sales and marketing at Ikegami USA. "The viewfinder incorporates a Full HD resolution OLED screen in a monoscope configuration which allows accurate camera positioning and focusing across a wide range of lighting environments, from bright outdoors to low-illumination interiors. The OLED's quick response time is particularly useful when televising fast-moving subjects such as sports. Its high contrast range is another key advantage especially when capturing content in HDR mode. Hinge-mounted above the monoscope is a 3.5-inch LCD monitor for use in applications such as content capture from off-center shooting angles and monitoring positions further from the eyepiece."

At the core of the monocular display is a 0.7-inch 16 x 9 aspect ratio OLED with a fast response time, 200 cd/meter-squared brightness and integral magnifying lens. Located just above this unit is a 3.5-inch TFT LCD monitor with 450 cd/meter-squared brightness and 170 degree horizontal/vertical viewing angles. The monitor screen can face forwards or be adjusted laterally through 180 degrees. Tilt angle is adjustable through more than 120 degrees.

A tally light is mounted on the forward-facing side of the viewfinder. On-viewfinder controls include adjustable peak level, contrast, brightness, menu parameters, marker selection, zebra pattern on/off and tally brightness. An assignable pushbutton can also be accessed quickly from the viewfinder rear.

Supplementing the UNICAM XE digital camera to viewfinder interface is a BNC input to the 3.5-inch display which allows externally sourced HD/3G-SDI signals to be monitored when working in restricted space or on location. The OLED viewfinder and LCD monitor displays both have 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution and 16.7 million color capability. Waveform, vectorscope and audio metering tools can accessed easily.

Ikegami's UNICAM XE series cameras compatible with the new viewfinder include the HDK-X500, UHK-X600, portable UHK-X700, plus the UHK-X700RF wireless camera. All incorporate 3-CMOS global-shutter imagers and fully conform to ITU-R BT.2020 standard high dynamic range.

The VFE-P07D will be demonstrated alongside Ikegami's recently announced VFE-P710AD and VFE-P711AD 7-inch OLED viewfinders plus the new Variable Neutral Density filter function for UHK-X700 and UHK-750 UNICAM XE portable and full studio cameras. Also on display will be additional cameras in the UNICAM-XE series, latest-generation compact/POV cameras, SDI and IP camera control equipment, and 9-inch to 31.1-inch broadcast picture monitors.

More information is available at https://www.ikegami.com.

It is fitting that the 2026 NAB Show takes place in a Las Vegas Convention Center that recently completed an astounding three-year, $600 million renovation. That makes it the perfect setting for a show that reflects an industry in a constant state of reinvention.

Fitting because like the LVCC, which now efficiently links all of its halls for easy access (and with a Loop transport system to boot), NAB Show will connect a projected 59,000-plus attendees to a media world in which creativity and technology ease the path toward invention and monetization for everyone from a kid with an iPhone to a major media player.

“When you look at what’s happening across the landscape of media and entertainment, everybody’s becoming a storyteller. NAB Show has all the tools you need to do that, but also the community to learn from each other how to further your craft,” said Karen Chupka, executive vice president of global connections and events at the National Association of Broadcasters.

The intersection of community and craft starts front and center for broadcasters with a reimagined TV and Radio HQ, presented by Xperi. It moves this year to a can’t-miss location on the Central Hall show floor. The change is meant to embrace broadcast’s legacy while increasing convenience and engagement, with relevant sessions set in the HQ Theater and with space to network in the inviting NAB Member Lounge.

Spotlight on Sports
In that lounge and on the floor, attendees can expect sports to hold an outsized amount of attention.

“Sports is such a growing category because it is the one thing that everybody still consumes live,” Chupka said.

That emphasis has led to the Sports Summit expanding across four days. Leaders from leagues and teams, and companies representing broadcast, streaming and technology, will cover the rapid evolution of sports media’s production, distribution, investment and policy. Topics such as media rights and revenue, athlete-driven brands, wagering and the new fan economy and international markets will be explored on the West Hall floor.

In one Main Stage highlight, Jon Miller, president of acquisitions and partnerships at NBC Sports, throws open the “NBC Sports Playbook: Rights, Partnerships and What’s Next” in a fireside talk with John Ourand from Puck’s sports-business newsletter “The Varsity.” Miller’s chat comes in the wake of the company’s blazing trifecta success in immersive storytelling and marketing with the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, the Super Bowl and NBA All-Star Weekend.

Another major show theme is artificial intelligence, which hits a new stride at the 2026 Show. AI was housed in one pavilion last year; now it expands to two in the West Hall, reflecting the technology’s growing role as a fundamental part of industry workflows and a key to content models.

“We’re seeing AI move from experimentation to real, scaled adoption across the media industry,” said Silvia Candiani, vice president of telco, media and entertainment and gaming at Microsoft. “What’s most exciting is how AI is removing friction from creative and production workflows and helping creators focus on storytelling, craft and originality, while media organizations operate with greater speed, security and confidence.”

Candiani hits the Main Stage to discuss “Powering Intelligent Media: From AI Experimentation to Real-World Impact.” Later John Footen, media solutions managing director at Deloitte Consulting, tackles practical decisions that leaders face when moving from experimentation to durable impact in “Make AI Make Sense.”

Chupka also encourages a visit to the West Hall lobby to see AI in imaginative action, beginning with the cutting-edge innovators exhibiting in the Startup Pavilion.

There’s also the latest exciting novelty from Amazon Web Services (AWS): an AI-enabled digital basketball shooting experience. Created with Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, owner of the NBA’s Toronto Raptors, it will allow attendees to take three free throws and then receive a digital player card with stats and shooting technique analysis.

Industry in Growth Mode
The convention also will be rich with content about streaming, virtualization, the cloud and the creator economy.

The NAB Show in 2026 looks to find more ways for industry players to stay relevant and competitive. To cite a few examples:

Enterprise Video Strategies, a new conference track situated in the West Hall’s new VideoNext Theater, will explore how enterprise-level organizations are using media and entertainment technologies to tell more engaging stories, and how corporations and organizations are adopting video production.

The two-day Streaming Summit, headed by Chairman Dan Rayburn, features two tracks, in which some 85 speakers will cover trends in measurement, technology challenges, consumer engagement, opportunities for monetization and delivering great user experiences at scale.

Google is building a full exhibit on the floor for the first time this year, showcasing its cloud virtualization efforts.

As part of the Cinematographer Workshop, Oscar winner Roger Deakins speaks about next-era revolutionary tools for filmmakers.

This year, all attendees are invited to experience the three-day Business of Media and Entertainment program, which brings together top industry dealmakers, executives and creatives in discussion about trends leading to the ever-reshaping business.

And the Creator Lab offers access to hands-on learning with techniques and business insights, thanks to a dedicated classroom, theater, recording space and exhibitor activations, all meant to spark collaboration and scalable content in the Creator Economy.

“We have some tools and technologies that make it easier for creators to do some of what they’re doing, and we also cover a lot of content and how businesses could scale up the art of storytelling,” Chupka said. “People can walk away saying, ‘We can try that and see how that helps us build our community.’”

Protecting the growth of the broadcast community is top-of-mind for many attendees.

That includes new innovations like the Broadcast Positioning System (BPS), a technology being developed by NAB that uses ATSC 3.0 signals as an alternative to GPS.

From regulation to innovation, the 2026 confab in Las Vegas offers attendees a four-day forecast for a business in constant growth.

“NAB Show connects broadcasters with the technologies, partnerships and insights they need to navigate a rapidly changing media environment,” NAB President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt said. “From AI tools to next-generation production and distribution technologies, the show equips broadcasters to innovate while continuing to serve their communities. This is where our industry comes together to prepare for the future.”

© 2026 NAB

Doing more with less has become a necessity. Professionals who work in cinematic storytelling and production are not immune to the challenge of maintaining high-quality standards as budgets are slashed.

The NAB Show’s CineCentral conference is the hub for all things related to cinematography and production. This year’s roster of live demonstrations by industry professionals and hands-on learning experiences was curated with a focus on creating high-impact content with tighter budgets, shorter timelines and delivery across multiple formats and platforms.

Doing more with less takes center stage in two CineCentral workshops led by independent cinematographer David J. Frederick.

