Even as viewers spend more time with ad-supported streaming TV and ad inventory continues to grow, a disconnect is emerging between these trends and the share of ad budgets allocated to connected TV (CTV), a report from streaming technology provider Wurl says.

In “The CTV Trends Report—Addressing the Content Signal Gap,” Wurl cites the “dearth of information” ad buyers have on the content they’re buying against as a major reason for the disconnect.

Citing research Wurl conducted with AdExchange, the report said 79% of respondents pointed to “inefficiencies around data quality, fragmentation and interoperability” as limiting the scale and effectiveness of ad campaigns on streaming TV.

Wurl analyzed metadata transiting the CTV programmatic bidstream, revealing: 89% of ad requests lacked a usable program name; more than 3,600 different genre labels appeared in a two-hour window; and 35% of analyzed inventory carried a declared genre not aligning with what Wurl detected the actual program to be.

The report offers an example of the different genre labels revealed within the two-hour window. With regard to drama, genre labels could appear as “genre_drama” or “crime drama.” Similarly, reality shows might surface as “reality,” “reality shows,” “reality & game show” or “genre_reality_tv,” the report said.

“While this may be the result of a well-meaning effort to help advertisers find relevant content, on the flip side it places an operational burden on the ecosystem and risks limiting deal sizes,” it said.

Taken together, these findings reveal the basic challenge facing CTV. “The information buyer need to understand and value an impression doesn’t always make it into the bidstream,” according to Wurl’s report.

The ability to deliver greater audience granularity is a major benefit of CTV, but buyers cannot take full advantage of this strength without the “quality and availability of the signals attached to each ad opportunity,” the report argued, adding, “Today, those signals often paint an incomplete picture.”

Wurl offers streaming industry players a variety of products, including scene-level targeting of ad inventory.

McLEAN, Va.—Tegna has tapped Brian Gregory as president and general manager of two North Carolina stations, WCNC Charlotte and WFMY Greensboro.

He’ll oversee station operations, financial performance, content, sales, digital and streaming initiatives and community engagement at both WCNC, an NBC affiliate, and WFMY, a CBS station. In his new role, he succeeds Joan Barrett, who was promoted to group general manager for Tegna’s Northeast and Southeast regions.

“As we strengthen leadership across TEGNA, we’re looking for people who develop talent and deliver results. Brian does both,” Barrett said. “WCNC and WFMY are in good hands, and I’m looking forward to what these teams accomplish under Brian’s direction.”

Gregory most recently was with WVEC, the Tegna-owned ABC affiliate in Norfolk, Va.

“WCNC and WFMY have talented teams doing strong work,” Gregory said. “I plan to build on that success to find new ways to reach and serve our audiences.”

Prior to joining WVEC, Gregory was news director of KDVR and KWGN in Denver for six years. Before that, he held leadership positions at KWCH Wichita, Kan.; KOVR Sacramento, Calif.; and WVLT in Knoxville, Tenn.

Barrett’s appointment is one of a series of leadership appointments made by new Tegna CEO Patrick Paolini, who was appointed following Nexstar Media Group’s March acquisition of Tegna.

On April 17, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California on April 17 issued a “Hold Separate Order” delaying the integration of the two companies as antitrust challenges work their way through the courts.

LONDON—The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted Looper Insights, a connected-TV Interface Intelligence company, a patent for a method, systems and device for analyzing how titles, apps and other content are placed on the user interface of connected TVs and other devices and for modeling what each position on the screens is worth.

The patent, No. 12,762,878, covers the company’s approach to connecting scanning devices to TVs, set-top boxes and other devices to capture the interface as a viewer sees it, including the screens and menus within apps.

Captured images are sent to Looper's servers, where image and optical character recognition identify each title, app icon and piece of artwork, and match it to a known asset even when the artwork, language or format varies.

Each asset’s placement is recorded by page, row, column and position. Captures carry time and location, so placement can be compared across devices, markets and dates. The patent also covers modeling the relative value of different positions on a screen. Putting a value on this visibility is what Looper's Media Placement Value (MPV) metric is for.

The patent protects part of a capability Looper has been building since before its U.K. priority filing in March 2023. Its value to customers comes from how that capability connects to everything around it.

Looper tracks placement, merchandising, artwork, banners, price and availability across more than 250 connected TV platforms in 25 countries and more than 600 digital storefronts in 120 countries.

Operator storefronts and webstores are tracked on the same schedule and normalized into one view, with up to eight years of price history. Looper maintains curated competitor title lists for each customer, so a title’s visibility is always read against the titles it actually competes with. MPV then turns that visibility into a value.

Customers interrogate this intelligence through Looper AI by using its chat function to ask questions of their data in plain language or connecting it to their own AI agents and systems through MCP and API. Every data feed comes with support and a data license.

More information is available on the company’s website.

Scripps announced that it will eliminate 431 jobs at the company this week, part of a continued restructuring of the company’s business.

It follows the company’s announcement last month that it was revamping its leadership structure, which eliminated 27 roles across Scripps’ local market and sales leadership.

At the same time, the company also said it will create more than 100 new positions, including local reporting roles and new community connection roles.

“These roles are designed to produce more reporting from the field, deepen our community reach and expand our local journalism to audiences across broadcast, streaming and digital platforms,” Scripps President Adam Symson said in a note to employees.

While acknowledging that “today is another hard day across Scripps,” Symson also warned that further layoffs will come.

“With today's announcements, the majority of the significant restructuring needed to establish our future operating model has now taken place, especially in our local newsrooms,” Symson said. “As we continue to move through our three-year transformation, we do expect additional role eliminations across the company, but not at the scale of those in 2026.”

The company said the reductions, part of Scripps’ “company transformation,” could generate $125 million to $150 million of enterprise EBITDA growth by 2028. It expects to have implemented about $100 million in annual run-rate savings by year-end, it said.

For the third quarter, Scripps’ Local Media political revenue was nearly $81 million, driven by strong candidate, issue and advocacy spending across Scripps markets in Michigan and Ohio as well as Arizona, Florida, Wisconsin, Tennessee and Virginia. In August, the company had guided to a full-year range of $225 million to $250 million.

At the end of the third quarter, Scripps had $83 million in cash and will use that and proceeds from fourth-quarter political advertising revenue to pay down at least $150 million of debt in the fourth quarter, the company said.

PLANO, Texas—New Parks Associates research finds that high dynamic range (HDR) is a foundational component of premium video entertainment and gives television manufacturers, streaming services and content creators a way to differentiate themselves through picture quality.

The research is presented in “High Dynamic Range and the Future of Video,” a new Parks white paper developed in partnership with chief Advanced HDR by Technicolor supporter InterDigital.

“HDR gives the entertainment industry a powerful way to make improvements in picture quality,” Parks Director of Entertainment Research Michael Goodman said. “For manufacturers, it helps demonstrate the value of advanced displays. For streaming services and content owners, it provides an opportunity to deliver a more compelling experience and preserve the creative intent of their programming.”

According to the research, several developments are shaping the next phase of HDR, including:

Smart-TV penetration is rising, as 62% of U.S. internet households now have a connected TV device.

• Live sports and gaming is making HDR, with its ability to reproduce bright highlights, detailed shadows and realistic imagery, more relevant.
• Mobile viewing is extending HDR beyond the television, as 24% of weekly video consumption is done on mobile phones and 11% on tablets.
• Tech advances are improving delivery economics, as AI assists in image processing and next-gen codecs like Versatile Video Coding (VVC) simplify workflows. 

The research also identified challenges, including differences in HDR formats, device capabilities and service implementations.

“Consumers may not always know HDR by name, but they recognize the experience it enables: richer color, deeper contrast and a more lifelike picture,” Lionel Oisel, head of video labs at InterDigital, said. “As HDR expands across streaming, live sports, gaming and mobile, the opportunity is to make that premium experience consistent and efficient on every screen. Innovation in HDR, video compression and delivery will be fundamental to making that possible.”

Parks Associates and InterDigital will discuss the research at the Future of Video: Business of Streaming conference, Nov. 17-18, in Marina del Rey, Calif. Registration is available here.

NEW YORK—Hearst Television vice president, sales Gerry McGavick will retire from the station group at year-end, the company said, capping off a 40-year advertising and broadcasting career.

McGavrick had led revenue-generation efforts across Hearst Television platforms since 2021, serving as its primary liaison with agencies, rep firms and other sales partners. He also supervised the group’s political ad-sales efforts since 2017, applying expertise gained over two decades at WMUR-TV, the Hearst-owned ABC affiliate in the key political market of Manchester, N.H.

“Gerry holds a breadth of relationships and a depth of knowledge within the local television sales community which is unrivaled,” Hearst Television President Michael J. Hayes said. “His political advertising acumen coupled with his warmth and ability to connect with people has grown our relationships with advertisers and agencies.”

In addition to revenue generation oversight, McGavick ran Hearst’s Sales Account Associate Program. The yearlong program puts trainees with local ad-sales teams in each Hearst market to develop new sales account executives.

Prior to joining the corporate team, McGavick was director of sales at WMUR. He began as a media planner at ad agency Jordan McGrath Case & Taylor, then joined New York-based rep firm Harrington Righter & Parsons. Later on, he was general sales manager at WLVI-TV Boston before joining WMUR.

A second-generation sales executive, his father was general sales manager and director of sales at Hearst-owned WCVB-TV Boston from 1972 to 1984.

“Working at Hearst Television has been the pinnacle of my career and I sincerely thank senior leadership for creating a culture and environment where I have been able to thrive,” McGavick said. “While I am excited about my future, I will miss regularly seeing the great friends I’ve made and being a part of this outstanding company.”

McGavick is a member of the International Radio and Television Society (IRTS) and has served on the boards of the New Hampshire Association of Broadcasters, the Nielsen Local Alliance and Drug-Free New Hampshire. He graduated from Stonehill College, where he was underwriting director for the campus radio station and played on the football team. He graduated from the Hearst Management Institute.

YouTube said it will begin AV2 streaming early next year, aiming to enhance video quality and open new multiview capabilities.

“YouTube champions open codecs that deliver the best quality video with the fewest playback interruptions,“ YouTube Engineering Director Des Keane said. “As of March 19, 2026, over 90% of YouTube’s catalogue (weighted by watch time) is available in AV1.

“We’re excited to begin streaming in AV2, which brings even better video quality to users and unlocks new multivideo capabilities. YouTube AV2 streams will be available for Web as soon as early 2027.”

The statement follows an announcement from the Alliance for Open Media (AOMedia), highlighting “significant ecosystem momentum” behind AV2, the royalty-free video codec. Developed through voluntary standardization efforts by Amazon, Apple, Google, Intel, Netflix, Samsung, Tencent and the wider alliance, AV2 provides around 30% greater compression efficiency than AV1, while introducing capabilities including multistream video, real-time communications, immersive applications, higher frame rates and enhanced HDR performance.

Uptake of the codec mirrors the adoption pattern set by AV1, said AOMedia, which currently powers video across streaming services, browsers, mobile devices, operating systems and more. The established ecosystem is helping members facilitate AV2’s transition from specification to deployment, with several already demonstrating and evaluating the codec across production environments, open-source projects, and consumer-facing platforms.

An increasing number of alliance members are contributing technologies that support encoder and decoder development, compliance testing, benchmarking, validation, interoperability testing, content creation workflows, and hardware readiness, the organization added.

The ATSC in July approved Broadcast-to-Everything (B2X) as a candidate standard and announced the approval with great fanfare earlier in October.

The work’s overarching goal was to advance ATSC’s vision of enabling broadcast and mobile technologies to work more closely together, according the committee’s announcement. It also extends the reach of broadcast so unicast networks can leverage the one-to-many strength of broadcasting.

TV Tech reached out to Madeleine Noland, ATSC president, to put this development into context for broadcasters.

In this interview, Noland discusses B2X, the thinking behind its development, who will likely use it, the parallel development of bridge technology that will bring some B2X use cases to broadcasting and how B2X is intended to address the future.

(An edited transcript.)

TV Tech: Earlier in the month, ATSC announced its membership’s approval of Broadcast-to-Everything (B2X) as a candidate standard. How are the ATSC 3.0 suite of standards and B2X related?

Madeleine Noland: There are a couple of things that are part of B2X. One is pure standalone B2X, and that is its own thing that would be running in different spectrum and doesn’t ride alongside of ATSC 3.0.

It’s a different physical layer, and it enables many new use cases that are pretty exciting. At the same time, there is something that the group is working on called "bridge technology," which is a way that an existing ATSC 3.0 broadcaster can implement a wide variety of the use cases that B2X can offer.

TVT: Such as?

MN: B2X enables you to do a couple of things you can't do as easily with ATSC 3. Although the bridge technology is going to get you some of the way, one of the things about B2X is that its unique physical layer design is perfect for very low-power devices.

