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NAB Show 2025 Preview – Professional Essentials Guide

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Cover lineNAB SHOW

2025 PREVIEW

PROFESSIONAL ESSENTIALS

Confronting

the evolution

of broadcast

PAGE 12

PAGE 5

Content economy

continues to beneﬁt

from streaming

NAVIGATING THE FUTURE

OF BROADCASTING

MARCH

2025

Can the ‘wild west’

of post be tamed?

New strategies

for boosting revenue

PAGE 19

MONETIZATION

NAB PERSPECTIVES

STREAMING

PAGE 3

NEWSCASTSTUDIO.COM

NAVIGATING THE FUTURE

OF BROADCASTING

MICHAEL P. HILL

Founder and Publisher

DAK DILLON

Editor in Chief

JACOB BILLINGSLEY

Features Editor

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By DAK DILLON

Editor in chief, NewscastStudio

As the broadcast industry

prepares to gather for the NAB

Show this April, professionals

face a landscape in ﬂux, driv-

en by technological advance-

ments, shifting viewer prefer-

ences and ﬁnancial pressures.

The annual trade show will

showcase

how

traditional

broadcasters and streaming platforms are

adapting to profound changes across con-

tent creation, distribution and monetiza-

tion.

But this year’s event will also look a bit

diferent – with many skipping the show

ﬂoor due to travel advisories and economic

uncertainty.

Produced by the National Association of

Broadcasters, the event is the industry’s

premier marketplace for technology and at-

tracts professionals from across the global

media ecosystem. This year’s show arrives

as companies navigate com-

peting priorities: embracing

innovation while controlling

costs, expanding content ofer-

ings while maintaining quality

and

developing

sustainable

business models in an increas-

ingly fragmented environment.

“Revenue isn’t growing as

fast as it used to, and costs

are rising,” said Steve Reyn-

olds, chief executive ofcer of

Imagine Communications. “The shift to-

ward multiplatform distribution has intro-

duced new expenses, as companies must

now produce, format, and manage content

across broadcast, streaming, direct-to-con-

sumer, and mobile services.”

This ﬁnancial reality underpins many

conversations across the industry, driving a

push for workﬂow consolidation and oper-

ational efciency.

According to Reynolds, early approach-

es to streaming often involved separate

production chains for diferent platforms,

“resulting in redundant expenses without

driving additional revenue. Now, the focus

is on eliminating these inefciencies by uni-

fying production workﬂows.”

The monetization landscape has shift-

ed as traditional broadcast models face

disruption from streaming services and

evolving consumer preferences. Industry

leaders are reimagining revenue strategies

to maintain proﬁtability while meeting audi-

ence expectations across increasingly frag-

mented distribution channels.

“A fundamental shift in viewing habits

has led to a paradigm change in moneti-

zation,” Reynolds noted. “While traditional

broadcast remains viable, the rise of linear

streaming and on-demand platforms has

reshaped how audiences consume content.

This shift has fragmented the audience,

making it increasingly challenging for ad-

vertisers to reach consumers efectively.”

Continued on next page

OVERVIEW

NAB PREVIEW

Image and cover images courtesy of the Las Vegas News Bureau and NAB Show

DILLON

NEWSCASTSTUDIO.COM

Free ad-supported streaming televi-

sion (FAST) and AVOD continue to grow,

ofering viewers content in exchange for

watching advertisements. These models

has gained traction as media companies

seek to exploit existing content libraries

while reaching new audiences.

“Monetization will remain central to

the NAB conversation, particularly with

the accelerated adoption of free ad-sup-

ported streaming television,” said An-

upama Anantharaman, vice president of

product management at Interra Systems.

“Broadcasters are prioritizing solutions

that balance ad relevance with seamless

viewer retention, moving beyond basic

insertion tactics to contextual alignment.”

Adtech, such as dynamic ad insertion

technology, has become crucial in this en-

vironment, enabling personalized adver-

tising across platforms while maintaining

viewer engagement.

“Dynamic ad insertion is a hot topic this

year. According to Bitmovin’s latest Vid-

eo Developer Report, ad insertion is the

number one biggest challenge faced by

video developers today,” said Paul Davies,

head of marketing at Yospace. “With an in-

crease in streaming viewership alongside

this increase in advertising deployments,

the need to maximize revenues using DAI

has never been greater.”

Industry leaders also noted a signiﬁ-

cant shift in how advertising inventory is

valued, with renewed emphasis on con-

text and content quality.

“We’ve seen the pendulum swing to-

ward an impression-based model, where

every ad placement was treated as inter-

changeable, leading to a race to the low-

est price,” Reynolds explained. “But now,

the industry is shifting back, recognizing

the importance of advertising in context

and the value of premium programming.

Advertisers and content owners are re-

discovering that where an ad appears

matters — not just who sees it.”

The migration of premier live events

from traditional linear broadcasting to

streaming platforms is accelerating this

conversation around content distribution

and monetization.

“Once the crown jewel of linear

broadcast networks, sports and other

big events are quickly moving into the

streaming realm,” said Dave Dembows-

ki, senior vice president of global sales

at Operative. “Just because streaming is

digital doesn’t mean media companies

are going to automate ad sales on their

top content – they’re adopting tried and

true up-front ﬁxed ad sales models, but

they still want the beneﬁts of dynamic ad

delivery and reporting.”

Remote production technologies con-

tinue to reshape content creation, en-

abling more efcient resource allocation

and expanded coverage capabilities.

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated an

emerging shift, and what began as a ne-

cessity has evolved into a strategic ad-

vantage for many organizations.

“Remote and cloud-based produc-

tion and distribution are redeﬁning live

event coverage,” said Rob Szabó-Rowe,

global head of engineering and product

management at Tata Communications.

“Traditional on-site production models

are giving way to of-site centralized and

distributed workﬂows, allowing content

owners and rightsholders to boost ef-

ciency, cutting down on travel for talent

and crews and the shipping of equipment.

These approaches not only cut costs but

also enable production teams to cover

multiple events in the same day without

increasing resources.”