They are “The Storytellers Guide to Production on a Tight Budget: Budgeting, Crewing and Schedule” and “The Storytellers Guide to Production on a Tight Budget: On-Set Hacks to Keep Production on Time and on Budget Without Compromising Creativity.”

“I grew up with a single mom who loved Super 8 filming and learned to get by spending less on everything,” Frederick said.

“Now I find it completely preferable to look for efficient and economically artistic ways to film every project. Join me as we discuss ways to put lower budget value on the screen that looks like a champagne budget.”

A special session open to all NAB Show floor pass holders on a first-come, first-seated basis is Monday’s “Team Deakins: In Discussion — A CineCentral Feature Presentation.”

A-LIST PANELISTS

Team Deakins is the creative partnership of Sir Roger Deakins, a renowned cinematographer with 16 Academy Award nominations, two Oscars and several other honors, and his creative partner James Ellis Deakins. They will share insights from their careers and discuss their latest book, “Reflections: On Cinematography.”

The credits from Roger Deakins’ long career include the two films for which he won his Oscars, “Blade Runner 2049” and “1917.” Films for which he was nominated include Denis Villene­uve’s “Prisoners” and “Sicario,” the Coen Brothers’ “Fargo,” Martin Scorsese’s “Kundun,” Sam Mendes’ “Skyfall” and Angelina Jolie’s “Unbroken.”

Floor pass holders also can take in “CineCentral Presents: The Art and Execution of a Cinematic Live Stream.”

Scheduled speakers, all from Live Cinema Services, are co-founder and CEO Aaron Latham-James, partner and Chief Growth Officer Mike Nichols and Co-Founder and President Brandt Wille. Pamela Berry, also with Live Cinema Services, will moderate.

“NAB Show has always felt like a pulse check for where the industry is heading,” Latham-James said.

“It’s a chance to reconnect with colleagues, clients and the people building the tools we rely on every day to make our large-scale cinematic productions possible. LCS sits at the intersection of cinema and broadcast, and NAB Show is where those worlds come together.”

That’s Not All

Attendees with an NAB Show pass are welcome at daily open houses. Additional fees apply for workshops.

Highlights include:

• Michael Bravin, founder of The Digital Picture Company, will moderate workshop “Vertical Production: The ABCs of Vertical Production.”
• “Adorama Presents: Interview Angles and Lighting With Julien Jarry” is led by that director and photographer.
• Independent A-camera dolly grip professional Eric Zucker will lead CineCentral workshop “Biggest Production Challenges and Gear Hacks That Get Your Shot.” 
• CineCentral concludes with workshop “Welcoming AI and New Technology—On-Set and In Production,” led by Bravin. 

CineCentral sponsors are Adorama, Blackmagic Design, Cream, Freepik, Fujifilm, International Cinematographers Guild Local 600, J.L. Fisher, Martini, PERG, Riedel, Society of Camera Operators and Zeiss.

For a full list of CineCentral sessions, visit the NAB Show website.

© 2026 NAB

Sports producers battling rising costs amid audience fragmentation have much to explore at this year’s NAB Show, where an extended four-day Sports Summit complements an unprecedented display of tech innovations aimed at building fan engagement.

Across exhibit halls and in meeting rooms and hotel suites, visitors will find an AI-driven potpourri of ever-expanding options that portend a wild ride ahead for sports producers.

“Ideas can come from anywhere,” said Mike Davies, Fox Sports executive vice president of technical and field operations. “You just need to utter an idea, and it can be turned into reality in a matter of weeks or months.”

The AI impact can be seen wherever equipment and software solutions used in live sports production are on display, including exhibits featuring:

• Next-generation cameras.
• Automated production workflows.
• Real-time data applications supporting feature personalization and insights into user behavior.
• Advances in immersive audio and video.
• Innovations in user experience like multiviewing involving sports program or play-action multiviewing.

AI Abounds

“There’s more and more AI, not just in postproduction, but using AI for camera tracking and image capture within the event,” said Duane Yoslov, senior vice president at Diversified, known for its role in designing and building experience-rich sports and other environments.

“Some of the AI camera robotic tracking technology is really impressive.” He said many shots covering competition at the Winter Olympics “have never been done before.”

Indeed, the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics offered an especially dramatic demonstration of the transformation in live sports coverage enabled by advanced production technology, in this case supplied by Comcast Technology Solutions (CTS).

From its suite at the Encore Las Vegas, the company is explaining how “Comcast Sports360 from Comcast Technology Solutions enables us to deliver the speed, quality and reliability that Olympics coverage demands, supporting seamless, multiformat delivery across a wide range of platforms,” said Darryl Jefferson, senior vice president of engineering and technology for NBC Sports and Olympics.

NBC chose Sony Electronics, exhibiting in the Central Hall at C8401, to deal with the challenges posed for capturing the action in the widely dispersed, geographically diverse regions of the Milan-Cortina games.

As described by Jefferson, the game plan leveraged “high-quality monitoring, color grading tools and highly customizable remote production workflows” with the “use of 2110 transport, teams of color experts shading Sony’s HDR cameras from a distance, enhanced PTZ robotic cameras and support for our end-to-end BT-2020 HDR Workflow through production and our facility in Stamford.”

The many approaches suppliers of cameras and related gear are taking to address these new performance demands are on display across the Central Hall.

For example, as reflected in the long-distance Winter Olympics production operations, one response to the new requirements involves support for operators’ shift to IP-based production workflows. Because it often happens incrementally, the shift requires support for seamlessly switching camera feeds between SDI output and IP transport over ST 2110 or alternatives like Network Device Interface (NDI) or Secure Reliable Transport (SRT).

“We’re seeing a shift to IP-based workflows, especially in the high-end broadcast space,” said Peyton Thomas, a product manager at Panasonic.

At booth C3509, Panasonic is displaying 4K Studio and 4K Multipurpose Cameras supporting selection of multiple transport options without the use of an external camera control unit (CCU). Live IP feeds into production workflows can include hybrid workflows anchored in Panasonic’s KAIROS IT/IP software system to enable live A/V production processing with an unrestricted number of media effects utilizing SDI baseband or IP signals formatted to ST 2110, NDI or SRT.

Live Tech Gets Versatile
As for the suppliers focused on live production workflows, multiprotocol versatility is just part of what’s in play to add efficiency, remote operational flexibility and enhanced feature output to their platforms.

There’s also a widespread focus on fostering interoperability to address producers’ objections to vendor lock-in as they move to cloud-based software solutions.

One case in point can be found in the Central Hall, where Grass Valley (C2408) is promoting the GV Media Universe as a multivendor environment in which its virtualized Agile Media Processing Platform (AMPP) operates as a single control layer, seamlessly integrating live production workflows across its own and other hardware and software solutions.

Similarly, TVU Networks, exhibiting in the West Hall (W1717), has responded to broadcasters’ migrations to cloud production by opening its MediaMesh-based remote production ecosystem to access by competitors.

An emerging force behind vendor interoperability, as well as virtualized cloud efficiency in live sports production workflows, is the Media eXchange Layer (MXL) software development kit (SDK), managed through the Linux Foundation-backed MXL Project and supported by industry organizations and vendors worldwide.

The open-source MXL SDK provides a commonly shared approach to working with packetized video, audio and data essences as individual microservices in container-virtualized datacenters.

“It is a way of breaking down the barriers, not having to encapsulate 2110 every time you want to do another bit of processing in the workflow,” said Daniel Robinson, product manager for MXL at Matrox.

Robinson says the company, exhibiting in the North Hall at N2451, is one of about six vendors “that have actually got it working in our product and have since the beginning.”

Another trend in full bloom at NAB Show involves two approaches to enabling multiviewing by sports fans, one that allows them to track multiple parallel games through a single, immersive viewing experience and the other enabling access to multiple camera feeds.

Multiviewing of one kind or another is now supported by several vendors at the show, including MediaKind (W1743), Harmonic (W2831), Techex (W2267) and Red5, which is running a live multiview display of camera feeds from the show floor at Nomad Media’s booth (W2357).

Marking another new development with much broader implications, Red5 is also one of a growing coterie of streaming platform providers, including Bitmovin (W3323), CacheFly (W3129), Cisco (W2633), Cloudflare (W2300G), Synamedia (W2851) and others, who are in the process of enabling real-time interactive streaming of sports and other live content via the emerging Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) standard known as Media Over QUIC (MOQ).