Imagine you've got a sensor out in the middle of a cornfield that has no power other than solar, or it's battery-operated and nobody wants to get on a tractor and go out there and change the battery.

There are aspects of B2X that could be particularly useful in certain verticals for certain use cases that you might not want to use ATSC 3.0 for.

Then there are other use cases where you could really use either technology. It sort of depends on what you have deployed already, what your larger business model picture is all about.

Take, for example, if you wanted to do broadcast traffic offload of a unicast network. That’s a pretty good example. There are some things that you could do with B2X that you can't do with 3.0, but there are a lot of things you can do with the bridge technology that you can do with 3.0.

One of the things that they’re bringing to bear as part of this work is they are working on a broadcast core network, which will apply to 3.0 or B2X and will be closely integrated with 3GPP technologies. The concept behind that is that if you’re a mobile network operator and you want to take advantage of the opportunity to move some broadcast traffic off your network, this makes it much more seamless. It uses 3GPP-defined interfaces between core networks and between radio access networks.

TVT: So will ATSC 3.0 broadcasters take advantage of the standard’s bootstrap to tuck B2X into their existing NextGen TV transmissions?

MN: My guess is that they will use their ATSC 3.0 transmissions, and they will use the bridge technology to take advantage of some of the new verticals that they would be able to access, but that they wouldn’t necessarily change what they’re doing.

It's possible they would interleave ATSC 3 with B2X using the evolutionary frame capability, but my guess is that there’s some overhead to doing that. Are the advantages of B2X within an ATSC 3 transport or physical airframe structure strong enough that you would deal with some of the overhead that is necessary to interweave two standards together?

I don't know what the answer to that question is. My guess is that in the U.S. for the foreseeable future, they would look to the bridge technology, which is coming.

TVT: So who will be the users of B2X? Wireless network operators? Broadcasters around the world?

MN: One of the things that B2X has is it works in 5-, 10-, 15- and 20-MHz bandwidths, as well as 6, 7 and 8 [MHz], which is traditional broadcast. It can absolutely operate in any number of the frequency bands, including traditional television broadcasts, but also going up into the frequency bands that mobile network operators use.

Whether they will ultimately use it or not is certainly going to be a market decision. But it will become available to them to use for broadcast and multicast use cases. I could see that as a possible outcome.

I could also see broadcasters allocating different spectrum for this. For example, say that some consolidation takes place in the United States if the ownership cap rules ultimately are changed, and that there’s a possibility that broadcasters are going to be working together. They could say, "Well, we want to work with B2X in some of our spectrum, and we want to work with ATSC 3 in some other of our spectrum.” I think that in the U.S., though, that would require a regulatory change as well. I think that would be a little bit further down the pike if it were to come.

But then you start looking at other countries where they're thinking about what do they want to do with their digital strategy. What do they want to do with mobile offerings? What do they want to do with broadcast networking reaching rural areas? I think that some of these greenfield areas might be earlier fruit for the B2X technology.

TVT: What is driving an organization called the Advanced Television Systems Committee to develop a standard that may or may not be used by TV broadcasters?

MN: I think what's driving this is almost a philosophical understanding that when you look to the future, it's a network of networks. There's not any one network that is perfect for all use cases.

What you really need is the ability for the networks to operate together according to the data session and the need. When you start a standard that's needed right now, you are too late.

So, we think about B2X as really preparing broadcasters—and frankly, network operators—for this future of converged service. The idea behind B2X is to prepare us for that time, which is already here in many ways, and make us as close to 3GPP standards as we can be, and that's really the genesis behind B2X.

It's very much a future-thinking standard, and the goal is to have the standard complete and ready for testing and for exploration and implementation, with the understanding that as the world changes, we're going to be looking more to interchangeable networks that can be shifted seamlessly within devices and seamlessly on the transmit side.

I also think that ATSC for a number of years has been recognizing that broadcast infrastructure is way more than TV and, as you know, we have rebranded ourselves to take the word “television” specifically out of the name of the organization on the market-facing side of things.

We're working very hard to make people think about their broadcast infrastructure in new ways.

WASHINGTON—A key university working on the development of the ATSC 3.0 standard successfully demonstrated advancements in interference cancellation and signal reception capabilities during a July IEEE event in Brazil.

Mackenzie Presbyterian University demonstrated the advancements during the 2026 IEEE International Symposium on Broadband Multimedia Systems and Broadcasting (BMSB) in João Pessoa, Brazil.

The university conducted system integration and lab verification using hardware, software and algorithms developed or contributed by members of ATSC Implementation Team 5 - Tower Network (IT-5), including the University of the Basque Country (Spain), Shanghai Jiao Tong University (China), the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI, Korea) and Western University (Canada).

The demonstration employed an Inter-Tower Communication Network (ITCN) and Geographically Segmented Localcasting (GSL) to improve spectrum efficiency by allowing signals from local stations to overlap geographically. It demonstrated how advanced signal processing techniques can facilitate the reception and decoding of lower-power signals in challenging co-channel interference environments.

For the demo, the desired signal was received at a power level 37 decibels below the stronger signal. Successful decoding under these conditions provides evidence of the potential for advanced interference cancellation techniques to support more flexible broadcast network architectures.

Ultimately, these capabilities could help broadcasters improve spectrum utilization, support localized content delivery and explore new network configurations as ATSC 3.0 deployments evolve.

“This demonstration is an important example of how ATSC 3.0 continues to evolve beyond traditional television broadcasting,” ATSC President Madeleine Noland said. “The ability to manage complex signal environments and make more efficient use of spectrum opens exciting possibilities for broadcasters.”

Brazil’s TV 3.0 has catalyzed ATSC members, in particular IT-5 members, to advance Localcasting technologies to improve spectrum efficiency and enable geographically targeted content delivery.

Responding to Brazil's needs, IT-5 members collaborated internationally to develop and demonstrate innovative interference-cancellation and signal-reception capabilities, highlighting the value of global technical cooperation.

These advancements provide a backdrop to the IEEE Broadcast Technology Forum, which opens Oct. 27 at NAB headquarters. The two-day gathering offers broadcasters engineers, technology developers and industry leaders a forum to explore the innovations shaping the future of broadcasting.

More information is available on the IEEE website.

McLEAN, Va.—Tegna has hired veteran station executive Mellynda Hartel to lead its operations in Florida as president and general manager of WLTV-WJXX Jacksonville and WTSP Tampa.

The 30-year industry veteran comes from Fox Television Stations, where she was senior vice president and general manager of KTVU San Francisco and KICU San Jose, Calif. (branded on-air as Fox 2 Plus).

Prior to leading Fox’s Bay Area stations, she held executive and sales leadership positions at stations in San Francisco, Phoenix, Boston and Washington.

“Mellynda is a highly respected leader in our industry, known for her strategic vision, ability to develop strong teams and track record of driving growth and innovation,” said Joan Barrett, group general manager for Tegna’s Northeast and Southeast regions. “She brings a combination of experience, creativity and a passion for local media that will help us strengthen our connection with Florida communities, grow audiences and create new opportunities for our advertising partners.”

WLTV, Jacksonville’s NBC affiliate, and WJXX, the CBS station in that market, operate under the First Coast News brand. WTSP, the CBS affiliate in Tampa, is branded on-air as 10 Tampa Bay.

“First Coast News and WTSP are among Tegna’s strongest stations, with newsrooms that have earned the trust of their communities,” Hartel said. “I’m eager to help them build on that legacy by creating new opportunities for our viewers to access trusted content and new solutions for our business partners.”

Hartel, a graduate of Bryant University, resides in St. Petersburg, Fla.

ATLANTA—Gray Media has tapped Jennifer Rieffer as general manager of WBTV Charlotte, N.C., the station group’s CBS affiliate in the No. 21 U.S. DMA.

Rieffer had been vice president and general manager of WXIX Cincinnati, the market’s Gray-owned Fox affiliate, which she joined in 2021. During her tenure there, the station became the flagship station of the Cincinnati Bengals and the over-the-air TV partner of the Cincinnati Reds.

Rieffer began her broadcast career in Lexington, Ky., spending 24 years at Fox affiliate WDKY. She then became general manager of Sinclair-owned Fox station WSMH in Flint, Mich., and also oversaw Sinclair’s joint sales agreements with Flint’s NBC affiliate, WEYI, and The CW affiliate, WBSF. She graduated from Morehead State University.

Atlanta-based Gray Media owns 117 TV stations in 78 U.S. television markets.

Audio-Technica is expanding its U.S. operations with the acquisition of a new facility in Hollywood, California. Located in the heart of the Hollywood Media District, the company says the property will establish a significant new West Coast presence for Audio-Technica and provide direct access to one of the world’s most influential entertainment and content creation communities.

The 8,966-square-foot, two-story facility is currently occupied with an existing tenant but will eventually support Audio-Technica’s expanding activities in the region, including sales and marketing offices, product development, customer engagement and product demonstration capabilities. The property also includes existing studio and production spaces that complement Audio-Technica’s professional audio expertise and close relationship with the entertainment industry.

The investment builds on Audio-Technica’s establishment of TECHNICA HOUSE New York, its SoHo marketing salon designed as a shared space for collaboration, inspiration and connection. With the addition of the Hollywood facility, Audio-Technica is extending this commitment to direct engagement by establishing a significant presence within another of the country’s most important creative communities, the company said.

“Hollywood has played an extraordinary role in shaping the way the world experiences sound and entertainment, making it a natural location for the next stage of Audio-Technica’s growth in the United States,” said Manabu Aoki, CEO of Audio-Technica U.S. “Building on what we established with TECHNICA HOUSE New York, this investment gives us another opportunity to be closer to the professionals and creators who use our products every day. By creating spaces where our teams can listen, collaborate and exchange ideas directly with the industry, we can deepen those relationships and bring valuable insights into the development of future Audio-Technica products and solutions.”

The Hollywood expansion complements Audio-Technica’s established U.S. operations and represents a long-term investment in key focus categories, including professional audio, system solutions, broadcast, production and content creation.

SAN ANTONIO, Texas—The San Antonio Spurs have named Sinclair as the team’s local over-the-air television partner for the 2026-27 NBA season.

Throughout the season, 22 Spurs games will air on CW SA, San Antonio’s The CW affiliate, which airs over a digital subchannel of WOAI-TV (Channel 4.2) and Deerfield Media-owned KMYS, which is operated by Sinclair under a joint sales and services agreement.

“The Spurs are an important part of the fabric of South Texas, and we’re proud to partner with the team to bring more games to fans across the region,” said Rob Weisbord, chief operating officer and president of local media at Sinclair, said. “Live local sports are a natural fit for broadcast television, and this partnership reflects our commitment to making compelling content that enriches local lives.”

Local fans can catch Spurs games on CW SA with a digital antenna or via participating cable, satellite or online live-TV providers where available. Secondary markets across South Texas will have access to the over-the-air games on select local channels. Fans also can visit the Spurs website or text WATCH to 210-444-5940 to find where games are available in their area.

The deal with Sinclair follows an earlier pact with subscription streaming service DAZN to air local Spurs telecasts. Last season, Spurs games aired mainly on FanDuel Sports Network Southwest, which ceased operations in September.

“Our fans are incredibly passionate and supportive and should have as many ways as possible to watch and connect with the Spurs,” said Frank Miceli, chief commercial officer of Spurs Sports & Entertainment. “We’re excited to make this over-the-air option available, giving more fans a convenient way to watch the team, share in the Spurs spirit and stay connected throughout the season. This partnership with Sinclair helps us create more opportunities for viewers across our market to experience Spurs basketball.”

MILWAUKEE—When the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays take the field tonight at American Family Field for Game 1 of the 2026 World Series, they won’t be he only ones trying to deliver a championship performance.

Fox Sports has added new technology and production features to its series coverage aimed at continuing its streak of award-winning postseason coverage.

(Game 1 of the 2026 World Series begins at 8 p.m. ET on Fox and Fox Deportes. The broadcaster is streaming coverage on Fox One, FoxSports.com, the Fox Sports App and live streaming packages such as Hulu + Live TV and YouTube TV.)

New to its production tech lineup are three 4K Nucleus cameras, as well as expanded augmented reality (AR) in conjunction with Major League Baseball to track pitches and swings from either side of the field. The broadcaster will take 18 feeds from MLB, Statcast and other AR sources for its coverage.

It will again rely on multiple high-speed cameras—11 of which are 6x, 8x or higher—to capture slow-motion coverage of the game. A pair of drones will contribute aerial views. Fox Sports will also present an UmpCam AR Strike Zone as well as use three Dirt Cams, Base Cams and eight Proton POV cams.

Its camera complement also includes 27 Sony 5500-series cameras—16 hard cameras, six handhelds, including one RF, as well as five studio cameras, three of which are buildups, a jib and one RF handheld. Fox Sports will also employ eight robotic heads, two RF MoVI rig/Sony FX6s and one RF Steadicam.