The industry is largely embracing a

hybrid approach that strategically lever-

ages both cloud and on-premises infra-

structure to optimize performance and

cost-efectiveness.

“For 24/7/365 operations, maintaining

an on-prem infrastructure is often more

cost-efective than running continuous

cloud-based workﬂows,” Reynolds noted.

“The industry’s focus has now shifted to

a hybrid approach, leveraging the cloud

where it makes sense — live events and

geographically distributed redundancy to

name a few — while maintaining on-prem

infrastructure for cost efciency.”

These remote workﬂows create new

challenges around security and asset

management. As broadcasters shift to-

ward cloud-based workﬂows, cybersecu-

rity is more important than ever, continu-

ing to move engineering into the realm of

IT.

“Cybersecurity will be a major talking

point, especially as broadcasters contin-

ue shifting and experimenting with soft-

ware-based and cloud-driven production

workﬂows,” said Simon Hawkings, direc-

tor of sales strategy and business accel-

eration at Ross Video. “Security vulnera-

bilities in media systems have already led

Continued from previous page

to several major hacks, and there’s a grow-

ing need for secure-by-design solutions.”

The complexity of modern security re-

quirements is driving many broadcasters

toward partnerships with specialized pro-

viders who can manage these challenges.

“Technology on its own doesn’t solve the

challenge of operational complexity,” said

Venugopal Iyengar, chief operating ofcer

of digital at Planetcast. “Many broadcast-

ers are looking to service providers that

ofer not just software, but fully managed,

end-to-end solutions.”

Artiﬁcial intelligence has moved be-

yond hype to deliver tangible applications

throughout the media ecosystem. Industry

leaders are focusing on practical AI imple-

mentations that solve real-world challeng-

es while improving efciency and enhanc-

ing viewer experiences.

“AI has long been a buzzword and while

it continues to be one now, I expect we’ll

see a shift toward more concrete and com-

plete AI applications,” said Julien Signes,

executive vice president of video network

at Synamedia. “I anticipate video service

providers will look for more tangible ben-

eﬁts and new ways to leverage AI to better

improve efciencies across the video dis-

tribution and delivery ecosystem.”

Media asset management is a major ben-

eﬁciary of AI implementation, with new ca-

pabilities transforming how organizations

interact with their content libraries.

“We believe AI-driven video discovery

will be at the forefront of the conversations

on media production efciency and work-

ﬂow at the 2025 NAB Show,” said Frederic

Petipont, CTO and co-founder of Moments

Lab. “Many of Moments Lab’s clients often

share their frustration and struggles with

complex DAM and MAM systems, which

limit their ability to quickly locate and use

content. By using AI video indexing, media

professionals can leverage natural lan-

guage queries to search vast video librar-

ies seamlessly.”

The evolution of content consumption

patterns continues to shape strategic de-

cisions across media and entertainment.

The explosive growth of short-form con-

tent, particularly among younger audienc-

es, represents both a challenge and oppor-

tunity for traditional broadcasters.

“OTT consumption is trending heavily

towards short-form content across all de-

mographics, but with Gen Z in particular

redeﬁning new viewing habits,” said Paul

Pastor, co-founder and chief business of-

cer at Quickplay. “This change in viewing

behavior requires a strategic reimagining

of audience engagement.”

Recent research by GenZ Insights in

collaboration with Quickplay and Toluna

underscores this change, noting that Gen

Z viewers spend over three hours dai-

ly on short-form platforms compared to

just one hour on streaming and broadcast

combined.

“Today, platforms like TikTok and You-

Tube capture a growing share of eyeballs

across audiences but that doesn’t have to

be the case – with a well-thought out strat-

egy for Shorts, streamers and broadcast-

ers can not only compete, but they can win

the battle for viewers,” Pastor added.

Technical innovation continues to en-

able these expanding content formats and

distribution methods, with compression

technology and format evolution driving

signiﬁcant change across media work-

ﬂows.

“Growing adoption of JPEG XS for

high-quality,

low-latency

transmission

is perfect for remote production of live

sports,” said Szabó-Rowe. “JPEG XS

enables the transport of SMPTE 2110

streams, which supports the production of

and delivery of higher-resolution video to

meet consumer demand for 4K and HDR

content.”

The transition to IP-based workﬂows re-

mains a cornerstone of modern broadcast

infrastructure, representing a fundamen-

tal shift from traditional SDI-based sys-

tems to packet-based networks that ofer

greater ﬂexibility, scalability, and interop-

erability.

“It’s certainly going to be another big

year for SMPTE 2110, especially as more

of the IP video workﬂow pieces come to-

gether,” said Abe Abt, senior product con-

sultant at AJA Video Systems. “IP video in

general will be a huge topic, as it simpliﬁes

processes and makes infrastructure more

scalable.”

As the NAB Show approaches, these

interrelated trends in monetization, pro-

duction technology, security, artiﬁcial in-

telligence and content formats will shape

conversations among broadcasters, tech-

nology vendors and content creators nav-

igating an increasingly complex media

landscape. The industry’s focus on balanc-

ing innovation with practicality reﬂects the

fundamental challenges and opportunities

facing media companies today in an envi-

ronment of rapid technological and con-

sumer behavior change.



NEWSCASTSTUDIO.COM

From FAST channels to connected TV

experiences, industry leaders are navi-

gating a rapidly evolving landscape where

traditional boundaries continue to blur.

Streaming continues to alter content

creation, distribution and monetization

– with the topic a key focus of this year’s

NAB Show.

Economic advantages fuel

channel expansion

The ﬁnancial beneﬁts of streaming dis-

tribution over traditional broadcasting

have become increasingly compelling,

opening doors for niche content provid-

ers who previously couldn’t aford market

entry.

“The economic beneﬁts of streaming

distribution over traditional television

broadcast continues to grow ever stron-

ger. The dramatic reduction in individual

TV channel distribution costs opens the

opportunity for ever diverse and targeted

interest channels including FAST and mi-

nority sports channels,” said Pete Blatch-

ford, chief marketing ofcer at Starﬁsh

Technologies.