Red5 is demonstrating MOQ at the Nomad Media booth in conjunction with global CDN supplier CacheFly and in a display with Amazon Web Services (W1701), showing how a live-streamed sports production distributed in real-time over MOQ and at higher latencies over Low-Latency HLS and conventional HLS can be managed from a single browser.

© 2026 NAB

After announcing its plans last spring to move the TV and Radio HQ to the newly renovated Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, NAB Show has been busy planning a new show experience for broadcasters.

The broadcast HQ was situated in the West Hall for the last several years, but feedback from exhibitors has encouraged the move to a more centralized location.

Justine McVaney, NAB’s senior vice president of content and event production, said the move to Central Hall reflects how broadcasters want to experience NAB Show today — more integrated, more accessible and closer to the action.

“By bringing the TV and Radio HQ onto the show floor, we’re placing broadcast conversations directly alongside the technology, solutions and partners that support the industry,” McVaney said. “It creates a natural hub where broadcasters can move easily between exhibits, Main Stage moments and peer discussions without leaving the flow of the Show.”

A Connected Experience
NAB said the goal is to make the show experience feel more connected. Whether you’re attending a quick conversation in the HQ Theater, meeting with colleagues in the Member Lounge or exploring new technologies on the floor, everything is now within a few steps of each other, McVaney said.

The TV and Radio HQ will be just inside the west front of the LVCC, facing the Silver Lot, Vegas Loop station and monorail tracks.

As for how exhibitors feel about the TV and Radio HQ’s move, McVaney said the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.

“Many of them see this move as an opportunity to deepen engagement with the broadcast community,” she said.

“Having the TV and Radio HQ on the Central Hall floor naturally increases foot traffic and creates more opportunities for exhibitors to interact with broadcasters who are actively looking for ideas, solutions and partnerships.”

The move reinforces NAB Show’s role as a place where the business and technology sides of broadcasting meet, she said. “Exhibitors benefit from being closer to the conversations that matter to broadcasters right now.”

Not only will the revamped Central Hall feature updated infrastructure and more open areas designed for collaboration and engagement, organizers said, it will also come equipped with a wider range of food and beverage options across the hall — a welcome addition.

Central Hall now has a new grand lobby with a glass curtain wall and lots of natural light. A large digital screen anchors that space.

Short Takes
One of the biggest changes for the 2026 NAB Show is the introduction of shorter-form sessions in the TV and Radio HQ Theater. Organizers said these sessions are designed to be quick, engaging conversations that broadcasters can easily fit into their day while exploring the show floor.

Topics will cover many of the issues broadcasters are actively discussing right now, McVaney said, including AI-driven discovery, as well as digital revenue strategies, podcasting and streaming, cybersecurity, political advertising opportunities and emerging technologies like NextGen TV. “The goal is to create a mix of insightful and entertaining conversations that spark new ideas and encourage attendees to stay curious as they move through the show,” she said.

Together with the Premium Conference programming in North Hall and the broadcast-focused events on the Main Stage, these sessions are designed to create a more flexible and immersive experience for broadcasters attending the convention.

© 2026 NAB

ALAMEDA, Calif.—Clear-Com has announced FreeSpeak Cell, a cellular-based wireless intercom system that uses LTE and 5G infrastructure to support large-scale production communications. The system makes its debut at the 2026 NAB Show between April 18 and 22.

FreeSpeak Cell is designed to operate over public and private LTE and 5G networks, enabling full-duplex wireless intercom across wide geographic areas without relying on traditional radio frequency coordination. FreeSpeak Cell directly addresses increasing congestion in UHF, DECT and Wi-Fi bands, particularly in large venues and high-density live event environments.

Unlike traditional wireless intercom systems constrained by local spectrum and physical coverage boundaries, FreeSpeak Cell leverages cellular networks to support communications across much larger areas with fewer on‑site components.

“FreeSpeak Cell represents a shift in how productions approach wireless intercom,” said Bob Boster, president of Clear-Com. “We are applying carrier-grade cellular infrastructure to professional communications, expanding both scale and coverage.”

FreeSpeak Cell is intended for large‑scale and distributed environments where conventional wireless systems can face channel limits, coverage constraints or spectrum coordination challenges.

The system supports deployments of 100 or more beltpacks and can scale to hundreds of users depending on network configuration. Because it operates over LTE and 5G, coverage can extend beyond a single building or compound, enabling communications across large properties or distributed production areas.

More specifically, Clear-Com reported that FreeSpeak Cell supports:

• Operation over LTE and 5G networks
• CBRS private LTE (Band 48) in the United States
• Dual SIM capability, including physical SIM and eSIM
• Global radio support across 700–900 MHz and 1700–4200 MHz bands

The dual SIM design allows users to configure access to private cellular networks, public carrier networks or a combination of both, depending on operational needs.

FreeSpeak Cell complements Clear‑Com’s existing FreeSpeak wireless intercom portfolio, extending communications beyond the physical limits of traditional RF‑based systems.

While FreeSpeak II is optimized for contained venues and localized productions, FreeSpeak Cell is designed for large, distributed environments that require wide‑area coverage, high user density and seamless communication across campuses, venues or geographically dispersed production zones.

Unlike traditional DECT- or UHF-based systems that require local transceivers positioned throughout a venue, FreeSpeak Cell leverages existing cellular infrastructure. In venues with private LTE or 5G networks, the system can operate over that infrastructure. In other environments, it can utilize public carrier networks where coverage and policies permit.

This approach can reduce the amount of on-site RF infrastructure required for large-scale deployments and simplify coordination in spectrum-constrained markets.

The system is designed to support multi-channel, full-duplex voice communications alongside other workflows running on the same network, including data applications and video transport, subject to network configuration and bandwidth availability.

By relying on cellular infrastructure rather than venue‑specific RF transceivers, FreeSpeak Cell can significantly reduce the amount of temporary equipment, cabling and frequency coordination typically required for large productions. This model allows teams to deploy communications more quickly, scale systems more easily, and adapt to changing production layouts without reconfiguring RF infrastructure.

Currently, FreeSpeak Cell works with the Eclipse HX digital matrix platform. Integration with Arcadia Central Station is expected a few months after initial release and support for Gen-IC , Clear-Com’s cloud-based intercom platform, is planned for later this year.

FreeSpeak Cell will begin shipping in spring 2026 in the United States. Additional regulatory certifications for other regions are expected throughout the year.

Clear-Com will be showing the system during the 2026 NAB Show at Booth C5807.

LAS VEGAS—Advanced HDR by Technicolor has announced that it will be highlighting new high dynamic range (HDR) formats and production models as well as new NextGen TV boxes during the 2026 NAB Show between April 18 and 22.

While HDR continues to gain traction with consumers, Advanced HDR by Technicolor’s team believes that many of today’s “premium” video experiences still fail to produce a demonstrably visible or differentiated experience. That’s because, they say, the industry reliance on static look up tables (LUTs) and redundant standard dynamic range (SDR)and HDR pipelines is flattening image quality while introducing operational costs and complexity.

At NAB this year, the Advanced HDR by Technicolor team will showcase an evolution away from these constraints, presenting dynamic HDR workflows and single-stream delivery methodologies that are designed to preserve creative intent, and ensure the seamless transition from SDR and HDR while reducing infrastructure costs across broadcast and streaming operations.

“Production teams selecting the predictable and safe path of legacy SDR workflows and static LUTs HDR are limiting the viewing experience of consumers while undermining the business case for this technology. If HDR is to be considered a premium feature then it must be delivered as the ‘hero’ format rather than the compromise,” said Rick Dumont, head of business development for Advanced HDR by Technicolor.

Deployment of Advanced HDR by Technicolor is also expanding across NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0) and into HDR streaming operations, the company noted. Implementations with partners such as Hisense combine Advanced HDR by Technicolor with NextGen TV capabilities to enhance the viewing experience of live sports. The solution is also supported by core video workflow providers across the ecosystem including Mainconcept, Cobalt, Ateme and Amagi.