For audio, Fox Sports will deploy about 70 game-side mics and studio mics. They include 24 boundary mics, 10 in-ground mics and nine parabolic mics. Three RF base mic sets, 13 effects laves, four shotguns as well as four reporter kits, four player mics and one RF umpire mic round out field coverage. In the studio, seven wireless lavs, seven wireless stick mics and eight wireless IFBs will be used.

Joe Davis will take on play-by-play duties while Hall of Fame starting pitcher John Smoltz will do color commentary. Fox Sports MLB reporters Ken Rosenthal and Tom Verducci will contribute to the broadcaster’s pre-game show.

José Pablo Coello, Gabriel Medina, Diego Venegas and Rodrigo Arana will lead the FOX Deportes broadcast. Mayra Gomez and Steffy Aradillas will also contribute to the broadcast.

There's several periods in sports when major events happen all at once. It usually happens twice a year—in early June, when Major League Baseball, the French Open, Belmont Stakes, Stanley Cup, NBA Finals—and periodically one of golf's major championships—all take place simultaneously.

The other period occurs in late October when all of the major sports leagues in the U.S. are playing at the same time.

That happens again this year when on Monday, Oct. 26, the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL will all have games scheduled, marking the "Sports Equinox," a rare day when all four major U.S. leagues are in action at the same time.

With games airing across networks and apps, DirecTV is observing the specialy day by offering its viewers a curated Multiview featuring four games, one from each league, on a single screen for customers whose packages include the participating networks.

Also, DIRECTV Sports Central will help fans find live and upcoming games across sports and supported apps, follow their favorite teams, check schedules and scores, and get team alerts and game-time notifications.

DirecTV is promoting anticipation for the Sports Equinox through Meta Reels Trending Ads, TikTok Pulse and Super Like, Snapchat Reminder Ads, a Reddit Category Takeover, and a free-to-play DraftKings contest. Fans can predict outcomes across the four leagues for a chance to win up to $5,000. The campaign also extends to CTV and digital video inventory with a :15 and :30 spot.

NEW YORK—Hearst Television said Stanley Herriott, the station group’s vice president of finance, will retire at year-end after eight years on the job.

Herriot, who joined Hearst TV in 2019, led financial planning and analysis and managed the group’s regional finance, corporate finance, billing and recievables and credit and collections teams. The company owns and/or operates 35 TV stations and two radio stations in 27 markets in 39 states, reaching more than 22 million U.S. TV homes.

“Stan has played an integral role in the successful alignment of finance with operations in support and advancement of our business,” Hearst Television Chief Financial Officer John Drain said. “He has brought broad industry knowledge and steady counsel to this work and has been a valued partner to me and to our stations. I am grateful to Stan for his leadership, counsel, partnership, and his many contributions to Hearst Television.”

Prior to Hearst, Herriott was with Spanish-language media company Univision Communications for 14 years in finance, shared services and internal audit leadership roles. Before that, he was an audit manager for Arthur Andersen.

“Stan has brought his authentic self to his role with us,” Hearst Television President Michael J. Hayes said. “He’s a good broadcaster, and a good person. In addition to his financial acumen, he has helped us build our team and attracted next-generation talent to our organization.”

Herriott is a director of the Media Financial Management Association and executive sponsor of Hearst Television employee resource group Umoja. A certified public accountant, he graduated from Montclair State University in New Jersey and the Hearst Management Institute, Hearst’s executive leadership program.

“It has been a privilege to conclude my media career with Hearst Television, the premier local broadcast company with the most talented media professionals in the business,” Herriott said.

NEW YORK—CBC/Radio-Canada has chosen Dalet for its modernization of news operations across the country.

The public-service broadcaster will deploy Dalet Pyramid across its organization to anchor the newsroom project. It will help CBC/Radio-Canada transform how it creates and delivers news ranging from hyperlocal stories to global events, Dalet said.

By embracing Dalet’s story-centric model, CBC/Radio-Canada will better serve its Canadian audience seeking content tailored to their interests on their preferred platform, Dalet said.

“Outdated tools and fragmented workflows limit access to content from the field and require users to jump between multiple systems to complete tasks. Dalet solutions aim to bring operational value to newsrooms and transform business models, ensuring sustainability and integrity,” Dalet CEO Brian Doheny said. “Beyond the technology, we understand that organizations like CBC/Radio-Canada are seeking a partner who can support them through a transformative journey that will shape their future, and we are honored to be that choice.”

Dalet Pyramid will give the broadcaster greater visibility into content, story planning, collaboration and distribution. Its web-based user experience will enable staff to access content and work from any of CBC/Radio-Canada location or in the field. This includes capturing and ingesting media into the Dalet content repository using Dalet Brio, editing video and audio using the Dalet Cut multimedia editor and orchestrating delivery with assets and stories available immediately throughout the network, the company said.

With Dalet Pyramid, CBC/Radio-Canada journalists across Canada will be able to collaborate on news creation. Thousands of users will be able to access the same platform simultaneously, regardless of location or department, enabling teams to create and deliver high-quality news content more easily, Dalet said.

CBC/Radio-Canada produces local newscasts airing in English and French on 27 TV stations and 88 radio stations. It also distributes news via the CBC News and Radio-Canada Info apps as well as its audio and video streaming apps, including CBC Listen, Radio-Canada OHdio, CBC Gem and ICI TOU.TV, its free streaming channels and websites as well as social media platforms.

“This installation represents more than a modernization of an operation. It’s a blueprint for every multiplatform news organization seeking to transform how they work,” Dalet Senior Vice President of Growth Frédéric Roux said. “The economics and demands of newsrooms have shifted dramatically over the past five years. They must reinvent how they produce, deliver and monetize content—with speed, efficiency and agility at the core of the operation. Dalet Pyramid delivers a unified, intuitive experience, built on a flexible, cloud-native architecture that scales effortlessly across on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments.”

More information is available on the company’s website.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—Cox Media Group Jacksonville and University of North Florida Athletics have inked a multiyear deal making Action Sports Jax TV the exclusive local broadcast home of University of North Florida (UNF) athletics in Northeast Florida.

Under the agreement, Action Sports Jax TV will air live UNF Ospreys sports events each season, free over the air via multicast on WJAX-TV (Channel 47.2) and on Xfinity Channels 216 and 1188 HD.

As part of the deal, the weekly “Talon Talk” show covering Ospreys athletics will air on Action Sports Jax TV. The show features interviews with coaches and student-athletes, game previews and discussions of UNF’s 19 NCAA Division I programs.

“UNF is part of the fabric of this community, and Osprey fans deserve to see their teams on free, local television,” Omesh Somaru, vice president and general manager of Cox Media Group Jacksonville, said. “Adding UNF Athletics and ‘Talon Talk’ to Action Sports Jax TV gives fans more ways to follow the Ospreys and gives local businesses a direct connection to one of Jacksonville’s most passionate hometown audiences.”

North Florida joins a growing Action Sports Jax TV lineup that also includes the Jacksonville Jaguars (preseason games and ancillary programming), Orlando Magic and Tampa Bay Lightning.

“We are excited to partner with Action Sports Jax TV to bring UNF Athletics to more fans across Northeast Florida,” University of North Florida vice president of Intercollegiate Athletics Nick Morrow said. “By bringing UNF games and ‘Talon Talk’ to free local television, we are expanding access for Osprey fans while increasing the visibility of our programs and the university.”

The broadcast schedule, including specific games and “Talon Talk” air times, will be announced before the first telecast.

More information is available on the university’s website.

NEW YORK—Local TV advertising platform Locality has tapped Saul Stetson as head of product.

A 20-year industry veteran with experience across ad technology, data and identity, he was most recently head of product for Commerce Grid, Criteo’s supply-side platform, where he led product strategy for programmatic supply access, audience-driven inventory packaging and monetization.

He’ll oversee product strategy and development across Locality’s broadcast and streaming portfolio, the company said.

“Saul brings deep experience building products across identity, data and advertising technology, and he'll play an important role in making those capabilities even more accessible and valuable to advertisers,” said Locality CEO Michael Collins, to whom Stetson will report.

Prior to Criteo, Stetson led product for Tapad’s identity platform (now part of Experian), developing solutions to connect audiences across devices and media environments.

Locality operates in all 210 U.S. designated market areas (DMAs), combining its proprietary Audience Engine data platform with identity capabilities, direct access to premium broadcast and streaming TV inventory and hands-on expertise in local campaign execution, the company said.

“The biggest opportunity in local TV is making audience data easier for advertisers to act on,” Stetson said. “Locality has the technology, media relationships and market expertise to make that possible, and I’m excited to build products that take advertisers from understanding their audiences to reaching them.”

In advance of its plans to spin-off its NBCUniversal division next year, Comcast said this week that it plans to restructure its business, expecting a restructuring charge exceeding $1 billion in Q4.

“We expect to have a significant charge in the fourth quarter related mostly to our transformation efforts, and I would quantify that at over $1 billion,” CFO Jason Armstrong told analysts during the company’s Q3 2026 earning call.

The cuts are expected to occur within a couple weeks and focus mainly on cable-TV, broadband and ​wireless businesses rather than NBCUniversal, according to Reuters.

Earlier this year, Comcast spun off its cable properties into a new company, Versant. That was followed by an announcement in June that it would split into two independent publicly traded companies via a tax-free spinoff of NBCUniversal and Sky by the middle of 2027.

Armstrong said he wants to get started on restructuring pronto so Comcast is “strengthening our competitive position.”

But he cautioned analysts against characterizing the cuts as a “cost-cutting exercise,” but rather giving Comcast “the ability to simplify in order to move faster, to be more nimble in decision-making, and I think really create capacity, to invest for growth.”

In its latest Q3 report, Comcast saw a 2.7% dip in its connectivity and platforms business to $19.66 billion, due to losses in its internet and cable TV subscriptions. NBCU revenues rose 6.5% to $10.54 billion, fueled by successes at the box office and sports ad revenues from Telemundo’s FIFA World Cup coverage.

Bridge Technologies has announced it has joined the MXL initiative, with its tools now accessible via Grass Valley’s AMPP operating system.

Developed in collaboration with the EBU, the Linux Foundation, NABA and others, the Media eXchange Layer (MXL) provides a vendor-neutral open-source layer for IP-native, software-defined media production. Aiming to enable access to a wide range of production tools, AMPP provides an open, cloud-native operating system and virtualized media production platform using MXL as a transport layer for low-latency interoperability.

Leveraging MXL, Bridge has containerized a number of components from its suite of production tools, repackaging and delivering intuitive video and audio monitoring scopes. Independent of hardware, these scopes combine with MXL to minimise reliance on constant network read/write cycles, cutting latency, network overhead and infrastructure costs and driving smarter workflows.

Users are able to deploy audio and video scope features as needed and monitor on-demand fluctuations such-as during major global sporting events.

Matt Yates, director of strategic alliances at Grass Valley, said, “Bridge Technologies’ work with MXL is a good example of how an open approach can bring third-party applications into software-based media workflows. With AMPP OS now MXL-native, Bridge’s containerized monitoring tools can be accessed within the AMPP environment, giving users greater flexibility in how and when they deploy these capabilities. It also demonstrates the value of bringing technology partners together around a common approach to media exchange.”

Chairman and co-founder of Bridge Technologies, Simen Frostad, said, “The software we create has always been capable of far more—it just needed the right architecture to unlock that potential at scale without introducing configuration complexities. MXL and containerization provide exactly that: a flexible, efficient way to run our best-in-class scopes across larger, more dynamic production environments, without the overhead of dedicated hardware deployments.

“And we’re particularly proud that this is being done through open standards and shared innovation. That’s always been central to how Bridge operates—we’ve never believed in locking others out to secure our own position. We’ve always held that industry progress enables individual success, not the other way around. The MXL project is a natural expression of that philosophy: building better tools and sharing them with the entire industry.”

HUNTSVILLE, Ala.—Gray Media, Triple B Media and the Southwestern Athletic Conference will collaborate on simulcasting SWAC athletic events over the air as well as via the recently announced SWAC TV FAST channel.

Gray Media owns television stations in multiple local markets with SWAC institutions, including Huntsville, Ala. (WAFF, WAAY), Montgomery, Ala. (WSFA, WCOV and WIYC) and Jackson, Miss. (WLBT). Each will air sports from their respective SWAC universities. Games include football, basketball, soccer and other men’s and women’s sports.

An article on the WAFF website announcing the deal quoted Joshua Pila, Gray vice president of content acquisition, about the collaboration and the importance of sports to the station group.

“This collaboration shows Gray’s continued focus on free local sports for local viewers,” Pila said.