“We expect this to grow dramatically

giving viewers unprecedented choice. The

technology to support this growth is now

mature and cost efective,” Blatchford add-

ed.

This accessibility extends beyond es-

tablished media companies to include in-

dependent content creators.

“For content creators, the barriers to

entry continue to fall. Not only are the

means of creation ever more accessible,

it is also now even easier to push content

out to global audiences and earn direct

revenues,” said James Gilbert, vice presi-

dent of sales and marketing at Pixel Power,

a Rohde & Schwarz company.

This is reﬂected in data from YouTube,

which continues to show younger audi-

ences switching to the platform and skip-

ping traditional TV.

FAST continues to be favorite

Free ad-supported streaming televi-

sion (FAST) continues to be a major fo-

cus for broadcasters and content owners

looking to maximize content libraries

while reaching new audiences.

Gilbert highlighted two primary roles

for FAST channels: “exploiting existing

catalogues to extend revenues, and to

provide a platform for niche content –

like lower tier or more unusual sports – to

reach the audiences which were previ-

ously cost-prohibitive.”

The ability to launch quickly remains

crucial for FAST providers.

“Proposers of FAST channels see speed

to market as a critical factor, and they de-

mand software-deﬁned playout platforms

that can be deﬁned, planned, populated

and on air in days, even with complex

multi-regional, multi-language require-

ments,” Gilbert added.

This agility also enables pop-up chan-

nels for speciﬁc events. Gilbert predicts

that “The Winter Olympics in early 2026

might see some rights-holders establish-

ing pop-up FAST services to provide com-

prehensive coverage: The Biathlon Chan-

nel, for example.”

Despite the growth, there are ques-

tions about the long-term viability of the

Streaming innovations, solutions

continue to boost content creators

Continued on next page

We expect this to grow

dramatically giving

viewers unprecedented

choice. The technology

to support this growth

is now mature and cost

efective.

STREAMING

NAB PREVIEW

NEWSCASTSTUDIO.COM

expanding FAST ecosystem.

“From a wider perspective, questions

around platform saturation and consoli-

dation continue to rumble on. The biggest

FAST platforms want to know that new

channels will deliver engagement, ad rev-

enues, and returning audiences — it’s on

the channel creators to make sure they’re

proven, compelling, and increasingly in-

corporate a mix of higher value live pro-

gramming,” said Rick Young, senior vice

president of global products at LTN.

Technical innovation enables

expansion of streaming and live

programming

“Content owners are also looking for

ways to more efciently create, manage

and monetize FAST channels while ele-

vating viewer engagement with more live

programming. Live sports and news are

increasingly ﬁnding their way to FAST ser-

vices as content owners and platform op-

erators push for increased viewing time,”

said Young.

Underlying these streaming trends are

signiﬁcant technological advancements

enabling higher quality, more reliable de-

livery at scale.

“For

years,

low-latency

streaming

has been a challenge, but recent break-

throughs

are

making

real-time,

ul-

tra-low-latency video delivery achievable

at scale. This is particularly transformative

for live sports, betting, and interactive ex-

periences, where even milliseconds mat-

ter,” said Mathieu Planche, CEO of Witbe.

“In streaming, we will see the emphasis

shift from expansion to sustainability. As

FAST channels and other streaming ser-

vices proliferate globally, infrastructure

must accommodate diverse formats — live

sports, episodic content, and user-gener-

ated content — within a single ecosystem,”

said Anupama Anantharaman, vice pres-

ident of product management at Interra

Systems.

IP-based delivery technologies contin-

ue to advance, particularly for live produc-

tion environments.

“IP-based delivery is shifting to the next

level for many content owners and media

companies with growing adoption of JPEG

XS for high-quality, low-latency transmis-

sion – perfect for remote production of live

sports,” said Rob Szabó-Rowe, global head

of engineering and product management

at Tata Communications.

“Content that is designed to be watched

anywhere, on-demand and on any device

naturally requires high-quality, low-laten-

cy content workﬂows. This is an ongoing

challenge that the industry has been bat-

tling for some years now, and one that has

recently been jumpstarted by the adoption

of JPEG XS in many live streaming work-

ﬂows,” said Ben Shirley, product manager

at MainConcept, on codec developments.

“We’ll be keeping an eye on develop-

ments in low-latency streaming and pro-

tocol interoperability — two key factors in

ensuring that content owners can reach

audiences across a fragmented distribu-

tion landscape,” said Chris Clarke, chief

revenue ofcer and co-founder of Cerbe-

rus Tech, on the importance of protocol

interoperability.

Monetization strategies for

streaming continue to evolve

As streaming platforms mature, the fo-

cus is shifting toward sustainable business

models and efcient monetization.

“Part of that conversation hinges on

driving monetization in traditional broad-

cast environments as well as on new dig-

ital, OTT and FAST ecosystems. We see

huge demand for simpliﬁed ad signaling

technologies, embedded at the network

level, that enable content owners to re-

place, customize, and target localized ads

for greater ad value across multiple ver-

sions of core content,” Young explained.

The industry is working to unify “dispa-

rate linear and digital ad worlds while driv-

ing maximum value from costly content

investments,” according to Young.

Vendors are developing solutions to

ensure accurate ad delivery and perfor-

mance measurement with ad-supported

models gaining momentum.

“As advertising becomes more person-

alized and dynamically inserted, the ability

to track real-world ad performance and

verify delivery with measurable data is be-

coming essential,” Planche noted.

Fragmentation challenges

Despite progress, the industry faces

growing fragmentation across viewing

platforms.

“Smart TVs have further solidiﬁed their

role as the primary content hub for view-

ers worldwide. However, rather than a uni-

ﬁed ecosystem, the industry faces an in-

creasingly fragmented landscape of Smart

TV operating systems, each with its own

speciﬁc requirements,” said Planche.

For streaming providers, this creates

operational challenges that require robust

solutions.