During the show demonstrations will focus on a few key developments in how HDR is produced and distributed:

• Dynamic HDR conversion solution that replaces static LUTs processing while optimizing content frame by frame and maintaining contrast, brightness and color depth across varying types of content.
• Single-stream delivery of HDR and SDR which eliminates the need for parallel workflows and enables one signal to serve legacy SDR and HDR-enabled devices.
• HDR delivery within SDR bandwidth constraints using existing 8-bit AVC workflows, removing the requirements for 10-bit HEVC implementations.
• Content provided at UHD/HDR-like quality at less than 25% of the bandwidth usually associated with such formats.
• This approach challenges workflows that have prioritized SDR compatibility over HDR performance.

As broadcasters and streaming service providers compete in an increasingly saturated market, the inconsistent implementation of HDR has weakened the technology’s ability to capture consumer attention, lessening its impact as a driver of subscriptions or advertising dollars.

At the same time, the production teams that choose to maintain separate SDR and HDR workflows introduce added costs to production, storage and distribution. Those parallel workflows are going to be more difficult to sustain as content libraries continue to grow and live production demands become more complex.

By comparison, a single-stream approach reduces the requirements on infrastructure and bandwidth while simplifying operations. There is no longer a need for manual color adjustments and grading decisions which can deteriorate performance across devices, Advanced HDR by Technicolor argues.

Advanced HDR by Technicolor experts will be on hand during the show at Advanced HDR by Technicolor Meeting Room (Invitation Only) located at C3062MR in Central Hall and the ATSC booth located at C1655 in Central Hall

More information is available at https://advancedhdrbytechnicolor.com.

LAS VEGAS—The 2026 NAB Show officially kicks off Saturday, April 18, with the show floor and exhibits opening on April 19. For this year's event, the organizers reported that they are expecting 1,100 plus exhibitors and attendees from over 18,000 companies, a significant rise from 2025, when executives from 12,000 companies trekked to Las Vegas for the Show.

“NAB Show is where the global media ecosystem comes together not just to explore what’s next—but to build it,” said Karen Chupka, executive vice president, National Association of Broadcasters. “This year’s Show reflects the accelerating pace of innovation and the expanding universe of storytellers shaping the industry.”

Recently added to the lineup of speakers is Jonathan Liu, CEO of Zhong, a YouTuber with 95 million subscribers across all platforms who creates scripted, fast-paced entertainment for a young, global audience. His session, “Building Creator Empires,” will be a conversation about how creators scale, diversify and operate like modern media companies.

The organizers reported that it will provide unparalleled access to the technologies, insights and connections fueling content creation and distribution across every platform:

• 1,100+ exhibitors, showcasing the latest innovations from industry leaders, including Sony, Canon, Ross Video, Blackmagic Design, Adobe, Google Cloud, AT&T and AWS.
• About 550 sessions spanning creators, enterprise teams, broadcasters and film/TV professionals.
• More 630 speakers across 11 stages, covering Sports, Streaming, AI, Creator Economy, Corporate Enterprise, Media and Entertainment, TV, Radio and Startups.
• Expanded Creator Lab, offering hands-on learning, AI-focused programming and business strategy insights.
• Attendees from 18,000+ companies, a significant increase from 12,000 in 2025, with 44% attending NAB Show for the first time.
• 23% international participation, underscoring the Show’s global reach.
• New dedicated networking environments — including the NAB Member Lounge, Networking Lounge and Executive Lounge — designed to facilitate high-value meetings and deal-making.

New developments for the 2026 NAB Show include:

• Four-day Sports Summit, open for an extra day for all attendees, bringing together leagues, teams, broadcasters, streamers and technology providers.
• New enterprise-focused track at the all-new VideoNext Theater, for Fortune 1000 companies building in-house studios and leveraging video for communications and engagement.
• Business of Media and Entertainment, produced with The Ankler, moves to the show floor for broader access to executive-level strategy discussions.
• Significantly expanded Creator Lab programming — in Central Hall with larger theaters, classrooms, creator studios and a dedicated networking lounge — reflecting the rise of creators as full-scale media businesses.
• Emphasis on AI, cloud workflows and media asset protection, with deeper integration across sessions and exhibits.
• An Elevated Show Floor Experience with a reimagined TV & Radio HQ that provides enhanced visibility and integrated programming.
• Two AI Pavilions and almost doubling the number of AI exhibitors across the show floor from 2025, while more than doubling the number of creator, influencer and podcast attendees.
• New and enhanced networking environments, including curated meetups, happy hours and an invite-only Executive Lounge.
• Completion of Las Vegas Convention Center renovations, delivering a more modern, connected and intuitive campus.
• Additional highlights this year include CineCentral in Central Hall, offering hands-on workshops, and the AWS Cloud Court Challenge in the West Hall Lobby, where attendees can experience AI-powered coaching in real time.
• The new NAB Show mobile app enhances the attendee experience with: personalized recommendations based on interests; simplified campus navigation; ability to favorite exhibitors and sessions; secure QR-based contact exchange; one-to-one attendee messaging for meaningful connections.

Over 630 industry leaders will speak across 11 stages, featuring trailblazers who are capitalizing on new ways audiences consume content, with notable speakers including:

• Nate Bargatze — Television Host and Comedian, Nateland
• Kevin Coggins — Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Communications and Navigation — NASA
• Mark Fischbach aka Markiplier — YouTuber and Filmmaker
• Marcus Jones — All-Pro Cornerback — New England Patriots
• Erin McFarlane — Head of Vertical Content — Dhar Mann Studios
• Jon Miller — President, Acquisitions & Partnerships — NBC Sports
• John Ourand — Sports Correspondent — Puck Media
• Jeff Probst — Host and Executive Producer — SURVIVOR
• Pojo Riegert — Creative Director — Mark Rober, CrunchLabs
• Mo Rocca — Correspondent — CBS Sunday Morning
• Oscar Sanchez — Head of Host Broadcast Production — FIFA
• JB Smoove — Actor, Comedian

The 2026 NAB Show takes place April 18–22 in Las Vegas, with exhibits open April 19–22. Register at NABShow.com.

Attendees using registration code EM153 can get a free Show Floor Pass and 10% off Premium Conference or All Access Passes.

AEQ has announced it will be showcasing its latest technologies for professional audio production and broadcasting, including Forum IP Plus, its new AoIP digital console for radio and television, and Systel Max, an advanced call management and multiconferencing system for broadcast and corporate environments, at the 2026 NAB Show, April 18-22 at its booth C3106

The company said that the Forum IP Plus and Systel Max both illustrate the company’s focus on flexible, scalable solutions designed for today’s workflows, where IP connectivity, system integration, and operational efficiency are key.

Forum IP Plus is AEQ’s new AoIP digital console, designed for radio and broadcast production environments that require maximum flexibility and seamless integration into modern IP infrastructures.

As part of the company’s Forum series, it combines ease of use with extensive configuration capabilities that are capable of adapting to all types of scenarios, from compact studios to complex installations.

It features 32 mix and processing buses and 10 N-1 buses, along with multichannel connectivity via AoIP or MADI. Optional features include telephone hybrids, a virtual control surface, and a touchscreen for control and monitoring. Its modular 3RU FR_CORE engine allows configuration of up to 24 motorized faders in groups of four and management of up to 180 channels.

In addition, AEQ will present Systel Max, its next-generation call-in and multiconferencing system, developed for radio, television, and professional environments that require efficient, high-quality communications.

Based on VoIP technology and the SIP protocol, Systel Max enables the integration of broadcast communications with existing IP PBXs, corporate telephony systems, and IP service providers.

This helps reduce operating costs and eliminate the need for traditional dedicated lines, AEQ said. The system is highly scalable, with the capacity to manage up to 128 lines distributed across multiple studios.

Its architecture, which is based on a non-blocking digital matrix and Dante / AES67 connectivity, means Systel Max ensures that multiple calls can be on air simultaneously without compromising audio quality, AEQ said.

It also offers various control options through software applications and touchscreen terminals, adapting to the workflows of producers, engineers, and presenters in both radio and television.

2026 NAB Show attendees will be able to see demos of Forum IP Plus and Systel Max firsthand, along with other AEQ solutions, at stand C3106.

Skyview Networks has launched Cirocast, a cloud-native, broadcast-grade audio distribution platform that the company says is designed to provide broadcasters with greater versatility, control and new revenue opportunities.

The launch comes at a time when upcoming FCC C-band auctions are pushing broadcasters to find alternatives to their traditional satellite distributions and adopt new IP solutions.