PLANO, Texas—An increasing number of U.S. internet households are watching live events or sports through an on-demand streaming service, according to a new report from Parks Associates.

In its new report, The New Live TV Model: Skinny Bundles, Sports, News, the research firm says that 39% are doing so, illustrating the growing role of streaming services in delivering live programming. The expanding mix of options to watch video is changing how consumers find and watch sports, news, and events, as live video viewing is no longer synonymous with pay TV, Parks adds.

The report also found that 25% surveyed watch live video through free ad-supported television (FAST) services and 21% report they don't watch live video at all.

"Consumers value live content but struggle to find and access it," said Michael Goodman, Director, Entertainment Research, Parks Associates. "The challenge for providers is making live content accessible. Sports is a good example, with programming now distributed across multiple services and platforms."

Consumer interest in live sports is growing alongside broad-appeal entertainment. According to Parks Associates consumer research, comedy (60%), drama (56%), and news (50%) are the most popular content categories, while 48% report watching live sports. Subscription VOD (SVOD) services continue to add sports, news, and live events while FAST services build engagement through curated linear channels.

"Competition for viewers is increasingly about more than the content itself," Goodman said. "Providers need to deliver an experience that makes it easy for consumers to find, access, and move between live and on-demand programming."

AUSTIN, Texas—BeckTV, Beam Dynamics, and Providius have announced a collaboration that connects broadcast system design, asset intelligence, and live network assurance. By linking BeckTV’s BeckFlow system documentation, Beam’s Asset Intelligence platform, and Providius’ network assurance, the collaboration gives broadcasters, production organizations, and system integrators a clearer view of their technology infrastructure, from how equipment is deployed and connected to how it is performing in the live environment.

Broadcast organizations have traditionally kept system documentation, equipment records, and live monitoring data in separate applications. Engineering drawings document equipment relationships and signal paths; asset platforms hold ownership and lifecycle information; and monitoring tools show what is happening in the live environment. Connecting those sources gives engineering and operations teams a more complete view of each asset:

• BeckFlow shows signal routing, device connectivity and technical system relationships.
• Beam provides asset, manufacturer, firmware, warranty, licensing, purchasing, and lifecycle information.
• Providius shows the live performance of the network, devices, and services across IP-based broadcast networks.

For example, when Providius identifies a service issue, users can quickly trace the alert to the equipment involved. BeckFlow shows where the device sits and what depends on it, while Beam provides the operational and lifecycle information needed to investigate, maintain, or replace it.

“Each platform understands a different part of the same asset,” said David Kaszycki, CEO and Co-Founder of Beam Dynamics. “Providius shows what is happening, BeckFlow shows where the device sits and how it connects, and Beam provides the operational, financial, and lifecycle context. Connecting those views gives teams the information they need without requiring them to piece the story together across multiple systems.”

The collaboration also supports planned maintenance and longer-term infrastructure management. Before taking equipment offline, teams can review its connections and dependencies, confirm its support and licensing status, and better understand the potential effect on services.

“Our ultimate goal is to answer a fundamental question: Is the network we are operating the network we intended to build?” said Jamie Horner, Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy at Providius. “BeckFlow establishes the design intent, NVRT provides visibility into the actual operating environment, and Beam completes the picture with physical asset locations, software and firmware versions, and inventory change history. Bringing these perspectives together enables operators to validate the deployed environment against its intended design, identify discrepancies, and determine whether changes are accurately reflected in the system of record.”

The collaboration also extends the value of BeckFlow documentation beyond system design and delivery. Its centralized view of facility infrastructure remains connected to equipment records and operational information throughout the life of the system.

“Understanding how everything connects is fundamental to supporting complex broadcast infrastructure,” said Matt Weiss, Managing Partner and VP of Business Development at BeckTV. “By connecting BeckFlow with Beam and Providius, the system view remains tied to the equipment and its operational status throughout the life of the facility.”

The companies demonstrated the connected approach at IBC2026, with BeckFlow, Beam, and Providius working together across system design, asset intelligence, and live network monitoring.

The NBA tipped off its 2026-2027 season in a big way on Tuesday with a trio of marquee games broadcast live on NBC and its Peacock streaming service.

The day started in mid-afternoon with a matchup between the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons, which was won by Detroit, 121-113.

Then it was on to Madison Square Garden with the most anticipated matchup between NBC champs New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers spoiled the Knicks season debut with a 106-100 victory. The nightcap saw the San Antonio Spurs host the Oklahoma City Thunder with the Thunder winning 116-104.

Although the NBA traditionally starts their season on Tuesdays in late October, this was the first time a network had ever broadcast three NBA Tip-Off games. The new season marks the second year of the NBA's 11-year, $77 billion deal with Disney, NBC and Amazon Prime. NBC approached the network with the idea, according to NBC Sports Executive Vice President Justin Byczek.

“We kind of challenged the NBA,” he told USA TODAY Sports. “We think opening day should be expanded, and we’d love to be the network that gets behind it, and over the course of the next decade, let’s try to understand where opening day can get to.”

Some fans in certain markets reported that their local affilliates preempted the games in favor of regular local programming, according to Awful Announcing. Viewers in Memphis and Nashville, Tenn.; Columbus, Ohio; Omaha, Neb.; and Madison, Wis.; among others, tweeted that they could not access the games on their local stations. Viewers in areas that could not access the games on their local stations could watch on one of station's auxiliary channels (aka diginets) or on Peacock.

An NBC spokesperson told Awful Announcing the vast majority of local stations did indeed carry the games live.

“Broadcast stations serving 99% of U.S. households aired the game either on NBC or an alternate local station,” the spokesperson said. “It was also available on Peacock.”

When the Federal Emergency Management Agency triggers a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System at 2:20 p.m. Eastern Time on Nov. 17, broadcasters should be ready.

That means being able to receive the alert message and retransmit it at once, FEMA officials say.

It will be the first nationwide in three years.

In a webinar previewing the test, FEMA stressed that broadcasters should verify their monitoring sources, CAP connectivity, filters, software, audio levels and immediate NPT relays settings ahead of time.

FEMA, in coordination with the FCC, will originate the test through the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS), using the event code for a Nationwide Test of the EAS (NPT). It says the Common Alerting Protocol message will be delivered in both English and Spanish.

FEMA outlined the “test logistics and mechanics” of the nationwide test and provided best practices to help broadcasters.

The webinar was hosted by Al Kenyon, IPAWS customer support branch chief, and Jeff Hugabonne, chair of the Connecticut SECC.

The goal of the test, Kenyon said, is to “validate” the nationwide alerting infrastructure while ensuring that the public understands exactly what they are hearing and seeing.

“The nationwide test is a proxy, if you will, for an EAN, and it functions as an overall system-wide proof of performance, and that’s representative of how successful an EAN would be in messaging the public. So needless to say, a nationwide message, were one to be initiated, is extremely urgent for the public to receive rapidly,” he said.

Hugabonne said the most effective measure of readiness for broadcasters can be found in a station’s equipment logs in the form of other tests.

“Those readiness indicators include your weekly cap tests, over-the-air monitoring assignments, equipment logs, recorded audio-all of that provides a clear picture of whether your station is prepared,” Hugabonne said. “Are you receiving those?”

He continued: “That weekly CAP test is especially important for this next nationwide test coming up. If you’re consistently receiving it, your CAP connection is likely healthy. Missing CAP tests? You’re definitely going to want to investigate those.”

He said occasional misses might indicate intermittent connectivity or configuration issues. “You can use the RWT and RMT as a kind of early warning system to find out how to correct any issues.”

However, a successful log entry can create a bit of false confidence for broadcasters, Hugabonne continued. “Your log may show that it has received an event, but the alert could be noisy, distorted, low and level, or otherwise unusable. So the best practice is to listen to those recorded MP3s,” he recommended.

“Take a few minutes during your log review and check for hum, check for distortion, static, weak signal. If levels are too high, too low, treat those as issues that need to be fixed. A logged event isn’t the finish line. A good intelligible alert is,” he said during the webinar.

These readiness principles apply regardless of the make and model of your EAS equipment, Hugabonne said. “Verify that the unit is current, connected, correctly filtered and actively monitoring sources and configured for immediate NPT relay.”

The presentation noted that differences in CAP polling times might cause a broadcast station to receive the alert over the air rather than from FEMA’s CAP feed. “There are polling intervals from when alerts are posted and when your device pulls it down. That’s not a flaw,” Kenyon said. “It’s just the way it works. It’s that redundant capability kicking in.”

One of the strengths of EAS is that it was designed to function in both normal and degraded operating conditions, Kenyon said. This keeps in place a broadcast-based backup pathway that doesn’t depend on internet connectivity.

“If connectivity to IPAWS is disrupted during an outage, a cyber incident, power disruption or equipment issue, EAS can fail back to the signed over-the-air monitoring sources,” he said.

Kenyon reminded broadcasters they must also comply with the FCC’s EAS Test Reporting System or ETRS. EAS participants must submit their annual ETRS Form One for this year no later than Oct. 30. Forms Two and Three will be available in the system on Nov. 17, at the time of the initiation of the 2026 nationwide test.

ETRS Form Two will then be due within 48 hours.

“Form Three requires additional post-test information —some qualitative information and any comments you might have about the test quality and challenges you might have experienced,” Kenyon said. “The FCC reviews those answers. We review those answers, and we use that to try and improve the system going forward, so fill out those questions.”

ETRS Form Three with post-test data must be submitted within 45 days, on or before Jan. 4, 2027.

The presenters said that live monitoring of the nationwide test would be a “good idea” but acknowledged that it might be a challenge where resources are limited.

“If possible, have a station engineer or designated operator available to monitor the test in real time. That’ll allow you to answer the questions that that come in on FCC ETRS Form Three regarding the qualitative and quantitative aspects of carrying the test, you’ll be able to observe it firsthand and be able to properly answer those questions,” Kenyon said.

The November test is EAS only, meaning it has no Wireless Emergency Alert component. It should last about a minute, according to FEMA officials. It will state clearly that it is a test and that no action is required by the public.

Should a major incident require postponement of the November test, the backup date is Dec. 3, 2027.

This article originally appeared on TV Tech sister brand Radio World.

ATLANTA—The Weather Company has launched Weather Story Assist, its AI-power storytelling co-pilot which turns a single trusted forecast into distinctive, localized stories for linear TV, streaming, web, social and mobile platforms

Offered on the company’s Max Cloud platform, Weather Story Assist streamlines preparation and asset discovery, allowing stations to produce higher-quality, differentiated content and expand their digital reach without increasing headcount. Local meteorologists retain complete editorial authority over every story, graphic and script created.

"Weather Story Assist lets a station's weather team stand out on every screen, not just the six o'clock news," said Steve Ward, senior vice president and general manager, enterprise media at The Weather Company. "By eliminating manual search and prep work, we’re helping station groups deliver richer local storytelling and expand their digital presence, all while keeping the experts who know their local markets best in complete control."

Weather Story Assist streamlines newsroom workflows and improves content quality by:

• Grounding the Story in Minutes: Surfaces historical content, record data and compelling story angles behind the forecast – each clearly traced to its source – so meteorologists can build narratives quickly instead of starting from scratch.
• Intelligent Asset Search and Suggest: Comb through a station group's secure Max Cloud library to make automatic recommendations of relevant scenes, graphics, archived video and local angles in the station's distinct brand and editorial voice.

The Weather Company also announced three capabilities coming soon to Weather Story Assist, including three-tiered personalization, cross-market content sharing and automated vertical and platform adaptation.

Weather Story Assist is built around strict meteorologist-in-the-loop principles and helps to ensure no content is published or aired without explicit approval from a meteorologist. Every suggested storyline and media asset clearly traces back to its original source, providing transparency and trust.

Operating entirely within a station group’s secure, private Max Cloud environment, Weather Story Assist learns exclusively from that group's proprietary content, brand guidelines and usage patterns to ensure custom intelligence without sharing data or training across external platforms or customers.

More information is available on the company’s website.

MELBOURNE, Fla.—USSI Global, a broadcast systems integrator, has elevated Ted Corte to chief technology officer.

Korte has been with USSI Global since 2021, most recently running its engineering organization as vice president of engineering and technology. He joined the company as vice president of program management and Innovation Lab, where he managed broadcast infrastructure initiatives related to the first Federal Communications Commission C-band transition.

In his new role, Korte will oversee new technology, engineering and technical management teams across the USSI business, advancing the company’s system-level engineering capabilities, evaluating emerging technologies and developing solutions that address evolving customer requirements across all three business units, the company said.

“Ted has played an instrumental role in transforming how USSI Global approaches technology, engineering and customer engagement,” said USSI President and CEO Anthony Morelli, to whom Korte will report. “He has helped us move beyond simply implementing systems to becoming a trusted technical adviser that customers and technology partners turn to for answers, ideas and innovative solutions. His promotion to CTO recognizes the leadership he has already demonstrated while positioning us to expand those capabilities across every part of our business.”

