Futuresource Consulting’s post-NAB 2026 report has concluded that the long-discussed convergence of pro AV and broadcast is no longer a trend but an established reality, with enterprise clients now expecting broadcast-quality output from pro AV budgets and pro AV teams.
The report, co-authored by Helen Matthews, senior market analyst, pro video & broadcast at Futuresource, points to attendance figures as an early indicator of the shift. Corporate media professionals at NAB 2026 numbered more than 13,000 – almost double the 2025 figure – and NAB introduced a dedicated Enterprise Video Strategies track for the first time. Overall attendance reached just over 58,000, up from 55,000 in 2025, with representation from 146 countries and 132 first-time exhibitors among a total of more than 1,100.
The report identifies IP networking as the primary technical enabler of convergence, with IPMX momentum at the show confirming what Futuresource describes as a clear industry goal – creating a seamless bridge between pro AV and broadcast environments. SMPTE 2110 workflows, previously the preserve of broadcast production infrastructure, are now being specified and supported by enterprise AV teams.
The report cites product launches on the show floor as evidence of how vendor strategies are responding – pointing to Shure’s DCA 901, a compact digital broadcast microphone array designed to deliver eight channels over a single network cable with native REMI workflow support, as an example of a traditionally pro AV manufacturer now pitching directly into broadcast applications.
Virtual production is identified as another area where the boundaries have shifted materially. Tools that originated in film production – LED volumes, real-time compositing, camera tracking – are being packaged and priced for organisations with no post-production team or broadcast engineering resource, with Sony’s virtual production showcase at NAB cited as an explicit illustration of that direction.
The report also outlines where the challenge now sits. Matthews said the gap between a brief that says conference room and a client expectation of broadcast studio is where integration expertise is being tested, and that pro AV integrators who understand broadcast signal chains, IP video standards and production switching infrastructure are in a fundamentally different advisory position to those who do not.
Download the report here.
This article originally appeared on TV Tech sister brand Installation.