“Streaming is a high-stakes game now

and providers need ﬂexible, cost-efective

and rock-solid solutions to stay ahead,”

said Chris Wilson, head of marketing at

MediaKind. “In live sports production

and event streaming, audiences expect

real-time engagement, multiple camera

angles, and seamless personalization -

placing even greater emphasis on low-la-

tency, scalable, and robust delivery mech-

anisms.”



Continued from previous page

Underlying these

streaming trends

are signiﬁcant

technological

advancements enabling

higher quality, more

reliable delivery at scale.

Cloud production is taking center

stage as broadcasters increasingly shift

computing resources from traditional

on-premises hardware to virtualized en-

vironments.

This infrastructure change modiﬁes

how content is processed, managed and

delivered throughout the media supply

chain.

At the 2025 NAB Show, a variety of

cloud solutions will be showcased as the

cloud enables new levels of efciency and

automation for broadcasters.

The maturing cloud landscape

The conversation around cloud tech-

nology in broadcasting has evolved dra-

matically over the past decade. Specula-

tive discussions about future possibilities

have transformed into debates about im-

plementation strategies and optimization.

“These conversations are shifting from

‘what’s possible?’ to ‘how can we imple-

ment this efectively?’” said Greg Mac-

chia, product marketing manager for live

production at Riedel Communications.

“Meanwhile, we are seeing more of our

solutions being actively used in real live

productions in the public cloud.”

According to NewscastStudio’s 2025

sentiment survey, 60% of respondents

are implementing cloud production tools,

though implementation challenges re-

main. This adoption reﬂects both the

technology’s maturation and the market-

place’s changing demands.

“The M&E space has transformed over

the past 10 years or so, with cloud-based

workﬂows being the norm in most areas

of the industry,” said Martins Magone,

CTO of Veset. “Not only is this change hap-

pening fast, but hardware is also quickly

becoming the oddity.”

Magone cites industry statistics sup-

porting this shift: “76% of enterprises us-

ing at least two cloud providers in 2025

and many professionals suggesting that

companies will need to adopt cloud-based

solutions in 2025 for better ﬂexibility and

scalability without compromising on ef-

ciency.”

Balancing cloud

and on-premises resources

Despite early predictions that all broad-

cast operations would eventually migrate

fully to the cloud, a more nuanced ap-

proach is now the path forward.

The industry has largely embraced a hy-

brid cloud model that strategically lever-

ages cloud and on-premises infrastructure

to optimize performance and cost-efec-

tiveness.

“For 24/7/365 operations, maintaining

an on-prem infrastructure is often more

cost-efective than running continuous

cloud-based workﬂows,” said Steve Reyn-

olds, chief executive ofcer of Imagine

Communications. “The industry’s focus

has now shifted to a hybrid approach, le-

veraging the cloud where it makes sense —

live events and geographically distributed

redundancy to name a few — while main-

taining on-prem infrastructure for cost ef-

ﬁciency.”

This hybrid approach represents a prac-

tical evolution from the all-or-nothing

cloud strategies that characterized early

discussions. Companies have realized that

diferent types of productions and opera-

tional models require diferent infrastruc-

tural approaches.

“The next step is moving toward a

model where production and playout can

transition seamlessly between cloud and

on-prem infrastructure, and that’s a real

game-changer,” Reynolds added.

“Service providers and broadcasters to-

day are looking for more efcient ways to

deliver video, reduce infrastructure costs

and maximize monetization opportuni-

ties. The industry is moving fast, and em-

bracing new technologies is key to staying

ahead. At Harmonic, we welcome this shift

to hybrid workﬂows,” sad Eric Gallier, vice

president of video solutions at Harmonic.

Cloud production continues to mature,

ofering new efciencies in workﬂows

Continued on next page

CLOUD

NAB PREVIEW

NEWSCASTSTUDIO.COM

Software-deﬁned architecture

The shift to cloud infrastructure goes

hand-in-hand with the move toward soft-

ware-deﬁned systems that can run on

standardized computing platforms rather

than purpose-built hardware.

“At NAB 2025, we’ll see more soft-

ware-deﬁned architecture that enables

a cost-efective migration from SDI to

media-over-IP,” said Satoshi Kanemura,

president of FOR-A America. “Adding new

functionality through software means the

customer can conﬁgure the system to

their needs, without additional hardware

investment. It also means that hybrid pro-

duction, using a variety of signal formats,

can be accomplished easily.”

This shift democratizes access to ad-

vanced production capabilities, making

sophisticated tools available to a wider

range of content creators.

“Running extremely capable live pro-

duction environments on commodity PCs

is now becoming mainstream, and it is pos-

sible to build a gallery that looks and feels

like a traditional production environment

with only a single PC and GPU under the

desk,” said Andy Hooper, senior vice pres-

ident of live products at Ateliere Creative

Technologies. “I can’t wait to see people’s

reactions when they realize what is driving

the production environment.”

One of the primary advantages of cloud-

based production is the ability to scale re-

sources dynamically according to demand,

something that’s particularly valuable for

organizations with variable workloads.

“What excites me about this year’s NAB

Show is the recognition that organizations

must think diferently to achieve more ef-

ﬁcient, scalable workﬂows,” said Macchia.

“It’s not just about planning for peak de-

mand, but optimizing the tools available to

manage those demands in a more cost-ef-

fective and efcient way.”

This elasticity enables broadcasters to

respond more efectively to sudden in-

creases in demand.

“This scalability is particularly valuable

during peak periods of high demand, such

as major sports tournaments or breaking

news coverage, where the ability to quick-

ly scale up resources can make a signiﬁ-

cant diference,” said Kris Alexander, vice

president of product and industry market-

ing at Zixi.

Integration and multi-vendor

environments

For cloud production to succeed, robust

integration between diferent systems be-

comes critical, particularly as broadcast-

ers move away from end-to-end solutions

from single vendors.

“Efcient workﬂows today must include

the entire operation, so robust and open

integrations are essential and something

I will be looking out for at NAB this year,”

said Aaron Kroger, product marketing lead

at Dalet. “Seeing how we can continue to

break down silos across all departments

of an operation will create new workﬂows

and drive the most efciency possible.”