In his prior role, Korte led the development of USSI Global's Media Transport Solutions Lab, a vendor-agnostic testing and engineering environment that helps broadcasters and media organizations evaluate emerging distribution technologies and architectures. The lab allows USSI customers to assess the performance, resiliency and operational requirements of satellite, terrestrial IP, cloud and alternative connectivity solutions before committing to large-scale deployments, USSI said.

He has also played a key role in the company’s initiatives to help its customers navigate the C-band transition, USSI Global said.

Korte has been a leading technical voice in USSI Global’s C-band initiatives, it said, helping customers navigate the first transition while positioning the company to support complex hybrid and next-gen transport architectures.

“We have built an environment where we can experiment with new technologies, understand how different systems work together and translate those discoveries into practical solutions,” Korte said. “The Media Transport Solutions Lab is a great example of that philosophy. It has helped us establish credibility as a technical partner while opening doors to new customer relationships and business opportunities.”

Korte said he hopes to extend that approach across USSI Global's broader service portfolio, including digital signage, retail technology and electronics repair.

Prior to USSI Global, Korte spent nearly 22 years with Harris Corp. in engineering leadership roles across broadcast automation, servers and transmission equipment. Later on, he was chief operating officer and chief technology officer of Qligent, a provider of broadcast and OTT monitoring and analytics solutions. Immediately prior to USSI, he returned to L3Harris to work on research and development initiatives involving satellite technologies, low-Earth-orbit ground stations and global networking systems.

Korte will share his satellite expertise tomorrow on a NAB Show New York panel titled “Broadcasters’ Road to C-Band Replacement.” For information on that panel session, click here.

SOUTHWICK, Mass.—Kokusai Denki Electric America will highlight its latest innovations in professional broadcast imaging and production control during NAB Show New York, Oct. 21-22, at Javits Center in Manhattan.

The company will feature solutions that deliver premium 4K picture quality, flexible camera operation and efficient production workflows, including its flagship 4K broadcast camera, versatile 4K box camera, advanced RU-2500JY remote control panel and new VF-EL20HP broadcast camera viewfinder.

The company’s SK-UHD7000, a professional 4K UHD camera system engineered for demanding broadcast and live production environments, incorporates three 2/3-inch CMOS image sensors with native 4K resolution, capturing detailed 3840x2160 UHD images with outstanding color reproduction, sensitivity and low-noise performance.

The camera’s global shutter technology minimizes unwanted artifacts, such as flickering and banding, associated with LED lighting and large-format displays. an SK-UHD7000-S2 configuration offers a flexible entry point to 4K through an optional license upgrade with instant activation.

The company will also demonstrate its DK-H700 multiformat box camera, a compact solution that combines broadcast-quality imaging with flexible deployment options. Designed for applications where camera size, positioning and operational versatility are essential, the DK-H700 is particularly well-suited for sports venues, live event production, broadcast studios and specialized point-of-view camera installations. It incorporates 2/3-inch CMOS imaging technology, advanced digital signal processing and HDR support to deliver sharp, detailed images with lifelike color fidelity, excellent sensitivity and low noise.

The DK-H700 can operate as a standalone production solution or complement the SK-UHD7000 in larger multicamera environments.

The company will also demonstrate the RU-2500JY remote control panel in combination with the SK-UHD7000. Designed to maximize operational control within limited production space, the RU-2500JY features a 3.2-inch (82 mm) width that allows side-by-side installation of five units in a standard 19-inch rack.

The panel integrates a 3.5-inch color touchscreen, illuminated controls, precision joystick and dedicated camera shading functions that give operators intuitive access to essential picture adjustments during live production. Advanced HDR and SDR controls, color matrix adjustments and scene file recall support consistent image quality across multicamera productions.

With support for both serial connectivity and IP-based control via Power over Ethernet (PoE), the RU-2500JY accommodates established broadcast infrastructures as well as evolving REMI and decentralized production workflows. Its USB interface also enables operators to store and recall camera configurations, simplifying setup and maintaining consistency across multiple production environments.

Kokusai Denki will also make the global debut of its new VF-EL20HP broadcast camera viewfinder at the show.

The VF-EL20HP combines a 0.7-inch Full HD OLED eyepiece with a 3.5-inch Full HD flip-out LCD monitor, allowing camera operators to transition between traditional eyepiece viewing and flexible off-axis monitoring without additional external displays. The OLED provides exceptional contrast, deep black levels and precise focus representation, while the high-brightness LCD supports alternative camera positions and collaborative viewing during live production.

Integrated waveform monitoring, vector scope, and histogram tools give operators immediate access to critical picture and signal information directly from the viewfinder.

Kokusai Denki will be in booth 430.

NHK has announced its Super Hi-Vision cameras have been deployed aboard the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft, which launched from the Tanegashima Space Center this morning.

Jointly developed with the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the 8K and 4K ultra-high definition cameras will document the entire mission, capturing footage of the spacecraft’s journey to the Martian system, its approach to the planet and the descent and landing on the moon of Phobos.

Designed to withstand the rigors of space travel, the two cameras have passed environmental testing in accordance with JAXA’s standards, said NHK.

Their imagery will be combined with flight data and other information to produce vivid, immersive footage of the flight.

Commenting on the launch of the H3 rocket, NHK’s president said, “The cameras we have developed have now begun their long journey to the Mars system. We hope people will look forward to the images of Mars and Phobos captured by the cameras. NHK will continue to work closely with JAXA to turn the 8K and 4K images sent back from the Mars system into video footage and share it widely with audiences.”

NEW YORK—Station group Hearst Television has hired Chris Plourde as vice president, strategy and distribution.

Plourde comes to Hearst after 20 years at Tegna, most recently as vice president, financial planning and analysis. He will report to John Robertson, senior vice president of strategy and distribution, assisting him in areas including strategic partnerships in distribution and technology, Hearst said.

“Finding a leader with Chris’s depth of experience is a rare and exceptional opportunity,” Hearst Television President Michael J. Hayes said. “His arrival further strengthens what is, without question, the finest strategy and distribution team in the local television business, and positions us to lead Hearst Television boldly into its next generation.”

While with Tegna, Plourde specialized in distribution strategy, corporate development, financial planning and complex commercial negotiations including the successful completion of many distribution agreements, Hearst said. His work has included constructing financial models supporting distribution revenue, negotiation strategy and new business ventures, according to the company. He has also led financial strategy and analysis supporting network affiliation negotiations and strategic partnerships, among other activities, Hearst said.

“Chris brings an extraordinarily distinctive and wide-ranging breadth of experience, and we are fortunate to welcome him to the team,” Robertson said. “His insight and perspective will be invaluable as we continue to build on our momentum and he will be instrumental in helping drive our relationships with networks and MVPDs, including our advanced advertising partnerships.”

A graduate of Northeastern University who earned his MBA at George Mason University, Plourde joined Tegna in 2006.

LAS VEGAS—PSSI Global Services, which provides transmission services for live events, has promoted Tracy Michaels to vice president of engineering.

Michaels, a 20-year PSSI veteran, will continue to represent the company in the field at high-profile events but will dedicate much of his time to designing major infrastructure upgrades across its SNG fleet and at PSSI International Teleport. He’ll also work closely to integrate on-site networking services from the recently acquired Beagle Networks into PSSI’s suite of transmission and managed service offerings.

He’ll also lead PSSI’s push into SMPTE 2110 transmission, with the design and launch of a new dual-antenna, IP-centric transmission vehicle in the first quarter of next year, the company said.

“We are quite excited to elevate Tracy into this role as we work closely with our customers to navigate a sea change in broadcast signal delivery,” PSSI CEO Derek Blount said. “The breadth and depth of his experience in the field, his commitment to learning and his unwavering work ethic have earned Tracy the respect of his colleagues throughout the industry. But what we’re most excited about is Tracy’s ability to anticipate the needs of our customers as we develop and implement unique technology solutions to unique transmission scenarios.”

Michaels will report to PSSI executive vice president and chief technology officer Brian Nelles.

“My work is cut out for me in this new role,” Michaels said. “The live event industry is undergoing a transformative period in how solutions are delivered, and I want to ensure we are prepared to support our customers at the highest level. We want to lead the way while also listening, understanding and responding to the complexities of live contribution and distribution.”

Nelles noted that PSSI is known for its expertise in Appear technology, with both executives recently representing the company at an Appear-hosted panel in Norway.

“PSSI is recognized as the foremost field expert in Appear technology, and Tracy has spearheaded this work as an Appear ‘power user,’” Nelles said. “His innate ability to develop and execute robust engineering solutions in volatile live scenarios makes him a valuable leader in PSSI’s efforts to level up our entire team's technical know-how and remain at the cutting edge of the live event industry.”

LONDON—Despite recent turmoil in traditional regional sports networks (RSNs), the value of Major League Baseball’s (MLB) regional broadcast rights at $1.6bn in 2026, accounts for 43% of the league’s total $3.7bn broadcast rights revenue, according to a new report from Ampere Analysis.

The contribution remains substantial despite the disruption to regional sports networks (RSNs), which traditionally broadcast teams’ games to local audiences outside national television packages, the researcher said.

Rooted in linear cable, regional sports networks (RSNs) have come under increasing pressure from cord-cutting, as US households move away from traditional pay TV towards streaming. Over the past four years, 13 of MLB’s 30 teams have lost their regional sports network partner, including 12 following the bankruptcies of Diamond Sports and Main Street Sports Group.

Ampere estimates that US pay TV households will fall from 96 million in 2016 to 65 million by the end of 2026, while streaming households will increase from 57 million to 112 million over the same period.

MLB.tv has taken on responsibility for broadcasting local games for affected teams which has contributed to the robustness of the regional rights income. In the 2026 season, it holds regional broadcast rights for 14 of the league’s 30 teams. Most of the remaining teams have more lucrative regional television arrangements with the ones in the larger, more populous markets having a bigger pool of fans and potential regional sports network customers.

Ampere estimates that the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees alone account for 23% of total MLB regional rights fees and that in total, the 14 teams partnered with MLB.tv currently account for roughly 30% of all regional non-advertising TV revenue. These teams previously had more lucrative agreements with their regional broadcast partners, with MLB.tv currently providing an interim solution.

With labor talks threatening an all-out "strike" for the 2027 MLB season, Ampere adds that greater revenue sharing between teams may be introduced following the expiry of the collective bargaining agreement between MLB and the MLB Players Association at the end of this year. This could reduce the television revenue gap between teams in smaller and larger markets.

In the upcoming negotiations, MLB wants to centralize local broadcast rights at its next media rights cycle in 2028. This could allow the rights to be sold collectively to a streaming platform, potentially on a national basis, Ampere said.

In terms of the overall U.S. market, Ampere expects US pay TV households to decline further to 58 million by 2031, while streaming households will reach 120 million. A consolidated package of local MLB rights would offer a substantial volume of games to broadcasters interested in one of the ‘big four’ US sports leagues.

NEW YORK—Fox Advertising says it is adding new partners to its agentic advertising platform, expanding the reach of its platform to live and commercial linear TV.

In June, Fox Advertising announced the industry’s first end-to-end agentic advertising platform, powered by Fox AdStudio, demonstrating that it had built the technology and infrastructure to embed agents across audience planning, media transactions and activation.

Now, Fox Advertising is advancing that foundation with WPP, Omnicom, Horizon Media, Stagwell and Simulmedia executing agentic linear transactions for live campaigns through an evolved agentic infrastructure designed to support broader real-world execution, the company said.

The enhanced infrastructure creates a centralized and secure connection point for partners to interact with Fox AdStudio. A Fox agent routes each partner to its own dedicated, permissioned account, providing direct agent-to-agent connectivity.

The platform now also incorporates an integrated governance engine that monitors agent activity throughout the workflow for compliance and adherence to established protocols. Built-in controls further advance Fox AdStudio’s security-first approach.

The new capabilities also enable a more intelligent linear transaction, according to Fox. When requested inventory is unavailable, the Fox agent can recommend alternative inventory based on the advertiser’s target audience rather than simply removing unavailable inventory from the order. This lays the foundation for more guided agentic transactions over time, with strong guardrails and human oversight remaining essential throughout the process. Fox Advertising and agency teams maintain control over key decisions, the company said.

“From the beginning, our vision for agentic advertising has been to connect the campaign lifecycle and create a more seamless and effective experience for advertisers,” said Jeff Collins, President of Fox Advertising, Marketing and Brand Partnerships. “In June, we demonstrated that we had built the technology and infrastructure to make end-to-end agentic advertising possible. Now, together with our partners, we’re putting those capabilities to work on live campaigns — moving agentic advertising from capability to real-world execution while maintaining the governance and human oversight essential to doing it responsibly.”