Skyview said that the new Cirocast cloud-based system is designed to help with that transition and in the process move from capital-intensive platforms to a scalable cloud platform that offers broadcasters the reliability they expect from mission-critical delivery systems.

“We built Cirocast because the economics of broadcast distribution are shifting and networks deserve a platform that takes advantage of this transition,” said Aaron Mellis, senior vice president, technology of Skyview Networks. “For years, broadcasters have been asked to accept tradeoffs between reliability, flexibility and revenue. Cirocast challenges that thinking by delivering the operational confidence broadcasters expect while unlocking the flexibility and monetization opportunities of cloud-based workflows. With built-in ad insertion and copy split capabilities, distribution becomes a strategic revenue platform rather than a fixed cost.”

Unlike IP audio platforms focusing solely on point-to-point transport, Skyview reported that Cirocast offers a different approach to how broadcast feeds are built.

The platform delivers broadcast-quality audio over IP with the low-latency performance required for live and linear programming. Fully mixed, market-specific audio feeds are assembled in the cloud before delivery, moving ad targeting, copy splits and content personalization upstream.

This approach, Skyview said, allows broadcasters to unlock new revenue from programming that connects directly to virtualized environments, cloud-based automation systems or on-premises infrastructure.

Skyview Networks will demonstrate Cirocast live at the 2026 NAB Show in Las Vegas, April 18–22.

For more information or to schedule a demonstration, visit cirocast.com.

CLEVELAND—Broadcast audio supplier Telos Alliance will be showcasing four new products as well as upgrades to existing solutions at the 2026 NAB Show from April 18 - 22 in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, Booth #C1819.

During the show, the company will feature its portfolio of traditional hardware products alongside virtualized and software solutions.

Several brand-new products will be introduced for the very first time at this year’s show, including:

• Omnia® XII, the brand-new flagship FM/HD/DAB audio processor from Frank Foti and the Omnia team that combines all-new algorithms and Frank’s effortlessly loud and clean “Clemenza” clipper with forward-thinking I/O and features users require to support today’s workflows (https://omniaxii.com)
• Axia Pulsar, a compact new AoIP console surface with 8 motorized faders - expandable to 16 - a touchscreen monitor section, and the same top-tier audio performance as the company’s larger Quasar XR and SR consoles (https://telosalliance.com/pulsar)
• Telos Infinity IP Intercom MK2 Master, Expansion, and Desktop panels, featuring 16 bigger, brighter, easier-to-read TFT button displays (https://telosalliance.com/infinity)
• Telos Infinity VIP SE, the latest member of the growing StudioEssentials family of compact hardware products, which merges the flexibility of Infinity VIP software with the convenience of easy-to-deploy compact hardware (https://telosalliance.com/VIP)

Improvements to several of the company’s existing offerings will also be demonstrated. The Jünger Audio flexAI platform features the Jünger Audio Intelligent Assistant (JAIC) to aid in managing complex multichannel mixes in real time, and the flexAI platform is now fully deployable in the cloud (https://telosalliance.com/flexAI)

Meanwhile, the Minntonka Audio AudioTools Server automated file-based processing platform addresses one of the top issues faced by television viewers: Dialogue intelligibility. ATS can analyze audio content and, if necessary, make corrections to ensure viewers no longer struggle to hear and understand dialogue within the overall mix (https://telosalliance.com/ATS)

Partner ip-studio will showcase its STUDIO ZERO ecosystem in the Telos Alliance booth, a fully-realized, 100% virtual cloud-hosted solution first introduced at the 2023 NAB Show. STUDIO ZERO merges a suite of Telos Alliance products with ip-studio’s advanced automation and workflow management software, making practical, reliable cloud-based studios a reality (https://ip-studio.com).

More information is available at https://www.telosalliance.com/.

LAS VEGAS—The growing international reach of ATSC 3.0, the next-generation broadcast technology developed by members of ATSC, The Broadcast Standards Association, will be on full display during the upcoming 2026 NAB Show.

“Beyond better, free over-the-air television, ATSC 3.0 can deliver an expansive array of new services and opportunities for broadcasters – from precise Broadcast Positioning System services to datacasting services for new enterprise customers and highly-targeted and informative emergency messages for TV audiences,” said Madeleine Noland, ATSC’s president. “We’re very encouraged by the strong interest from a variety of countries and broadcasters worldwide, and by the potential of ATSC 3.0 as a leading communications system capable of reaching millions of people and devices at once,”

ATSC 3.0 will be the subject of some 30 informational sessions and panels during the NAB Show, including a series of sessions offered in the ATSC booth (LVCC Central Hall 1655) that begins on Sunday. Speakers from Sinclair, Pearl TV, Magid, EdgeBeam Wireless, HCL Tech, Ryarc, USSI, Google, Apple, Grab TV, and Monsen Engineering will be on stage in the ATSC booth for Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. A detailed schedule and comprehensive listing of ATSC 3.0 exhibitors is available on ATSC’s “Guide to ATSC 3.0 at the Show,” which is made possible by Rohde & Schwarz.

Nearly 40 ATSC members are exhibiting at the 2026 NAB Show, including a dozen companies and organizations showing technology and services inside the ATSC booth. Live ATSC 3.0 signals from Las Vegas broadcasters will be brought into the booth by antenna reception expert Televes.

Key ATSC exhibits in booth 1655 in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center include:

• AT&T Business demonstrating enhanced connectivity and engagement with ATSC 3.0, enabling instant and reliable communications at venues and in high-traffic environments.
• HCLTech enabling broadcasters to streamline ATSC 1.0 and ATSC 3.0 operations with a cloud-ready model and unified control plane centralizing monitoring and workflows.
• Pearl TV showcasing low-cost NEXTGEN TV converter prototypes developed with industry partners and announcing the program’s specifications, requirements, and consumer benefits; A3SA introducing new receivers for consumers and broadcasters that are verified to seamlessly work with A3SA content protection, including offerings from MyVelo, Zapperbox, and Airwavz; and Run3TV highlighting the interactive application platform built natively for ATSC 3.0, now deployed by key broadcasters.
• Sinclair showing ATSC 3.0 content delivered simultaneously across TV, tablet, and mobile devices, all with the same high-quality pictures and sound.

Key ATSC exhibits in booth 1655 in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center include:

• Advanced HDR by Technicolor demonstrating how it enables the Standard Dynamic Range to High Dynamic Range transition in ATSC 3.0 and streaming by live dynamic conversion and a single stream SDR/HDR format.
• DTVKit showcasing its standards‑based, royalty‑free ATSC 3.0 solution integrated on an Android White Label Reference Set‑Top Box, developed in partnership with leading set-top manufacturer EKT.
• EdgeBeam Wireless leveraging ATSC 3.0 as a last-mile, one-to-many data distribution network—delivering enterprise data capacity efficiently and cost-effectively.
• Mirakulo featuring AstroTV NEXT, an all-in-one platform for live TV, OTT, hybrid interactivity, metrics and dynamic ad insertion. Built for ATSC 3.0 & Brazilian DTV+.
• Silicondust showing how to bring ATSC 1.0 channels to ATSC 3.0 BEST (Broadcast Enabled Streaming Channels) with Silicondust AVSend, the turnkey no-upfront-cost solution.
• Tolka featuring ATSC 3.0 mobile devices, conditional access, affordable receivers, network tuners, and solutions for datacasting and original equipment manufacturers.
• Triveni Digital showing its complete delivery platform for ATSC 3.0 and TV 3.0, including broadcast chain, stream analysis and monitoring, broadcast chain orchestration, redundancy, and translator solutions.
• VBox Communications highlighting expertise in digital TV, delivering live broadcast services (DVB-T/T2, DVB-C, DVB-S2, ISDB-T, ATSC 1.0 / 3.0) to IP streams with years of product development and manufacturing experience.

The free ATSC 3.0 Guide to the 2026 NAB Show is available here.

LAS VEGAS—Complaints from viewers unable to access free over-the-air ATSC 3.0 broadcast signals are giving the standard (aka “NextGen TV”) a black eye in the view of many consumers and the ATSC is using the NAB Show to address those concerns.

As broadcasters gather in Las Vegas for the 2026 NAB Show, April 19-22, the Security Authority (A3SA), member of the broadcast standards group reiterated the importance of securing ATSC 3.0 over-the-air broadcasts and said that the “vast majority” of the 40 or so NextGen TV sets available on the market are fully capable of accessing decrypted broadcast content.