The industry is moving toward more

open ecosystems where so-called “best-

of-breed” components can be combined.

“The ultimate goal is enabling custom-

ers to work with multiple vendors, pulling

in the best-of-breed products and tools

to create the best possible solution for

their speciﬁc needs,” said Macchia. “This

ﬂexibility is becoming even more critical,

whether in private or public clouds, as the

industry is increasingly focused on provid-

ing adaptable, scalable solutions to handle

bursts of production without overcommit-

ting resources.”

Managed cloud services

However, a new buzzword has emerged

in the cloud – managed services – which

furthers the OpEx model for vendors.

“While media companies love great

technology, they understand that what

they need to stay competitive is tech tight-

ly integrated with managed services,” said

Venugopal Iyengar, COO of digital at Plan-

etcast. “A clear trend across all these ar-

eas is the move toward managed services.

Technology on its own doesn’t solve the

challenge of operational complexity.”

This approach lets media companies fo-

cus on content and audience rather than

the underlying technical complexity.

“Many broadcasters are looking to ser-

vice providers that ofer not just software,

but fully managed, end-to-end solutions,”

Iyengar added. “This shift allows media

companies to avoid getting caught up in

technical and operational challenges, free-

ing them to better engage viewers, grow

audiences, and maximize revenues.”

AI enhances cloud workﬂows

Of course, no discussion of the cloud

would be complete without a bit of artiﬁ-

cial intelligence, which can create new ef-

ﬁciencies and capabilities.

“AI continues to be a transformative

force; AI-powered compression is helping

to optimize workﬂows and enhance view-

er experiences with automation, person-

alization, and predictive analytics,” said

Chris Wilson, head of marketing at Me-

diakind. “Streaming is a high-stakes game

now and providers need ﬂexible, cost-ef-

fective and rock-solid solutions to stay

ahead.”

“The rise of AI in cloud-based workﬂows

has introduced a plethora of opportunities

for efective time and cost savings, as well

as for the monetisation and gamiﬁcation

of content. The domination of esports and

live streaming reveals this nicely, ofering

highly dynamic and time sensitive content

moments that are ideal for contextual ad-

vertising,” said Magone.

For many industry observers, the tip-

ping point for widespread adoption of

cloud-based production appears to be ap-

proaching.

“Still, much software/cloud and remote

production is considered as a curiosity

rather than the enabling technology plat-

form for the future of businesses,” said

Hooper. “This may reach a tipping point

soon, and before long we’ll wonder why

anyone is still bothering to do it the old

fashioned way.”

The most forward-looking organiza-

tions are already exploring fully cloud-na-

tive content creation and delivery models.

“Content is now originating in the cloud

and being consumed directly from the

cloud, eliminating unnecessary infrastruc-

ture and increasing efciency,” said Reyn-

olds. “At NAB, I’ll be watching how broad-

casters and vendors continue to reﬁne and

expand this cloud-native model.”



Continued from previous page

One of the primary

advantages of cloud-

based production is the

ability to scale resources

dynamically according to

demand, something that’s

particularly valuable

for organizations with

variable workloads.

NEWSCASTSTUDIO.COM

By DEREK BARRILLEAUX

CEO, Projective

As we prepare for the much-anticipated

NAB Show, the buzz in the air is undeni-

able. The broadcasting industry continues

to evolve at a rapid pace, and hot topics

such as AI, cloud storage, and advanced

editing tools are on everyone’s lips. But

there’s one subject that Projective is par-

ticularly excited to discuss at the event:

how to make post-production simple.

If you’ve been in the post-production

industry long enough, chances are you’ve

heard at least one person describe it as

“the Wild West.” It’s a ﬁtting analogy — akin

to the rugged and lawless times of the fron-

tier, post-production workﬂows are often

chaotic, unstructured, and nobody seems

to know exactly what is happening. One

editor might be saving ﬁles on a shared

NAS drive, another might have stock foot-

age sitting on their desktop. Freelancers

bring in completed edits from external

drives, while cloud storage usage balloons

to unsustainable levels. Questions are

asked in frustration: “Why is my media of-

ﬂine?” and “Don’t we have that shot in the

archive somewhere?”

What you’re left with is a landscape

teetering on the brink of disarray, where

media is misplaced, ﬁles are scattered,

and collaboration is hampered by confu-

sion. The result? Missed deadlines, wasted

time, and frustrated teams.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. With

the introduction of software-based collab-

oration frameworks and project structure,

there are strategies enterprises can adopt

to bring efciency and order without sti-

ﬂing creativity - something that I look for-

ward to discussing with the wider commu-

nity at this year’s NAB show.

Why is post-production

so chaotic?

The evolution of post-production work-

ﬂows has been an exciting one — empow-

ered by tools like Adobe Premiere Pro,

Avid Media Composer, and cloud storage

solutions, creators have unparalleled ﬂex-

ibility. However, this same ﬂexibility is a

double-edged sword. While

these tools allow for dy-

namic and adaptable editing

processes, they also create

an environment where orga-

nization often takes a back

seat.

For example, Adobe Pre-

miere’s ability to work with

media spread across mul-

tiple locations — local hard

drives, external drives, cloud

folders, and NAS servers — is

both a blessing and a curse.

On an individual level, it’s

empowering. For a team, it’s a ticking time

bomb. Where is the footage? Who moved

the ﬁles? Why isn’t this asset linked? Me-

dia ofine errors and frantic Slack messag-

es are all-too-common symptoms of this

“Wild West” scene.

Add to this the pressures of modern

post-production. Faster turnaround times,

leaner budgets, growing demands for re-

mote work, and higher expectations for

creative output leave little room for error.

If the creative team is just trying to get the

job done, standards, structure, and securi-

ty sufer. “I’ll just upload that to dropbox,”

or “I’ll just work on my drive for

now,” they often think.

The need for a

collaboration framework

If “the Wild West” is the prob-

lem, then a collaboration frame-

work can serve as the law and

order. A well-crafted framework

doesn’t just organize media; it

structures the entire lifecycle

of a post-production project —

from ingest, to creation, to ap-

proval, and to archiving.