GARBSEN, Germany—Proton Camera Innovations says it will demo its new PROTON IS miniature broadcast camera at NAB New York 2026, Oct. 21-22, at Javits Center in Manhattan.

Incorporating image stabilization and an innovative lens/body split structure to provide image clarity in immersive contexts, the PROTON IS was demonstrated as a concept during IBC206 in December. The camera will be available for delivery in Q1 2027.

The PROTON IS brings professional-grade image stabilization to a form factor where conventional stabilization systems, such as gimbals, gyros and mechanical dampers, are simply unable to function.The camera uses a two-part architecture that separates the imaging head—measuring .8 x .8 x .9 inches (20x20x22.5mm) drawing 0.5W—from the processing unit and power supply which measures .9x.9x2.75 inches (23x23x70mm) and draws 2.3W with passive cooling.

Together, these are connected via a flexible cable up to 35 inches (90cm), which allows the sensitive processing components to remain safely hidden away while the tiny imaging head captures footage in the heart of the action.

With 1080p60 footage in 10-bit quality, the PROTON IS incorporates Proton’s VEGA broadcast-grade shading for color accuracy and dynamic range required in professional production. An integrated stereo microphone captures embedded audio, while the low total power draw of 2.8W across a 4.7-24V range enables integration into power-constrained environments. The camera fits any SDI transmitter system, with full remote control available via RS485.

The PROTON IS is well-suited to body-mounted applications, where the stabilization system compensates for the jarring and distracting bobbing motion of the human gait, while retaining the immersive perspective of a POV shot. The split architecture also allows for even weight distribution and moves heat-producing components away from the subject’s forehead.

Proton Camera Innovations will be in Booth 560.

More information is available on the company’s website.

ATLANTA—Scripps Sports Network, the free streaming television network launched by The E.W. Scripps Company earlier this year, will premiere a new original series, “Total Replay with the Makeshift Project,” bringing the show’s popular YouTube content to television.

“The Makeshift Project” is the hit YouTube channel and podcast hosted by lifelong best friends Zach Misischia and Brian Conforth. The two have become viral sensations, attracting an audience of more than 6.5 million to their content, which focuses on casual conversations, pop culture, sports trivia and interactive guessing games.

In “Total Replay with the Makeshift Project,” the duo will honor the most memorable and nostalgic personalities, moments and minutiae in sports history, using their signature mix of list-based rankings, challenges, games and competitive debate alongside prominent guests. Each episode is themed by sport, allowing for a deeper dive rather than a surface-level take. This isn’t generic sports show energy; it’s obsessive, encyclopedic and joyfully unhinged fandom on full display.

Throughout the 10-episode first season, Misischia and Conforth will be joined by a range of sports and entertainment personalities, including actor and comedian Kevin Heffernan; filmmaker and writer Jay Chandrasekhar; popular creator John Franklin; Olympic heptathlete Chari Hawkins; sports media personality and podcast host Kazeem “Kaz” Famuyide; sports broadcaster Robin Lundberg; and sports content creator Megan Eugenio.

Scripps Sports Network will present “Total Replay with the Makeshift Project” Wednesday nights at 8/7c starting Oct. 21, with the first two episodes airing back-to-back. The network will air 30-minute episodes, with longer, one-hour versions available on the Scripps Sports YouTube channel the next day.

“Zach and Brian have built a devoted following by bringing an infectious energy, deep sports knowledge and unmistakable sense of fun to every conversation,” said Adam Harman, senior vice president of programming for Scripps. “This new series will tap into the passion that makes sports fandom so special, and we’re thrilled to add this fresh and distinctive series to Scripps Sports Network’s growing lineup of original programming.”

The debut of “Total Replay” follows two other original programming launches for Scripps Sports Network. On Sept. 15, the channel launched “The Originals” with legendary sports broadcaster Suzy Kolber, and “Beyond the Curve” with Olympic champion Sanya Richards-Ross. Both series have been early hits with viewers.

As audiences increasingly migrate to streaming to consume premium sports programming, Scripps launched Scripps Sports Network in March. The 24/7 free streaming channel features a lineup of live sports, encore presentations of fan-favorite sports events and exclusive original programming led by “The Originals,” “Beyond the Curve” and “Total Replay.” Scripps Sports Network is widely available across major streaming platforms and services.

DENVER—The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation this week committed an additional $10 million to the Public Media Bridge Fund aiming to assist local public media organizations improve their financial wherewithal in the wake of the federal government’s 2025 recission of funding.

“Public media stations are trusted community anchors and essential local information infrastructure. Emergency support gave them time to stabilize. Now the priority is durability,” said Maribel Pérez Wadsworth, president and CEO of Knight Foundation. “The Bridge Fund brings the relationships, expertise and practical know-how to help public media organizations improve operations and build strong local partnerships. That work will help ensure they can continue providing trusted local news, culture, education and emergency information to communities across the country.”

The Public Media Company launched the fund in August 2025 with the Knight Foundation making an initial commitment of $10 million. It also provided an additional $3 million directly to at-risk stations. With the contributions from other donors, the fund distributed $26 million in grants to 74 organizations operating 186 radio and TV stations by December 2025.

To date, it has raised $87 million from more than 1,500 donors and has set a goal of raising an additional $38 million to support its latest phase, which aims to strengthen public media organizations for the long term.

“We’re grateful to Maribel Pérez Wadsworth and Knight Foundation for their steadfast support of public media’s mission and service,” said Tim Isgitt, CEO of Public Media Company. “This renewed investment from Knight Foundation will enable the Bridge Fund to help more local public media organizations sustain and evolve their service in a post-CPB era. Knight Foundation’s support will ensure that millions of Americans will continue to have access to public media that informs, connects and inspires communities.”

More information is available on the fund’s website.

A century ago, stations owned by radio manufacturers broadcast to sell receivers. Seventy years later, TVs and radios appeared everywhere. As big as our investment in towers and transmitters is, it is dwarfed (20:1 to 40:1 per Copilot) by the public’s investment in receivers. Broadcasting’s business models have evolved with regulatory, social and ownership changes.

TV most notably now collects most of its revenue from retransmission fees, making an over-the-air (OTA) viewer worth less than half an MVPD subscriber. Half of radio’s distribution is streaming, often making a Web listener worth less than an OTA listener (streaming financials are diverse and complex).

'Creative Destruction'
Whether newspapers, magazines, movies, or electronic media; content has become easier/cheaper to produce and bountiful, fragmenting the audience. Businesses reactively resize to fit their revenue. We are not unique in experiencing this cycle. “Creative destruction” disrupts existing markets and industries paving the way for new products, services, and business models. The right sizing phase is probably the most painful for those functioning in any contracting industry. We have also experienced the amplifying effects of private equity and consolidation.

Now we face a paradigm shift. Merriam Webster’s defines a paradigm shift “as a fundamental change in the underlying assumptions, frameworks, or methods that a community, discipline, or industry uses to understand and operate in the world. It replaces an old model with a new one—not by incremental improvement, but by a wholesale rethinking of what is true or possible.”

Legacy broadcasting has enjoyed a beneficial extremely low friction user experience. Traditional receivers have two controls, on/off/volume and tune. Millions of these receivers still exist and work, but the natural replacement cycle is frequently replacing them with devices capable of an Internetized user experience.

If you have recently rented a new car and asked AI for help using the radio or bought a new TV only to find that OTA TV doesn’t happen without an internet connection and the manufacturer’s content partners like Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube, Disney+, and Hulu have direct access buttons on the remote, while OTA broadcast is buried in a menu tree, you have experienced Internetization. Google TV/Android TV, webOS, Tizen, Roku TV OS, Fire TV OS, and Vizio’s WatchFree+/SmartCast, Android Automotive, Apple CarPlay, and proprietary OEM OSs and connected car backends can all be Internetized.

Internetized? What’s That?
Until now, US broadcast hasn’t experienced a gatekeeper. It’s not unheard of. North Korean receivers can only receive North Korean stations. Our NextGen ATSC 3.0 encryption unnaturally constricts viewers. Further, audience data once limited to generalized ratings can now be very granular and personal.

Internetized receivers “unlock new untapped revenue streams” for manufacturers and feed the algorithmic big data industry. Until now, relocating eyes and ears to “new media,” was done by attraction. Making it difficult, if not practically impossible, for the audience to receive OTA broadcast and driving them to other services is coercive. Broadcast is only as good as the receivers are.

This is probably why some of America’s major sellers have entered the manufacturing and content business. At least one practically gives away TVs to create or enhance a continuing revenue stream. I recently took home (briefly) a TV that would not operate without an Internet connection, required six button pushes to activate a deceptively labeled OTA function that requires rescanning each time the TV is turned on, then erases the OTA channel map when turned off.

In nearly an hour with friendly customer service that didn’t sympathize with my plight, I was told that “OTA TV was going away, and I probably wouldn’t miss it after I got used to it.” I recently rented a new car—AI and last year’s Youtubes couldn’t tell me how to receive the local NPR station missing from the manufacturer’s connected back-end supplied station list. Eventually, I manually entered the frequency’s digits on a soft keypad. That radio also showed few, often only two, AM stations along RF rich I-95 even after dark. No way to scan the dial, just the manufacturer’s list of stations.

I suppose we are habituated to the Internetization of search engines that favor sponsored results, equipment that can only be repaired via Internet diagnostics with proprietary parts only they can install, and algorithmically driven social media monetized misinformation bubbles.

Even as we resize, nothing confirms the enormous importance of the broadcast ecosystem (the fusion of OTA/Internet/MVPD delivery) like this administration’s strongarm influencing broadcast messaging. Exceptionally, half of all political advertising continues to go to broadcast.

Realistically, because not all OTA receivers will be Internetized, we might adjust to losing in-car listening and living room smart TVs. Smart speakers are a godsend now, but there is nothing that prevents them from becoming more like smart TVs.

Regulations that limit the Internetization of broadcast are not unreasonable (notably, the EU is far less tolerant of Internetization exploitations than we are). Nor is product labeling that indicates the suitability of a receiver for OTA broadcast. Nor are business arrangements where we pay or trade for direct access buttons like Netflix and WatchFree+ enjoy. We could also promote OTA friendly receivers with the fervor we fight for retrans (“call your cable/satellite company and tell them you want…”).

Broadcasting could also be a lot more desirable, essential, and deserving of pinnacle placement. Advanced Emergency Alerting could mature to rival, then exceed emergency apps. Broadcast FM and TV could incorporate timing and location information to backstop and enhance GPS.

Fewer stations might result in better stations that don’t need 38-element mega breaks. It is both a good time to be leaving and a good time to enter an industry that could be experiencing the most interesting time in broadcasting’s history. While a lot is happening, a lot more will happen, and we have a front row seat, and every now and then a voice.

This article originally appeared in the October 2026 issue of The Signal, the Society of Broadcast Engineers bi-monthly member newsletter.

KINGS PARK, NY—MultiDyne Video & Fiber Optic Systems has introduced new kits that combine SilverBack fiber transport technology, a compact base station and all required camera-specific accessories in a single package, designed to make it “easier and more affordable for production teams to integrate digital cinema cameras into professional live production environments,” the company said

Built around its SilverBack Series and designed for any cinema camera including the Sony VENICE, Sony BURANO and Canon EOS C400, the new kits extend the value by consolidating the necessary components into one convenient purchase, MultiDyne eliminates the complexity of sourcing individual cables, connectors and mounting accessories while offering substantial savings compared to purchasing components separately.

"Our goal is to remove the guesswork and expense that can come with integrating cinema cameras into live production systems," said Jesse Foster, Director of Strategic Accounts and Products, MultiDyne. "Customers can choose the camera they want to use, purchase the corresponding SilverBack kit and have everything they need to get connected. We're making a proven, professional fiber camera solution more accessible to a wider range of broadcasters, production companies, corporate enterprises and houses of worship."

Each kit is tailored to the connectivity and mounting requirements of its supported camera. The Sony VENICE kit includes the serial data cabling required for camera control, while the Sony BURANO and Canon EOS C400 kits incorporate camera-specific mounting plates that simplify installation and provide access to essential connections. All kits include the relevant cables, connectors and documentation needed to streamline deployment.

At the heart of the solution is MultiDyne's compact SVB-1 1RU base station, which provides the fiber connectivity and power infrastructure required for professional SMPTE camera workflows. Paired with SilverBack camera-mounted adapters including the SilverBack-V, the system supports the video, audio, control and return signal requirements of live multi-camera production over fiber. The shallow, lightweight base station is especially attractive for flypacks, mobile production systems and installations where rack space is limited, according to the company.

Multidyne will showcase the new kit at Booth 856 during NAB Show New York at the Javits Center, Oct. 21-22.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday said that reduced broadcast political ad rates two months prior to a general election should apply to more than just the candidates and extend to political parties and joint fundraising committees.