The announcement comes after the Pearl TV consortium announced the launch of a campaign to develop new low-cost $60 or under NextGen TV devices in an effort to kickstart the transition from ATSC 1.0 to 3.0.

In addition to prototype boxes from DTH, Skyworth, and Zinwell, the A3SA will showcase new and existing upgrade receivers from Airwavz, MyVelo TV, and Zapperbox, to demonstrate secure and reliable delivery of ATSC 3.0 broadcast content while delivering new recording and in-home distribution options for consumers and broadcasters. Attendees can check them out at the ATSC Booth in the Central Hall (C1655)

A3SA Managing Director Joe St. Jean explained the importance of securing 3.0 broadcast signals in an age of ever more sophisticated piracy technologies that have long been a mainstay of streaming companies.

“Free, over-the-air television remains one of the most important and accessible platforms for delivering news, sports, and entertainment to American households,” he said. “Content security is a key enabler of that future, giving content owners the confidence to continue making high-value programming available on broadcast TV. We know that content piracy is a real threat and imposes multi-billion dollar revenue losses on the sports industry, particularly.

“It’s a fact that premium sports and live programming increasingly require content protection as a condition of distribution platforms and that broadcasters are competing directly with streaming platforms that have long used content protection,” St. Jean added. “ Without protection, high-value programming will migrate to subscription-based platforms. And content protection helps preserve free over-the-air television as a competitive platform for premium content.

“We’re also pleased to note that A3SA recently commissioned a focused review, conducted by a certified public accounting firm, of A3SA-enabled televisions in the market today. We confirmed that nearly 40 NextGen TV models from Hisense, Panasonic, Samsung, Sony, and TCL, comprising the vast majority of the 18.5 millions A3SA-enabled televisions sold, are fully capable of decrypting protected content, with or without an Internet connection, ensuring that consumers can reliably access the full benefits of next-generation broadcast services.”

New Receiver Innovations on Display:

• Airwavz.tv will showcase the TvXplorer Suite with decryption capabilities for A3SA-protected content. A broadcaster professional analysis tool, the TvXplorer suite’s support for A3SA’s technology protects premium content while enabling seamless delivery to authorized users. TvXplorer delivers trusted protection at scale with enterprise-level security and authentication, ensuring content stays protected from source to screen.
  
• MyVelo TV, a next-generation broadcast-first platform provider, introduces the MyVelo TV Premiere, designed to seamlessly unify free NextGen TV, streaming apps, and premium picture performance into a single experience. Built for how people actually watch TV, MyVelo TV supports all major HDR formats, including Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HLG, and Advanced HDR by Technicolor.
  
• The ZapperBox Whole-Home Gateway is available in quad-tuner, dual-tuner, single-tuner, and mini configurations to extend ATSC 3.0 signals throughout the home. Zapperbox will show a new hardware model—the first NextGen TV quad-tuner whole home gateway with Zapper Mini receivers for secondary rooms. ZapperBox will also showcase a new software release with Advanced HDR by Technicolor for dual-tuner and quad-tuner receivers.

LONDON—Vizrt will showcase its newly launched AI Keyer, which expands the possibilities and accessibility of virtual and extended reality (XR) scenarios, during the 2026 NAB Show, April 18-22, at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The Vizrt AI Keyer enables background switching and augmented reality (AR) graphics insertion in every space, whether indoors or outdoors. The secure, proprietary solution is trained extensively on real-world footage across environments and lighting conditions to recognize human shapes as foregrounds and to separate backgrounds seamlessly so talent can move around while being locked into the virtual scene.

“Creating XR environments typically demands large infrastructure investments and requires specialized skills for daily operations. The Vizrt AI Keyer removes all these constraints so high-quality virtual scenes and AR graphics become a reality for live productions of every size,” said Edouard Griveaud, Senior Product Manager at Vizrt.

The Vizrt AI Keyer brings AR into any environment, whether it’s inserting remote speakers into a global town hall environment, switching the visual location of a presenter in a news segment or creating a completely virtual ad wall behind a player in a post-match interview.

Without needing green screens, complex lighting setups and time-consuming chromakeying, production teams can find new ways of engaging audiences and maximizing sponsorship value from anywhere.

“AI is transforming the world, and the creative industries are no exception. At Vizrt, we have been on this journey for years, embedding intelligence into our solutions, empowering storytellers, and delivering real, measurable impact for our customers,” said Rohit Nagarajan, CEO of Vizrt. “That is not a vision for tomorrow. That is happening today. The Vizrt AI Keyer is the latest proof point of our relentless commitment to innovation. Putting breakthrough technology in the hands of every creative, at every level, everywhere in the world.”

See Vizrt at 2026 NAB Show booth N2161.

More information is available on the company’s website.

LOS ANGELES—Apex-RF will showcase its newly launched RAINIER next-generation wireless live camera transmission system designed for the evolving demands of broadcast, live production and studio environments during the 2026 NAB Show, April 18-22, at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

RAINIER delivers ultra-low latency (<50ms) 4K HDR video using a fully IP-based architecture, enabling seamless integration into modern broadcast workflows. With support for Wi-Fi 7 transmission across 5–7.3 GHz frequencies and a mesh antenna network, the system ensures reliable, high-performance connectivity in even the most challenging production environments.

“At Apex-RF, we set out to redefine what wireless camera systems can do,” said Apex-RF chief technology officer Sean Munaco. “RAINIER combines video, control, intercom and IP infrastructure into one unified solution, giving broadcast production teams unprecedented flexibility and performance.”

Key features include:

• 4K 12G SDR/HDR 10-bit 4:2:2 video quality.
• Ultra-low delay of less than 50 milliseconds.
• HEVC encoding with selectable bitrates up to 60 Mbps.
• Wi-Fi 7 RF transmission with 16 channels.
• Full duplex IP camera control for Sony, Grass Valley, Ikegami and Panasonic.
• Native intercom integration with RTS, Clear-Com and Riedel systems.
• Dante IP intercom support.
• SMPTE ST 2110 output with NMOS control.
• Mesh antenna architecture for scalable multi-receiver setups.

Designed as a complete ecosystem rather than a standalone transmitter, RAINIER integrates camera control, tally, intercom and data into a single platform. The system is well-suited to live sports, concerts, film and television production and remote broadcast workflows.

RAINIER is available now.

See Apex-RF at 2026 NAB Show booth C5613.

More information is available on the company’s website.

Microsoft is no longer content being the silent backbone of the media industry. Heading into the 2026 NAB Show, April 19-22 in Las Vegas, the tech giant is pivoting from 'enterprise provider' to more of a software-defined broadcasting leader, powered by Agentic AI and high-profile sports partnerships.

In a recent Q&A with TV Tech, Simon Crownshaw, Worldwide Media and Entertainment Director at Microsoft, discussed the company’s plans for the NAB Show and how he thinks the company’s role in M&E is evolving.

Crownshaw admits that although Microsoft has been a household name for decades, the company wants to do a better job telling its story.

“Microsoft has been a bigger part of the media and entertainment industry—and sports, for quite some time,” he said. “I think we may not be the most vocal about how we engage and where our customers spend time with us, but obviously, we're one of the largest enterprise platforms in the world, and a lot of media companies over the past five years are really looking to extend how they think through that enterprise platform.”

The Increasing Value of Partnerships
Crownshaw says the value of Microsoft’s impact comes through its partnerships with some of the more “pure-play” media tech companies.

“We partner a lot with the likes of Avid and Adobe and we have other extended partnerships with Evertz as well and we’ve partnered with Vizrt and Ross Video, where we spend a lot of the time helping customers think through their production workflows,” Crownshaw said. “And I would argue that, as we've become more and more known for AI and everything else we're doing in that realm, we've now started to figure out ‘how do we bring the kind of core elements of our platform closer to media?’ But also with the expectation that our customers—who either have a traditional linear broadcasting feed or a stream platform—want to leverage more of their linear platform, more of their broadcasting platform, to do more with their enterprise components.”

Microsoft also has a large role in sports broadcasting as well, Crownshaw said.