By implementing a collaboration frame-

work for projects, processes become pre-

dictable and controllable. These project

guardrails provide the starting point to

automate project setup, centralize media,

and simplify collaboration. A collaborative

framework ofers automated project setup,

centralizes media, and streamlines col-

laboration. But most importantly, it frees

creative teams to focus on their work, and

not all of the tedious media management

required to even get started.

Chaotic ‘wild west’ of post can

be lassoed with collaboration

Continued on next page

NAB SHOW PERSPECTIVES

BARRILLEAUX

Historically, the post-production world

has focused on pushing individual ﬁles

to where they need to be. But for true ef-

ﬁciency, workﬂows must be designed

around the project as a whole. When the

project becomes the atomic unit of work-

ﬂow management, everything else — ﬁle

organization, collaboration, and archiving

— begins to fall into place.

What are the beneﬁts?

1. THE GREAT ROUND-UP: FILE

ORGANIZATION AND ACCESSIBILITY

A collaboration framework centraliz-

es content, preventing media from being

scattered across cameras, desktops, and

external drives. A structured system au-

tomatically directs all project ﬁles to a

shared workspace. A solution that can ﬁnd

unmanaged assets quickly identiﬁes mis-

placed ﬁles and automatically brings them

into the designated project structure,

eliminating those dreaded “media ofine”

errors.

2. THE TRAIL DRIVE: COLLABORATION

WITHOUT SILOS

With a project framework in place,

teams and freelancers can collaborate

seamlessly from anywhere without the

need for separate upload or download

processes. Project-based access control

ensures everyone has access to exactly

what they need — no more, no less — elim-

inating silos while safeguarding sensitive

client content.

3. THE TOWN CLOCK:

FASTER TURNAROUNDS

Automation is a game-changer in reduc-

ing the legwork of setting up workspac-

es or assigning access. A collaboration

framework can automatically set up proj-

ect structures based on templates, saving

media managers hours of redundant work

and giving editors more time to focus on

creative tasks. Furthermore, this frame-

work can be integrated with upstream re-

source management tools for automation,

or downstream playout or orchestration

tools. Thus the value to the organization is

dramatically increased.

4. THE BANK VAULT:

COST CONTROL

Cloud storage is a fantastic resource,

but when left unchecked, costs can spiral

out of control. A collaboration framework

provides visibility into storage usage and

tools to easily archive or delete projects

no longer in use. By streamlining how me-

dia is stored and accessed, organizations

avoid paying for waste.

5. THE NEW FRONTIER: NO MORE

DUPLICATES

Editors are known for making dozens

of copies of a piece of content so that they

can work across multiple projects, leading

to wasted storage space and, you guessed

it, more chaos! With a proactive collabo-

ration framework that seamlessly detects

duplicates without interrupting creative

workﬂows, signiﬁcant savings in both stor-

age and costs can be achieved. Arsenal

Football Club successfully recovered 90

TB of storage space — equivalent to near-

ly ten months of their average usage — by

adopting innovative post-production man-

agement technology.

6. NO OUTLAWS ALLOWED: CONTENT

SECURITY

You can’t protect what you can’t

track. By consolidating media into a

centralized, secure environment, col-

laboration frameworks reduce the risk

of unauthorized access. This is espe-

cially critical when working with ex-

ternal

collaborators

freelancers.

The road ahead

In today’s competitive industry land-

scape, conversations at major trade shows

have increasingly focused on the impor-

tance of enhancing efciency and stream-

lining workﬂows to maintain an edge. This

year’s NAB Show will be no exception.

Yes, the future of post-production will

likely be tied to the inevitable AI/ML/Ge-

nAI-driven processes, but even the smart-

est tools won’t solve the chaos of post-pro-

duction without a foundational framework.

If we can encourage organizations to think

less about the tech-driven part of “how to

do post-production” and more about “how

to organize post-production,” the beneﬁts

will be staggering.

For teams stuck in chaos and operating

with a “Wild West” mentality, it may be

time to adopt a collaboration framework.

This could be the key to bringing struc-

ture and order to your post-production

process. After all, with efciency comes

better creativity — and ultimately, better

content.



Derek Barrilleaux is the CEO of Projective

and a thought leader in post-production

innovation. Derek’s work focuses on

driving more streamlined, collaborative

workﬂows in media and entertainment.

Continued from previous page

When the project becomes the atomic unit

of workﬂow management, everything else —

ﬁle organization, collaboration and archiving —

begins to fall into place.

NEWSCASTSTUDIO.COM

As the broadcast industry prepares to

gather at NAB Show, artiﬁcial intelligence

continues to be on the minds of many ven-

dors and end users, albeit for slightly difer-

ent reasons.

According to Haivision’s sixth annual

“Broadcast Transformation Report,” which

surveyed nearly 900 broadcast and media

professionals between November and De-

cember 2024, AI implementation in media

workﬂows jumped from just 9% in 2024 to

25% in 2025. Even more telling, 64% of re-

spondents believe AI will have the most sig-

niﬁcant industry impact over the next ﬁve

years, far outpacing other technological

innovations.

This dramatic increase reﬂects a funda-

mental change in how the industry views

AI — no longer as a concept but as an es-

sential component of modern supply chain.

While the report indicates that broadcast-

ers remain cautious with full-scale tech-

nology transformations, preferring hybrid

approaches that balance innovation with

reliability, AI has moved beyond the exper-

imental phase to deliver tangible applica-

tions throughout the media ecosystem.

As industry leaders head to this year’s

NAB Show, they’re focusing on practical

AI implementations that solve real-world

challenges while improving efciency and

enhancing viewer experiences.

From buzzword to business tool

What was once a futuristic concept has

quickly become a primary tool for automa-

tion and efciency, with the industry now

seeking measurable returns on AI invest-

ments.