The 7-2 decision came after Democrats challenged a new interpretation of the rules by the FCC that expanded the purview of a federal law that mandates broadcasters offer their lowest available ad rates to campaigns in the 60 days before a general election.

The ruling overturns a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit, which voted 2-1 to force the commission to decide on a challenge from the Democratic party in a timely manner, giving the commission until Oct. 9. Roberts halted the deadline to give the court time to decide.

Although the ruling applies to both parties, the Trump administration believes that expanding eligibility for the lower political ad rates will give Republicans a financial advantage in the mid-terms, now less than three weeks away.

In their ruling, the justices said the lower court's decision to force the FCC’s hand was “inappropriate under the circumstances.”

“Our system of separation of powers does not allow the Judiciary to meddle in ‘the workings of a coordinate branch of the Government’ in this manner,” they wrote.

This marks the second time SCOTUS has ruled on the issue, denying a challenge from Democrats in September saying that the parties had jumped the gun and sued too early.

Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented but did not give a reason why.

PITTSBURGH—NEP Group today announced the availability of TAG Video Systems' software-based multiviewing, monitoring and QC capabilities through NEP Platform.

Customers can deploy TAG alongside complementary software applications through NEP Platform’s single, secure interface, bringing multiviewing, real-time monitoring and quality control into broader production workflows. TAG Core, the software behind TAG Video Systems’ technology, lets production teams view all of their media formats side by side, monitor them in depth in real time, and analyze signal quality with built-in QC tools.

NEP Platform is built around an open approach to software orchestration, running applications from multiple technology providers on commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) servers. This gives customers the flexibility to run different production applications on common infrastructure, deploying and scaling capabilities up or down as production requirements change, the company said.

“We’re excited to bring TAG’s technology to NEP Platform and become part of its growing software ecosystem,” said Michael Demb, vice president, Product Strategy at TAG Video Systems. “TAG and NEP share a common view of where the industry is headed: toward open, software-defined environments that give customers more freedom to choose the technologies and capabilities that work best for them. By bringing TAG to NEP Platform, production teams get multiviewing for all their media formats side by side, in-depth real-time monitoring, and QC analysis in one place, so they can verify what they put on air with confidence.”

Despite increasing competition from streaming giants eager for an ever bigger slice of the live sports pie, ESPN reported impressive viewing numbers for its most recent season.

For 2026, the sports network saw a 10% year-over-year increase in total viewers across ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN on ABC, marking the sixth consecutive year of linear television growth. The gains came during a highly competitive sports media landscape that included the FIFA World Cup and Winter Olympics on competing networks, the network said.

Across FY26 (Sept. 28, 2025-Oct. 3, 2026), ESPN’s television networks accounted for 31% of all sports viewing among both total viewers and Adults 18-49. ESPN finished nine points ahead of second-place Fox Sports networks and 13 points ahead of NBCUniversal networks.

ESPN and ESPN on ABC each posted 11% year-over-year growth in total viewership, while ESPN2 increased 3%.

Growth was broad-based across audiences. Female viewership increased 14% year over year and represented 34% of all viewing across ESPN networks, up from 29% a decade ago. Viewership among children ages 2-17 also increased 14%.

Beyond television, ESPN’s average monthly reach expanded to 239.4 million users across its television, digital and social platforms. Digital and social audiences increased ESPN’s overall reach by 286% compared to television alone, extending its audience to nearly four times its TV footprint. Adults 18-49 accounted for 56% of ESPN’s total cross-platform reach.

Among the highlights:

• The College Football Playoff National Championship (Miami-Indiana) averaged 28.9 million viewers, making it the most-viewed college football game in 11 years. ESPN networks also delivered their most-viewed regular season since 2011.
• ESPN’s AFC Divisional Playoff game (Texans-Patriots) averaged 37.9 million viewers, the largest NFL audience in network history. Monday Night Football delivered its second most-viewed season of the ESPN era.
• The 2026 NBA Playoffs were ESPN’s most-viewed postseason since acquiring NBA rights in 2002. The Knicks-Spurs NBA Finals became the league’s most-viewed Finals since 1998, with the decisive Game 5 averaging 24.5 million viewers.
• The 2025-26 regular season and 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs both ranked as the most-viewed of ESPN’s current NHL rights agreement. The Golden Knights-Hurricanes Stanley Cup Final posted triple-digit year-over-year growth.
• In Men’s college basketball, both the regular season and Champ Week delivered multi-year audience highs.
• Coverage of both the Masters Tournament and PGA Championship posted double-digit audience growth year over year.
• Women’s college basketball achieved its highest regular-season audience in 17 years. The Women’s NCAA Tournament delivered ESPN’s second most-viewed tournament on record, while both the Women’s College World Series and WNBA Playoffs became the most-viewed in ESPN history.

ESPN’s digital and social platforms also grew, with ESPN Digital averaging 21.8 million daily active users, up 1% year over year. The ESPN App led with 9.8 million daily active users, while the Fantasy App increased 5% to 3.4 million daily active users. NFL, NBA, college football and MLB generated the highest levels of engagement.

ESPN Social generated 7.5 billion engagements, maintaining its position as the No. 1 sports publisher on social media and finishing 71% ahead of second-place Bleacher Report.

MELBOURNE, Fla.—USSI Global has elevated Amanda Flynn to chief operating officer of the provider of network, broadcast media and digital signage systems and services.

An 18-year company veteran, Flynn most recently was USSI’s chief revenue officer. She will focus on advancing the company’s service capabilities, aligning operations with customer needs and driving strategic growth, USSI said.

“Amanda brings a unique perspective to this role through her deep understanding of our customers, our business and the industries we serve,” USSI Global President and CEO Anthony Morelli said. “Her ability to translate customer challenges into meaningful service solutions, combined with her knowledge of our operations, will be instrumental as we continue to evolve and grow.”

Flynn has held several leadership roles throughout her USSI tenure spanning business development, customer relations, sales and revenue operations, including five years of overseeing and managing one of its largest revenue-generating customers, the company said. She brings a deep understanding of customer needs, operational challenges and opportunities to develop innovative service solutions that drive long-term partnerships and growth, USSI said.

As chief operating officer, Flynn will focus on identifying opportunities to expand USSI Global’s service offerings, the company said, refining processes to improve the customer experience and ensuring USSI is positioned to support the evolving technology and business needs of its customers.

“My experience working closely with customers has taught me that the best opportunities come from understanding their challenges and finding creative ways to solve them,” Flynn said. “I’m excited to bring that perspective to operations, working alongside our teams to develop new services, fine-tune our processes and continue delivering solutions that make a meaningful difference for our customers.’

Flynn joined the company in 2008 and had been CRO since March 2024. Her promotion follows Ed McGivern’s hiring as CRO.

IRVINE, Calif.—Wooden Camera has unveiled a redesigned lineup of accessories for the Sony FX6, bringing a more modular, production-focused approach to the camera platforms.

Designed in response to evolving production workflows and feedback from working camera crews, the updated system provides expanded mounting options, faster transitions between configurations and improved integration with modern camera accessories.

At the center of the updated ecosystem is a redesigned Top Plate System featuring an expanded mounting layout, forward-facing ¼-inch-20 and 3/8-inch-16 mounting points, anti-twist options and a removable center section. The modular center design allows users to maintain compatibility with the FX6’s native top handle or configure the camera for professional screw-in top handles without removing the entire top plate.

The updated system also introduces an ARCA Plate for Sony FX6, providing a direct ARCA interface at the bottom of the camera for fast transitions between compatible support systems. Its full-length design offers additional balance options, while an integrated opening maintains airflow around the camera.

For camera assistants and operators working in compact documentary configurations, the new Native Handle Cheese Plate expands the capabilities of Sony’s native top handle by adding mounting options for additional accessories and Ultra Handle extensions. The design preserves the shape and ergonomics of the native handle while creating additional mounting capability for accessories, such as MDRs and other on-camera equipment.

Wooden Camera has also redesigned the Sony FX6 power workflow with updated V-Mount and Gold Mount Battery Slide Plate Kits. The new attachment style connects directly to the redesigned top plate and incorporates the new Bolt-On Battery Slide Bracket, addressing a long-standing request from the Sony FX6 community while providing a more adaptable battery mounting solution. The slotted bracket allows the battery position to be adjusted based on camera configuration, while its swing-away design provides access to rear camera ports.

The ecosystem is rounded out by updated Lens Support and Base Plate options, along with complete Core and Elite configurations designed for different production needs. The Core Cage System is aimed at documentary, run-and-gun, low-profile and owner-operator workflows, while the Elite Cage System provides a more comprehensive cinema configuration with an Ultra Handle, expanded mounting points, lens support and 15mm rod support.

The redesigned Sony FX6 ecosystem is built around industry-standard interfaces, including ARRI-Standard mounting points, NATO rails and ARCA and dovetail systems, allowing users to integrate existing accessories and build configurations that can evolve with their production needs.

The new Sony FX6 accessories will be available as individual components and complete system configurations, giving users the flexibility to upgrade existing rigs or build a new FX6 package from the ground up.

More information is available on the company’s website.

DirecTV this week announced “Build Your Own Multiview,” a new feature that gives subscribers more control over how they stream live games by letting them select up to four eligible channels to watch together on one screen.

The feature is being rolled out this week to DirecTV streaming customers on Gemini and Roku, with Android TV, Fire TV, Vizio, LG, Apple TV and Tizen TV to follow. Building on DirecTV’s curated Multiview experience, fans can now choose between pre-selected combinations or create their own two-, three- or four-view lineup.

The experience is simple and intuitive. While watching eligible content, fans can access Multiview directly from the DirecTV interface. The channel they’re already watching is pre-selected, and from there they can add other available sports channels to create a two-, three- or four-view lineup. Fans can also add or remove selections as they watch.

“Eligible content” includes a wide range of sports networks, including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, FS1, NFL Network, NBA TV, MLB Network, NHL Network, CBS Sports Network, Golf Channel, Tennis Channel, ACC Network, Big Ten Network and SEC Network. Additional participating local broadcast and national networks can also become available when they’re carrying eligible live sporting events, according to DirecTV.

This new feature joins existing Multiview channels and DirecTV Sports Central as part of DirecTV’s sports viewing options. Available from the main menu, Sports Central brings live and upcoming games across football, basketball, baseball and hockey together in one place, where fans can view schedules, follow the action and set recordings for their favorite teams.

COLUMBIA, Md.—LTN has integrated its LTN Schedule Playout with Sony’s Ci Media Cloud, bringing together cloud-based media management and real-time linear playout.

The integration gives media organizations a streamlined way to access, manage and move content between two environments.

Ci provides cloud-based capabilities for storing, organizing, reviewing and collaborating on media, while LTN Schedule Playout enables media companies to originate, manage and automate full-time linear channels and live programming.

Channel creators can leverage the complementary capabilities of both to access their Ci library from within interface of LTN Schedule Playout, preview available media and seamlessly use assets in seconds.

The workflow also enables automatic transfer of file assets and livestream recordings from LTN Schedule Playout into Ci, establishing a bi-directional connection that reduces manual steps and makes content movement more efficient.

“Media companies need technology that works together without adding another layer of operational complexity,” said Rick Young, senior vice president of Global Products at LTN. “By integrating Ci directly with LTN Schedule Playout, we’re connecting best-in-class cloud media management with proven real-time playout and automation capabilities.”

The integration is already supporting real-world broadcast operations through work with joint customer Public Media Management (PMM), demonstrating how cloud-based media management and real-time linear playout can work together within an operational production environment.

Users can visually browse and preview assets stored in Ci without leaving the LTN environment, rather than relying on conventional object-storage interfaces. Selected content can then move directly into the playout workflow, simplifying file handling while preserving visibility throughout the process.

The collaboration addresses demand from broadcasters, public media organizations and other content owners for interoperable technologies that bridge cloud-based media tools with the real-time infrastructure needed to originate and deliver linear channels for broadcast, pay TV, FAST and streaming platforms.

“Ci is built to make media more accessible and collaborative across increasingly cloud-based workflows. Our work with LTN extends that value directly into linear playout, giving mutual customers a more connected and efficient way to move content from media management through to air,” said David Rosen, vice president of Cloud Applications and Services at Sony Electronics.

More information is available on the LTN and Sony websites.

Electronics Research Inc. has a new owner.

American Amplifier Technologies LLC, which in recent years has purchased several familiar broadcast companies including Shively Labs and Kathrein-Scala, now has acquired majority ownership of ERI from Tom Silliman.

The terms were not disclosed.

Silliman, its president/CEO since 1977, is retiring.

ERI designs, manufactures and installs broadcast antennas, towers, transmission line, filters and combiners.