“We have some pretty amazing sports partnerships; we do a lot of things with the NBA, NFL, the Premier League in the UK, everything from thinking through broadcast production workflows with partners like MediaKind for example,” he said. “And thinking about how we transform processes for SRT feeds using AI optimization of workflows and network components, and infrastructure to deal with issues of disaster recovery, and making sure that we can optimize for personalization at every level.”

Being that live sports is among the most valued franchises in media and entertainment, security is paramount. Although Microsoft retired its Azure Media Services in 2024, moving towards a partner-ecosystem model rather than a first-party service, Crownshaw stressed that its platform continues to emphasize the critical role Azure continues to play throughout its M&E offerings.

“With Azure Front Door, we have PlayReady from a DRM perspective, so for anything running on Windows it’s obviously using PlayReady from a DRM,” he said. “We spend a lot of time with customers, thinking through how they can use that security foundation and obviously, we're streaming platforms with a lot of leakage, whether that be through IPTV or others and working through that in a more rigorous way with new partners—that's the focus of our work with the NBA going on right now. And we're also working through the very first direct-to-consumer experience for the Premier League in Singapore with Premier League Plus.”

A Holistic View
For broadcasters who want to bridge the gap between traditional media and online streaming and social media, Crownshaw says Microsoft has the capability to help its customers view their media ecosystem holistically.

“Traditional broadcasters, especially the ones that we work with, have struggled to figure out how to modernize their technology stack,” he said. “They realize the platform proliferation, the fact that speed of service is really critical—especially if you're trying to compete with TikTok, for example—we spent some time with local broadcasters trying to figure out how we can do multiplatform publishing at the speed and size that like a Tiktok would do.”

“On our end, I think it's realizing that there is a place for everybody and those systems have to modernize,” he added. “There's security around data, there's security around content. There's also speed and agility around the systems that need to update and to be modernized to some degree. We do a lot of analysis on the content that comes in, figure out the metadata that could be deployed, make sure people can search for a faster client, and automate some of those processes. We also work with partners to figure out how to build new architectures.”

NAB Show Buzz
Crownshaw discussed what he thinks will be among the most important conversations will be around artificial intelligence at the NAB Show, including the use of agentic AI in the media production chain via its Copilot AI.

“We're leveraging Copilot to replace some of the automation that goes in or replacing some of the workflows that exist,” he said. “We may use Copilot Studio to build custom copies, where we can use agentic or agent-to-agent type workflows. We can basically start to replace commodity hardware or other processes with Copilot.”

Crownshaw used newsrooms as an example of how Copilot can enhance operations and workflows, highlighting the use of Copilot Studio to build "agent-to-agent" workflows that can replace commodity hardware. In a newsroom setting, this means a producer can task an AI agent to validate archives or run origination tasks automatically, significantly cutting down on manual search time, he added.

Microsoft’s message at the 2026 NAB Show will focus on the company’s role throughout the media chain, from origination to distribution, as well as its role in software-defined production, Crownshaw said.

“Microsoft plays a pretty critical role between what we do from a hyper-converged infrastructure perspective, and enabling the connective tissue between the intelligence of all of the different layers that exist within media—from everything coming directly off the camera, all the way to the the ingestion process, through to the production and through the distribution component,” he said. “I would argue that if you look at the things that we enable across our platform, we play a pretty important role. I cannot overstate the importance of the software-defined broadcasting process that I think we are at the forefront of.”

Microsoft will be in Booth W1731 in the West Hall of the LVCC.

GLENDALE, Calif.—The 2026 NAB Show 2026 marks the return of Bittree as a standalone exhibitor following several years of co-exhibiting with distributors, though the industry’s leading patching supplier has not slowed down its pace of innovation.

Bittree’s full return to the NAB Show exhibit floor (C6985) highlights how the benefits of legacy patching technologies still apply for modern network infrastructure in broadcast, pro audio and AV, and government systems, with an emphasis on the company’s latest patchbays and enclosures for IP and hybrid facilities.

Established in 1978, Bittree continues to carry forward the vision of founder Glenn Garrard, who remains CEO as the company approaches its 50th year in business. Garrard recognized the need in 1978 to supply professional studios with pre-wired and chassis-based patching systems while in engineering roles for Motown, Merv Griffin Studios, and other legendary media and entertainment brands. His early innovations addressed the specific challenges of configuring, managing and modifying cables and connections, while helping engineers identify weakness in signal quality.

“These challenges still exist today, and the proven reliability of patchbays, panels and patching accessories remains the most valuable and effective approach to solving them,” said Garrard. “In many cases, the challenges have been multiplied as our customers navigate an evolving tapestry of cables and connections for moving video, audio and data through the infrastructure.”

Visitors to Bittree’s booth in the renovated Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center will find a host of video, audio and patching solutions for IP and baseband transport layers. Those include:

• Flush-mount, high-density, modular keystone patchbays for IP and data-centric workflows feeding ST 2110, AES67 and other modern networks. The series supports fiber, copper and mixed configurations, with connectivity options for ST, LC and SC fiber, RJ45 CAT6 and CAT6A punchdown, or feed-through, shielded or unshielded adapters.
• Bittree’s Patch32A, the world’s first Dante audio patchbay, streamlines the integration of analog audio and Dante network patching while providing professional, transparent A/D>D/A cross-conversions. This patchbay streamlines the integration of analog and digital network audio patching and establishes a foundation for interconnectivity across central equipment rooms, production studios, IT closets and more.
• Proven high-performance, wide-bandwidth 12G+ BNC Patch Panels for HD, 4K and 8K Applications, supporting data rates up to 48Gb/s and offer 75-ohm impedance with low return loss. Available in 1x16, 1x24, 1x32, 2x16 and 2x24 jack configurations to support a variety of densities and connectivity scenarios in SDI baseband and hybrid environments.

Other Bittree innovations on display include the DSFB124NL-ST fiber-optic patch panel enclosure for IT convergence. The feed-through, slide-out enclosure solution is built with connection to a core network switch and/or routing systems in mind, and ideal for managing interconnections and cross-connections inside data centers, TV and radio facilities, and live event venues.

“This is the first Bittree solution that includes steel gliding rails for easier access to connections,” said Garrard. “It is a true server-to-machine solution to interconnect backbone cabling to active equipment, or cross-connect to a main or horizontal distribution system. It is also a highly modular platform with removable inserts that favors modification and expansion in networked IT environments over expensive replacement.”

LAS VEGAS—swXtch.io has announced a new brand, swXtch.ai, and the swXtch AI Router, a platform that brings AI into live media production through a simple chat-driven interface.

The AI Router acts as a virtual broadcast engineer by translating operator intent into fully deployed, production-ready AI pipelines without requiring AI or networking expertise. The platform integrates with Microsoft Fabric and NVIDIA AI infrastructure to connect enterprise data and real-time AI inference directly into live workflows.

"With the AI Router, we remove the hardest parts of deploying AI in live production," said Brent Yates, CEO of swXtch.io. "Operators can describe what they need, and the platform teaches, guides, and builds the solution. The AI router leverages models from any provider, with enterprise data connected through integration with Microsoft Fabric."

In launching the new brand and production, the company noted that the gap between AI experimentation and production deployment remains the central challenge for media organizations and that the AI Router is designed to solve that challenge.

Using a natural language prompt, operators can route live audio and video from on-premises or cloud environments into AI models from any provider and deliver processed outputs globally in the formats their workflows require.

At the center of the platform is an AI Marketplace. The marketplace is a curated catalog of video and audio inference models across providers, with off-the-shelf integrations ready to plug into live workflows. Operators can test multiple models within the same pipeline, compare performance in real time, and optimize for accuracy, latency, or cost without reconfiguring infrastructure.

The platform integrates with NVIDIA NIM microservices for real-time AI model access and NVIDIA Holoscan for Media to bridge on-premises environments with cloud-based AI pipelines.

Through integration with Microsoft Fabric and Microsoft 365 Copilot, the AI Router incorporates enterprise data, like Microsoft Teams communications, email, and operational context directly into live workflows. This enables context-aware pipelines that combine live media with business intelligence for real-time decision-making.

"Live media moves fast, and AI has to keep up," said Simon Crownshaw, CTO & worldwide strategy director, media and entertainment at Microsoft. "swXtch.io is putting the power of Microsoft Fabric directly into the broadcast workflow so media teams can act on data and AI in the moment, not after the fact.”

swXtch.ai will demonstrate the AI Router at NAB Show 2026 within the Microsoft booth (West Hall, Booth W1731) and in private meetings.