“AI has long been a buzzword and while

it continues to be one now, I expect we’ll

see a shift toward more concrete and com-

plete AI applications,” said Julien Signes,

executive vice president of video network

at Synamedia. “I anticipate video service

providers will look for more tangible ben-

eﬁts and new ways to leverage AI to better

improve efciencies across the video dis-

tribution and delivery ecosystem.”

The conversation has evolved from the-

oretical possibilities to practical imple-

mentations that deliver clear value.

“The industry is past the initial AI hype

and is now looking at real-world applica-

tions,” said Simon Hawkings, director of

sales strategy and business acceleration at

Ross Video. “Most broadcasters are ﬁnd-

ing success using it for backend efcien-

cies — things like media asset management,

post-production automation, meta-tagging

data, and ad targeting. AI is also playing a

role in audience analytics, helping compa-

nies better understand viewing behaviors

and optimize content distribution.”

This focus on practical applications is

reshaping development priorities across

the industry.

“Since the launch of ChatGPT, the M&E

industry has been talking loudly about the

potential of AI, but few are deploying tech-

nologies that put ‘their money where their

mouth is,’ shall we say, and no, it is not one

GPT ﬁts all,” said Gilles Domartini, founder

and CEO of Cleeng.

“At NAB, we expect more discussions

around practical AI use cases that can be

implemented now, such as AI for insight

generation,” added Domartini.

Streamlining workﬂows and

automating production

AI is proving particularly valuable in

workﬂow optimization, delivering time and

cost savings while freeing creative profes-

sionals to focus on higher-value tasks.

“It’s no surprise that AI is expected to

dominate conversations at NAB again this

year, moving beyond a futuristic concept to

an essential tool for media organizations,”

said Scott Goldman, U.S. general manager

at Qibb. “Last year’s hot topic has become

this year’s priority, as delaying AI adoption

is no longer an option in an increasingly

competitive landscape.”

The technology enhances both front-end

and back-end operations, with automation

bringing efciency to previously manual

tasks.

“In the area of robotic camera control,

AI is helping us develop products that can

track onscreen talent more accurately

while also enabling our camera trolley sys-

tems and OmniGlide studio camera rover to

start and stop more precisely,” said Michael

Cuomo, vice president at Telemetrics. “This

is important as AI-assisted automated cam-

era operation frees up camera operators to

focus on other tasks.”

“In the media and entertainment realm,

we’re seeing a continually increasing de-

mand for automated camera control and

framing in broadcast and production en-

vironments, and AI ofers solutions for

enabling those capabilities,” said Kento

Continued on next page

Show vendors to spotlight efcent,

valuable AI tools for broadcasters

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

NAB PREVIEW

Sayama, deputy vice president of imaging

solutions at Sony Electronics. “New appli-

cations of AI and AI-powered automation

technologies are streamlining live produc-

tion workﬂows, with AI applications includ-

ing video capture, content and workﬂow

management, even background content

creation for virtual production.”

These advantages extend across the

content lifecycle, from production to distri-

bution.

“We’re closely watching how AI is re-

shaping every stage of content production

and delivery,” said Chris Wilson, head of

marketing at Mediakind. “From AI-pow-

ered video compression to automated

content tagging and hyper-personalized

recommendations, this shift is happening

rapidly.”

“As network demands increase due to

higher content consumption, streaming

services, 5G expansion and cloud-based

operations will likely start incorporating AI

to maintain efciency, reliability and scal-

ability,” said Adi Rozenberg, RIST director

and CEO/CTO co-founder at Alvalinks.

The technology ofers predictive capabil-

ities that improve reliability.

“One area where we are adding AI here

at Alvalinks is for proactive observability

to gain better visibility on the delivery net-

work,” Rozenberg said. “Combining existing

solutions with AI is providing faster access

to knowledge and insights on the nature of

the problem and how to overcome it.”

Transforming content discovery

and management

Media asset management is a beneﬁciary

of AI implementation, with new capabilities

in how organizations interact with their

content libraries.

“We believe AI-driven video discovery

will be at the forefront of the conversations

on media production efciency and work-

ﬂow at the 2025 NAB Show,” said Frederic

Petipont, CTO and co-founder of Moments

Lab. “Many of Moments Lab’s clients often

share their frustration and struggles with

complex DAM and MAM systems, which

limit their ability to quickly locate and use

content. By using AI video indexing, me-

dia professionals can leverage natural lan-

guage queries to search vast video libraries

seamlessly.”

This capability unlocks previously un-

tapped value in media archives.

“While the media and entertainment in-

dustry has established methods for produc-

tion and post production, AI-powered fea-

tures and tools that can enhance employee

productivity and unlock new opportunities

are hard to ignore,” said Ian McPherson,

global M&E business development – media

supply chain and generative AI at Amazon

Web Services.

“For example, vector embedding and im-

age composition understanding can drasti-

cally improve asset searchability. With the

right tools, editors and producers could

query vast archives through semantic

search and receive precise results,” added

McPherson.

Engagement and retention

AI is also helping media companies build

stronger relationships with their audiences

through personalization, improved user ex-

periences and enhanced accessibility.

“Not so long ago, it was difcult for small-

er streaming services to combat churn and

ensure stable service quality as successful-

ly as the big players with their vast in-house

teams of data scientists and engineers,”

said Mrugesh Desai, vice president North

America at Accedo. “The democratization

of AI has in a sense levelled out the play-

ing ﬁeld. With the help of new tools and the

right analytics strategy, any streaming ser-

vice can now easily leverage data to boost

user engagement and retention and stabi-

lize service quality.”

These capabilities allow media compa-

nies to take a more proactive approach to

audience development and monetization.

“AI-driven insights are enabling OTT ser-

vices to identify users at high risk of churn

so that action can be taken - such as ofer-

ing free access to premium content or a dis-

counted subscription fee to encourage the

user to stay,” Desai added.

The technology is also making content

more accessible to diverse global audienc-

es.

“AI and ML are revolutionizing personal-

ization and accessibility, improving local-

ization, multilingual support, automated

transcription, and audio description,” said

Anupama Anantharaman, vice president

of product management at Interra Sys-

tems. “The technology is rapidly advancing

and enabling media companies to deliver

higher-quality content across multiple plat-

forms – crucial for engaging and retaining

audiences in a highly competitive land-

scape.”