AAT owner Steve Wilde told Radio World that he will continue its products and operations, including its facility in Chandler, Ind. ERI customers, he said, should expect continuity in service, support and business relationships, and can continue communicating with their contacts through existing channels.

“The acquisition is intended to strengthen ERI by providing additional resources, expanded capabilities and continued investment in the company’s long-term success,” he said.

He highlighted ERI’s significant market share in broadcast antennas and said its other offerings compliment AAT’s business. He noted the companies’ combined engineering, manufacturing, RF laboratory analysis, field-service and installation capabilities.

“We see tremendous opportunity in ERI. It has a long-standing reputation for producing proven, high-quality products and has earned the loyalty and trust of its customers.”

ERI, he continued, has “an exceptional facility, a highly capable structural steel division and extensive engineering expertise. What truly sets ERI apart is its unique combination of manufacturing capabilities and an installation division. Few companies in the industry can offer this level of expertise and capability.”

Background
AAT makes and carries a diverse line of RF products. Wilde founded the company in 2008, along with sister firm SWE Services.

Over the past seven years he has been active at seeking acquisition opportunities.

In 2019 AAT acquired Mauna Towers, which operates tower facilities in Hawaii and Arizona. In 2023, it purchased antenna and filter manufacturer Shively Labs and also started a partnership with System Engineering Solutions. Then in late 2025, AAT acquired Kathrein Broadcast USA, also known as Kathrein-Scala.

AAT is based in Citrus Heights near Sacramento, Calif. Kathrein-Scala continues to run out of White City near Medford, Ore. [Read a history of AAT.]

“ERI, Shively and Kathrein-Scala are names that generations of broadcast engineers know and trust,” Wilde said.

“We recognize the responsibility that comes with bringing companies with those histories together. We intend to protect what makes each of these companies special while giving the personnel and technologies new opportunities to grow.”

Electronics Research Inc. was founded during World War II, making antennas for military aircraft. Later moving into broadcasting, its innovations have included the Rototiller antenna line, the Lambda optimized FM mounting system and Cogwheel master FM antennas.

In 2003 ERI acquired Andrew Corp.’s Broadcast Products business, including its television antenna products, rigid transmission-line products and related broadcast RF components.

Wilde called ERI “an exceptional company with a remarkable history.”

ERI’s headquarters and main manufacturing facility include over 100,000 square feet of manufacturing, design and office space. The facility also houses a 70,000-cubic-foot anechoic chamber, which according to ERI’s website is the largest of its kind in North America. [Read a history of ERI.]

The Silliman name has long been associated with ERI. Robert Silliman was involved with the company from its earliest years, eventually becoming one of its owners. Tom joined the company in 1969 and became president/CEO in 1977. Robert received the NAB Engineering Achievement Award in 1993, and Tom received it in 2008. Robert Silliman died in 2001.

“One of our primary goals is to honor Tom Silliman’s legacy by continuing his commitment to quality, engineering excellence and innovation, while expanding our capabilities to better serve the broadcast community,” Wilde said in the announcement.

Tom Silliman was quoted: “I am proud of what the people of ERI have built over the years, and I believe AAT is well positioned to carry that work forward. We share a commitment to engineering, quality, customer service and the broadcast industry.” [Read our 2001 profile of Tom Silliman.]

Got questions about the upcoming national periodic EAS test? FEMA has scheduled two webinars to help.

The first will be offered this Friday, Oct. 16, from 11 a.m. to noon Eastern time. The second is Tuesday Oct. 20 from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. ET.

The two webinars will have the same content. The national test itself takes place on Nov. 17.

According to a post shared by the Society of Broadcast Engineers, FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) Division will outline the test logistics and provide some best practices to help broadcasters prepare for the national test.

Register here for the Oct. 16 session.

Register here for the Oct. 20 session.

Email any questions to FEMA-NationwideTest@fema.dhs.gov.

Ahead of NAB Show New York (Oct. 21–22), TV Tech surveyed a group of key exhibitors to find out which tech trends are on their radar and what key products they plan to highlight at the Javits Convention Center, including Susana Brady, senior vice president, worldwide sales and marketing, at Cobalt Digital.

TV Tech: What do you expect will be the most significant technology trends this year at NAB Show New York?

Susana Brady: A key focus at NAB Show New York will be the continued adoption of IPMX as the transition from SDI to IP moves forward. It’s no longer a matter of if it will happen, but how broadcasters can manage it at their own pace while supporting hybrid environments and protecting their existing investments.

Another trend, closely related to IPMX, is the continued convergence of broadcast and Pro AV. Changing content consumption habits, combined with a proliferation of applications and delivery platforms, is increasing demand for high-performance, low-latency infrastructures that support interoperability and flexibility. IPMX helps bridge the broadcast and Pro AV worlds, bringing broadcast-grade performance and operator-friendly workflows to mixed-vendor environments.

And the third isn’t really a trend; it’s an immediate need. With the Federal Communications Commission-mandated auction of the remainder of C-band spectrum, broadcasters are searching for practical alternatives that allow them to continue receiving and distributing satellite-delivered content reliably, including solutions that can decode satellite signals and make them available through ASI and IP.

TV Tech: What’s your key product announcement for the show, and what problem does it solve?

SB: I don’t think I can pick just one, so I’ll highlight three.

At the show, we will highlight our award-winning blueCORE family of processors that supports both SDI and ST 2110/IPMX, allowing users to process signals within existing SDI environments while providing a direct, practical path toward IP.

We’ve packed a broad range of capabilities into a compact 1RU form factor, including up/down/cross conversion, color correction, several flavors of HDR processing, audio routing and mixing, per-channel frame sync, frame rate conversion, audio embedding and de‑embedding, SCTE‑104 insertion as well as logo insertion—and many more base features. With blueCORE, broadcasters have the processing tools they need today while making it easier to move toward tomorrow’s infrastructure.

We will also showcase our expanded IPMX capabilities with support for JPEG XS Temporal Differential Coding (JXS TDC) across Cobalt’s ST 2110/IPMX-capable families, including SAPPHIRE miniconverters, INDIGO gateways, PACIFIC encoders and decoders, TOPAZ processing platforms, ARIA audio monitors and UltraBlue multiviewers. This enables IPMX-certified products to discover, establish and transport visually lossless, ultra-low latency JPEG XS media streams, giving users a plug-and-play approach to JPEG XS workflows while maintaining interoperability across mixed-vendor IPMX environments.

And a very significant development is Cobalt’s practical solution for broadcasters navigating the C-band spectrum transition. We’ve added support for hybrid satellite-internet operations to the Cobalt PACIFIC compression line, compliant with VSR TR-06-4 Part 7, using Internet connectivity to recover data affected by satellite transmission losses.

The PACIFIC ULL-DEC with SAT-DEMOD uses a factory-installed DVB-S/S2 demodulator enabling broadcasters to receive satellite signals and make them available through both ASI and IP. In hybrid operation, Ku- and Ka-band satellite links are used for bulk distribution, while the Internet is used for lost packet recovery, offering a practical approach to maintaining reliable content delivery as broadcasters adapt to changes in satellite distribution.

TV Tech: How does this new solution stand out from what’s available on the market?

SB: What differentiates Cobalt is our focus on solving the problems broadcasters actually face during a transition.

The industry is dealing with multiple evolutions simultaneously. Broadcasters need to move toward IP, but they also need to continue supporting SDI. They may have legacy equipment from multiple vendors, and they need solutions that work across those environments without forcing a complete infrastructure replacement.

That’s where Cobalt shines. Our products are designed to allow customers to move at their own pace. They can remain with the infrastructure they have, introduce IP where it makes sense, and expand their IP workflows as their needs evolve. With support for ST 2110, IPMX and technologies such as JPEG XS, we’re helping customers build an IP infrastructure that is both practical today and ready for what comes next.

This also applies to the C-band challenge. Rather than forcing broadcasters into a wholesale infrastructure change, we’re providing a way to combine satellite and internet connectivity to maintain reliable content delivery.

Ultimately, our goal is to make these transitions less disruptive. Customers shouldn’t have to choose between protecting their existing investment and preparing for the future.

TVT: What makes NAB Show New York so essential for your business, and what brings you back each year?

SB: Regional shows are becoming increasingly important as companies reduce travel budgets and send fewer delegates to the major events such as NAB Show Las Vegas and IBC.

NAB Show New York is essential because it resides in a city positioned in the crossroads between broadcasting and Pro AV, with networks, stations and corporate and enterprise organizations concentrated throughout the region. So many of those organizations are long-time Cobalt customers, and you can find Cobalt equipment in facilities throughout the New York market.

What brings us back each year? We value the face time with our customers that NAB Show New York provides. We get to hear directly from them about what they want—and what they need—to keep their operations running smoothly in a constantly evolving industry. And they get to see firsthand what Cobalt is doing to address those challenges.

For us, that two-way conversation is extremely valuable. Trade shows aren’t just about demonstrating new products; they’re an opportunity to listen, understand where the industry is going and ensure we’re developing solutions that help our customers stay ahead of the curve.

Visit Cobalt Digital in NAB Show New York Booth 226.

Ahead of NAB Show New York (Oct. 21–22), TV Tech surveyed a group of key exhibitors to find out which tech trends are on their radar and what key products they plan to highlight at the Javits Convention Center, including Alex Keighley, senior vice president of sales, Americas, at Grass Valley.

TV Tech: What do you expect will be the most significant technology trends this year at NAB Show New York?

Alex Keighley: I think we’ll continue to see the industry move toward hybrid production environments. Most customers are not starting from a blank sheet of paper. They have SDI, SMPTE ST 2110, modular infrastructure, software applications, cloud and edge resources, and they need those environments to work together.

Two important developments in this context are the Dynamic Media Facility (DMF) and open media exchange through MXL [the Media eXchange Layer]. The Dynamic Media Facility is already a reality for Grass Valley customers. AMPP enables this model today, combining distributed production, shared compute, software-defined media functions, orchestration and monitoring across cloud, on-premises and edge environments.

So, I expect openness and interoperability to remain important. Native MXL integration within AMPP makes high-performance media exchange part of the production architecture, helping connect systems and workflows. The broader challenge is how to bring these capabilities together while allowing customers to modernize at their own pace, without abandoning the infrastructure that still works for them.

TVT: What’s your key product announcement for the show, and what problem does it solve?

AK: A key highlight for us at NAB Show New York will be AVORA, which we launched at IBC in September. This will be the first opportunity to see it demonstrated in the United States, both in the Grass Valley booth and the Broadfield booth.

AVORA is a standalone, all-in-one live production solution for teams that need professional production capabilities without assembling a full production stack for every show. It combines switching, graphics, audio, remote guests, content, replay, recording, monitoring, playout and delivery in one system. Teams can prepare, save, duplicate and recall complete productions, with the flexibility to use either visual shot-based production or traditional program/preset operation. Built on the founding principles and technology of GV AMPP, AVORA operates as a standalone Grass Valley solution, not AMPP Lite.

Beyond AVORA, we’ll demonstrate how different parts of the Grass Valley portfolio work together across capture, production, content and playout.

On the camera side, we’ll be showing the LDX 180, which brings Super35 cinematic capture into live production, and the LDX 150, designed for high-speed UHD and HD production. Both sit within the same LDX 100 Series ecosystem.

We’ll also demonstrate Event Producer X with an AMPP-connected Korona panel, showing a production workflow for repeatable corporate events such as town halls and leadership communications.

Finally, we’ll connect Framelight X with Playout X to demonstrate the path from media management, editing, review and publishing through to channel delivery.

GV: How does this new solution stand out from what’s available on the market?

AK: I think what makes AVORA different is that it brings the main elements of live production together in one standalone system, without requiring teams to build a complete production setup from separate components for every show.

It covers everything from switching, graphics and audio to remote guests, replay, recording and playout. Teams can also prepare and save productions, then duplicate and recall them for future events, which is particularly useful for organizations producing regular shows with consistent requirements.

There is also flexibility in how teams work. AVORA supports both visual, shot-based production and traditional program/preset operation, so operators can choose the approach that suits them.

And although it operates as a standalone solution, AVORA is built on the technology and principles behind GV AMPP. It draws on Grass Valley’s experience in software-defined production, packaged in a system designed for teams that need an integrated, repeatable production environment.

GV: What makes NAB Show New York so essential for your business, and what brings you back each year?

AK: NAB Show New York gives us the opportunity to meet directly with customers, understand the challenges they are facing and discuss how they can get more from their existing infrastructure while adopting new technologies.

It is also a valuable opportunity to demonstrate how hardware, software and hybrid workflows can work together in practice, and to have conversations about what that means for different production environments.

Each year, the value is in those direct exchanges with customers and partners, understanding their priorities and exploring how our solutions can support the way they work today.

Visit Grass Valley at NAB Show New York in Booth 121.