AV broadcast is expected to be responsible for 20.7 percent of all media tech purchases by 2028, according to recent numbers by Caretta Research. This 80/20 proportion has remained relatively stable since 2022, with the corporate world by far the largest purchaser of AV broadcast technology, representing a whopping 40 percent of purchases, with sports taking 19 percent, events and performing arts 10 percent and government 7 percent of the remaining market.
Tom Morrod, research director and co-founder of Caretta Research, says: “This tells the story of the opportunity for media tech vendors to start selling across other types of buyers. The most high value part of this market tends to be around content acquisition and live production, at least from a product perspective, as we see a lot of companies starting to use video in their outreach or internal workflows – everything from video calls to social media content creation to streaming live channels.”
REACHING BOTH
So how is this impacting shows like NAB, with over 60,000 attendees? Sam Matheny is now the CTO & executive vice president at the NAB. But back in the early 1990s Matheny was doing corporate and educational video and data networking for the North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN) and Microelectronics Center of North Carolina (MCNC).
He explains: “I learned back then that NAB Show was an important event and the place to go to see the latest in technology trends. I think that is even more true given the migration of audio and video to IP infrastructure and cloud workflows.”
In the context of AV broadcast and its impact on the types of exhibitors and visitors attending NAB, Matheny says he probably sees a few more traditional broadcast companies seeking new opportunities for their tools in corporate video, venues, podcasting, social media channels, and other productions. “But in some cases, I see firms working into a broadcast solution with an innovative offering that meets a specific need. The reality is both audiences are at NAB Show and so firms exhibit to reach both.”
Matheny says the NAB Show draws a very diverse mix of global attendees from over 160 countries, and the majority are not broadcasters. While the largest single block of attendees of NAB Show are radio and TV broadcasters, they only make up 16 percent of overall attendance, according to Matheny, who also adds that film and TV studio industry people make up 15 percent, while system integrators, enterprise, and education industries combine to represent 11 percent of attendees.
“We realise there is a much larger media and entertainment ecosystem that is well beyond broadcasting, so we approach it with that in mind and seek to produce an event that is valuable for broadcasters, AV professionals, venue managers, network operators and content producer and distributors of all stripes,” he adds.
Matheny highlights a network effect which creates a virtuous cycle, where people can learn from one another by being a part of something bigger. “Being exposed to new products, ideas and concepts at NAB Show helps the creative process for building and designing studios, production facilities, venues, and corporate networks when back home,” he says.
IPMX FOCUS
To accommodate the AV broadcast convergence trend this year, NAB put a focus on IPMX, described by Matheny as “a suite of open standards and specifications brought together for the pro AV community”, and which was represented by the presence of AIMS, AMWA and VSF at the show. The IP Showcase booth showcased a full demo of IPMX, which included ST 2110, NMOS, AES67 and TR-10. In addition, the IP Showcase brought a full schedule of educational presentations at the Tech Chat stage, adjacent to its booth located in W2843.
The biggest challenge when it comes to the AV/broadcast convergence is really the closer marriage of traditional workflows with IP workflows. “In many cases, there is a transition involved versus a hard cut over,” says Matheny. “Managing that transition is important as productions must carry on, and the newer workflows require training and education.”
For installers or integrators in the US or in Europe, NAB is a chance to see how proven broadcast standards and specifications are adapted specifically for pro AV needs. “Whether for stadiums, university settings, corporate and government facilities, any of these can create compelling stories with stunning production value using hardware and software on exhibit, making NAB Show the one place where you can how end users of all types create and distribute content,” says Matheny.
He is keen to stress that when talking about the convergence of broadcast and AV, it’s not just technical convergence that’s on the table, but also personal growth and professional convergence. “Integrators and installers and venues are very focused on building functional and memorable experiences for their clients and visitors,” he says. “That is very similar to how broadcasters, streamers, and other content producers are trying to build great experiences for their listeners, viewers, and audiences.”
The tools to do this increasingly rely on IP networking and standards for both production and distribution. “NAB Show offers an opportunity for all of these sectors, people, professionals to converge, learn from one another and come away smarter and more capable for their next project or job,” he concludes.
EVOLVING LANDSCAPE
One company that can be found at both broadcast shows such as NAB, and AV shows such as ISE is Grass Valley, a move that Lowell Briggs, senior director of marketing at the company, links to increasing demand for high-quality content creation in industries outside broadcast, reflecting the evolving landscape as the lines between traditional broadcast and AV production are blurring.
“Grass Valley began exhibiting at AV shows such as ISE to engage with an expanding customer base that now requires broadcast-grade production solutions,” he explains. “While NAB and IBC have long been key industry events for traditional broadcasters, ISE allows us to connect with organisations seeking scalable, high-quality production workflows outside the traditional broadcast ecosystem.”
The Grass Valley strategy is to showcase how its solutions, such as the AMPP cloud-native media production platform, can provide agility and cost efficiency for all content creators, whether they operate a major TV network or a corporate live streaming studio.
“At ISE, we emphasise simplicity, flexibility, and affordability in media production, while at NAB, the focus is on the next generation of broadcast innovation and high-end production workflows,” says Briggs.
While ISE and NAB serve different audiences, both play crucial roles in Grass Valley’s engagement strategy: NAB for innovations tailored to broadcasters and high-end production companies and ISE to reach new markets where video content creation is growing rapidly. The results from these events vary, according to Briggs. At NAB, Grass Valley engages with Tier 1 broadcasters, media enterprises, and high-profile production companies, while at ISE the team meets a broader spectrum of organisations that may be new to professional media production.
COMPLEMENTARY SHOWS
“While the commercial returns differ, both shows generate valuable business opportunities and strategic partnerships,” says Briggs. “Rather than competing, AV and broadcast shows are increasingly complementary. The demand for professional media production is expanding, and different sectors require specialised solutions. NAB will always have a space as a dedicated broadcast technology event, but AV shows like ISE are essential as they highlight the growing intersection of AV and broadcast technology.”
Morrod feels NAB and IBC are getting better at addressing new types of buyers’ interest in media tech, but says a lot of it is circumstantial. “People attend the shows to go and see technology that is more multi-purpose. There are some conference sessions that speak to new use cases, but there isn’t a broader attempt to tie together the professional market with the channels that these companies are likely to need to buy things, bearing in mind many are just too small, as customers, to get real account management or sales support, so they need to be able to buy technology via resellers, local distributors and integrators.”
Morrod notes that this part of the broadcast market hasn’t been growing much recently, as technology mostly gets easy to implement and vendors get better at doing their own integrations, but says it’s still a very important part of how AV buyers access advice and buy technology.
“In conjunction with that, there is a much lower uptake of SaaS and cloud tools in the AV market both because the channels to market aren’t very good at supporting SaaS and cloud sales, and because the cloud and SaaS products are typically a bit too sophisticated for many of these new buyers – and that’s something you could see the trade shows and trade organisations helping to navigate on behalf of the vendors,” suggests Morrod.
The infiltration of broadcast technology into other industries such as AV remains a stable trend that allows broadcast technology providers to reach new markets in a complementary rather than competitive manner, with many more opportunities to be pursued. AV broadcast is responsible for a greater diversification of visitors and solutions shown at broadcast shows such as NAB, that remain relevant despite the significant growth of the large AV focused shows that are piquing the interest of broadcast technology providers. A win-win situation for the broadcast world.
To read about how the Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS), and partners, demonstrated how IPMX is bridging the gap between the pro AV and broadcast industries, at the IP Showcase at NAB 2025, click here.