The Advanced Television Broadcasting Alliance has announced a series of sessions, including one with FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, that will take place during LPTV Day at the 2026 NAB Show on Monday April 20.

“LPTV Day at NAB is less than a week away — and this year, we're not just talking about the future of broadcasting, we're talking about the business of it,” said Lee Miller, executive director of ATBA in a statement. “The Business of LPTV Broadcasting" is this year's theme, and every session, every speaker, and every conversation on April 20 is built around one question: How do you make money as an LPTV broadcaster in 2026 and beyond? We've put together a day that brings real answers from real operators, technology providers, and direct engagement with FCC leadership on the issues that matter most to your bottom line.”

Registration is required and available here.

The full agenda and details about the sessions are available here.

LAS VEGAS—PSSI Global Services, a provider of live event transmission solutions, has acquired Beagle Networks, a developer of mission-critical IT infrastructure and onsite technical support for media and enterprise customers. Financial terms were not disclosed.

For more than a decade, Beagle has helped develop bespoke, robust IT and networking solutions for some of the largest live broadcasts in North America, including the World Series and the Super Bowl. Beagle has built its reputation on designing secure, resilient networks with both onsite and remote support, along with immediate, 24/7 responsiveness to its customers, PSSI said.

Ryan Werber, Founder and President of Beagle Networks, will continue to lead the team of network engineers and field technicians.

“We could not be more excited about PSSI’s investment in our company,” said Werber. “We’ve been working alongside PSSI for years on TV compounds, and their reputation in the industry is second to none. Combining PSSI’s transmission engineering and project management expertise with Beagle’s IT and network capabilities creates an impressive solution platform for the live events industry.”

One early initiative of the PSSI and Beagle teams will be a consolidated effort to more comprehensively support Fox Sports, a legacy customer of both companies.

“Complexity and innovation are standard across live productions, which is why Fox Sports trusts Beagle Networks and PSSI," said Brad Cheney, vice president of Field Operations and Engineering at Fox Sports. "We’re excited to see how this partnership evolves to navigate the increasing demands of today’s broadcast landscape."

In addition to its service to existing customers, including INDYCAR, NASCAR, and numerous enterprise customers, Beagle will leverage PSSI’s extensive engineering and project management expertise to expand its service capabilities. Beagle will also lend its know-how to ongoing IT upgrades at the PSSI International Teleport (PIT) and PSSI’s professional services portfolio.

“As soon as we met the team at Beagle, we knew they would be a perfect fit for the culture and spirit we have at PSSI Global Services,” said Derek Blount, CEO of PSSI Global. “We’ve been looking for the right opportunities to expand PSSI’s reach in the live event marketplace and beyond. Bringing Beagle into the family will enable us to provide so much more to our customers and their valuable content, from the TV compound to the teleport and to their viewers around the world.”

The PSSI/Beagle team will be in Booth W1543 of the West Hall of the LVCC at the 2026 NAB Show in Las Vegas, April 19-22.

LAS VEGAS—Sony Electronics has announced its lineup of new and returning products and services that it will be showing at the 2026 NAB Show, April 19-22 in Las Vegas, demonstrating the latest technologies designed to address emerging challenges and needs in broadcast and production.

“At this year’s NAB Show, Sony’s theme is ‘The Power Behind Your Story’ which demonstrates how our technologies are the driving force behind various forms of storytelling,” said Anthony Kable, CCS Group Manager, Sony Australia. “From products to workflows, and acquisition to delivery, Sony has the right people, tools and expertise to enable creators to capture their vision and communicate their truth with quality and authenticity.”

Sony says its new solutions address the entire production workflow, providing authenticity and provenance, creating more personalized and emotional viewing experiences, and supporting XR and spatial content creation.

At the Sony booth, the company will showcase its live production solutions including the evolution of Sony’s “Networked Live” ecosystem, as well as new system cameras, enhanced workflows for news production, the latest in virtual production tools and processes, and a comprehensive lineup of imaging solutions.

Cameras and Production Workflow
Sony will present its new “R Series” system camera range, which join the company’s existing HDC-5000 and HDC-3000 series camera lineup. The “R Series” significantly enhances image performance, allows system expansion through additional transmission pathways and infrastructure options, and usability that enables consistent color matching across models.

Additionally, the new series features an expanded dynamic range for enhanced details, and operation modes to address different lighting environments. Models include HDC-5500R, HDC-5500RV, HDC-3500R, HDC-3500RV, and HDC-3200R, along with related products such as the HDCU-3500R Camera Control Unit and the HKCU-LUT35 3D LUT option board. The models are expected to be available in mid-2026.

Sony will also demonstrate newly released firmware updates for the PTZ auto-framing cameras BRC-AM7 (Ver. 3.0), SRG-A40, and SRG-A12 (Ver. 4.0). Leveraging Sony’s latest AI technologies, these updates expand functionality to support increasingly diverse production needs, including sports broadcasting, education, and corporate content creation.

For the first time at NAB Show, Sony’s recently launched PXW-Z300 XDCAM handheld AI-powered camcorder—the world’s first to support the C2PA standard for video authenticity—will demonstrate the growing demand for trustworthy news reporting through authenticity and provenance.

Sony will also present an end-to-end workflow that leverages camera-originated authenticity files and metadata from the field through immediate production and editing. This workflow is achieved with the LiveU TX1, a compact IP bonding-capable data transmitter (announced in September 2025), the PDT-FP1 portable data transmitter, and the newly announced PWA-RXS Network RX Station.

In addition, LiveU has announced a further expansion of its integration with Sony’s PWA-RXS through an optional license. A reference demo will showcase a new workflow powered by Sony’s cellular connectivity management system, featuring real-time carrier optimization and seamless global connectivity for creators.

Sony will also show an expanded lineup of Alpha cameras and lenses, including the Alpha 7 V capable of 4K 60p capture without crop. The 33 MP (approx.) full-frame hybrid model incorporates a BIONZ XR2 processor with an integrated AI processing engine to facilitate subject recognition and Auto Framing. Additionally, the latest version (Ver. 2.6) of the Monitor & Control app, which enables video monitoring and remote control from smartphones, tablets, and Macs, will be showcased.

Sony’s diverse Cinema Line cameras will enhance their functionality. The FR7 cinematic PTZ camera recently added AI-based Auto Framing and support for OpenTrackIO protocol through a Ver. 4.0 firmware update, while the FX6 full-frame Cinema Line camera rolled out BIG 6 home screen display support for easy access to top functions.

Additionally, experience spatial content creation brought to life through the VENICE Extension System Mini (Rialto) combined with the glasses-free 3D Spatial Reality Display.

Media Processing
Sony will also demo MOXELA, a new software-based media processing platform running on COTS (commercial off the shelf) servers or in the cloud, designed to transform how broadcasters, production companies, and media organizations transport, process, and monitor live video, audio, and data.

Additionally, attendees will see demonstrations of new features for the MLS-X1 multi-format switcher, enabling efficient production by sharing input and output signals across multiple studios. Sony will also debut the ICP-X7000A, a control panel featuring a newly developed XPT operation panel that significantly improves visibility and operability and is planned to be available in late 2026.

Virtual Production and Spatial Content Creation
To manage its ecosystem of virtual production solutions that include cameras, camera tracking and LED walls, Sony will showcase firmware updates to its Virtual Production Tool Set Ver. 3.0.

Sony will also launch the XYN Spatial Capture Solution, which generates photorealistic 3DCG (3D Computer Graphics) assets from photographs taken with mirrorless cameras. This professional solution, which will be shown at NAB Show and is expected to be available mid-2026, is comprised of three tools designed for use across virtual production and a wide range of 3DCG content creation workflows. XYN Spatial Scan Navi is a smartphone app[5] that guides efficient image capture. XYN Spatial Scan is a web application that delivers studio-grade generation quality. Finally, the XYN Renderer Plugin, enables highly realistic rendering for virtual production studios.

Additionally, Sony will host many engaging presentations and talks on trending topics throughout the show featuring notable industry voices. For more details about the company’s presence, visit Sony’s NAB Show website.

Sony will be in Booth C8401 in the Central Hall of the LVCC.