These capabilities are directly impact-

ing business outcomes through improved

monetization.

“AI is playing a major role in this transfor-

mation, helping businesses automate per-

sonalization, predict churn, and optimize

customer engagement through hyper-per-

sonalized marketing strategies,” said Paolo

Cuttorelli, senior vice president of glob-

al sales at Evergent. “We’re also seeing a

strong push around automation to simplify

back-end processes like payments, cus-

tomer support, and multi-partner billing

amid rapid aggregation and service bun-

dling.”

Balancing innovation

with practicality

As AI adoption accelerates, industry

leaders emphasize implementation ap-

proaches that maximize return on invest-

ment.

“One of the big trends we are seeing in

AI is frugal AI – the development of AI sys-

tems that prioritize efciency, cost-efec-

tiveness, and resource optimization,” said

Petipont. “Traditional video indexing using

facial recognition and logo detection has

historically been prohibitively expensive,

especially at scale, often requiring multiple

costly processes for a single task. Frugal AI

changes this completely by reducing infer-

ence costs, cutting energy consumption,

and enhancing sustainability.”

Integrating AI with other technologies

creates comprehensive solutions for media

companies.

“We are well beyond the point of generi-

cally saying ‘you should be using AI in your

workﬂow’ and have moved to a stage where

AI can be transformative in a video plat-

form, but its functionality and efcacy must

also be easily measured and recognized by

rights holders, providers, and leagues,” said

Matt Smith, chief evangelist at Akta.

As the industry gathers in Las Vegas this

April, the focus will be on AI solutions that

deliver measurable beneﬁts today while

positioning media companies for future in-

novations.

“We think 2025 will be the year that, in-

stead of isolated use cases, AI becomes

fully integrated into end-to-end media

workﬂows,” said Venugopal Iyengar, COO,

digital at Planetcast. “AI will automate tasks

ranging from metadata extraction and con-

tent segmentation to highlight creation and

contextual advertising – unlocking new ef-

ﬁciencies and monetization opportunities.”

Industry leaders also acknowledge that

responsible implementation remains cru-

cial as AI becomes more deeply embedded

in media operations.

“As AI becomes more deeply embedded

in media workﬂows, the challenge is not

just harnessing its power but doing so in

a way that builds trust, transparency, and

tangible efciency gains,” said Wilson. 

Continued from previous page

NEWSCASTSTUDIO.COM

Workﬂow optimization sees big

growth in demand at 2025 show

A clear theme is emerging in the broad-

cast and media sector today: the urgent

need for operational efciency across all

media production and distribution as-

pects.

With ﬁnancial pressures mounting and

technology evolving rapidly, broadcasters

and media organizations seek solutions

that streamline workﬂows while maintain-

ing quality. Ahead of the NAB Show, here

are the trends driving the conversation.

Consolidation and uniﬁcation

driving operational change

The fragmentation of media workﬂows

has created signiﬁcant inefciencies, with

many organizations operating separate in-

frastructures for broadcast, streaming and

on-demand or OTT platforms. Industry

leaders point to workﬂow consolidation as

a critical priority.

“Revenue isn’t growing as fast as it

used to, and costs are rising,” said Steve

Reynolds, chief executive ofcer, Imagine

Communications. “The shift toward multi-

platform distribution has introduced new

expenses, as companies must now pro-

duce, format and manage content across

broadcast, streaming, direct-to-consumer

and mobile services.”

As an example, Reynolds noted that

the initial approach to streaming often in-

volved separate production chains.

“During the early days of streaming,

many companies built separate infrastruc-

tures for each platform, resulting in redun-

dant expenses without driving additional

revenue. Now, the focus is on eliminating

these inefciencies by unifying production

workﬂows,” Reynolds said.

This consolidation extends beyond just

technical infrastructure to vendor rela-

tionships as well.

“We see optimizing media operations

through vendor consolidation and cost re-

duction as a key focus for companies,” said

Richard Andes, vice president of product

management, Telestream. “Organizations

are driving efciency and streamlining

workﬂows by minimizing touchpoints

needed to prepare media for air when it

comes to traditional supply chains and

creative processes.”

Cloud transitions reshaping

ﬁnancial models

The shift from hardware-intensive pro-

duction environments to cloud and IP-

based workﬂows continues to alter how

media companies operate ﬁnancially,

moving from capital expenditures to oper-

ational costs.

“Traditionally, media companies have

relied heavily on capital expenditures

for proprietary hardware and infrastruc-

ture,” said Kris Alexander, vice president

of product and industry marketing, Zixi.

“However, the current cost-conscious cli-

mate and the move to cloud has shifted the

focus towards operational expenditures

through IP-based, cloud-driven solutions,

reshaping the ﬁnancial dynamics of the in-

dustry.”

This transition requires a more sophisti-

cated approach to analyzing costs.

“TCO is rarely fully recognized, and in-

frastructure and related costs are often

overlooked when considering hardware

expenses. Cloud and IP-based solutions

demand a broader perspective, as their re-

liance on infrastructure is signiﬁcant,” said

Alexander. “To truly unlock the potential

of cloud and IP technologies, a more com-

Continued on next page

The fragmentation of media workﬂows has created

signiﬁcant inefciencies, with many organizations

operating separate infrastructures for broadcast,

streaming and on-demand or OTT platforms.

EFFICIENCY

NAB PREVIEW

Dear Sir or Madam,

We’re offering a unique opportunity to hear from industry experts,

esteemed partners, and our R&S specialists about the latest advancements

in broadcasting technology at NAB 2025 in Las Vegas Convention Center.

The Tech Talks will be held live at the R&S booth (West Hall, Booth W3043)

– we invite you to take this unique chance to engage in discussions and

gain valuable insights.

To explore the full agenda and register for your preferred sessions, please

proceed to the next page.

We’re looking forward to connecting with you and exploring the future of

broadcasting technology together.

Best regards,

Your Rohde & Schwarz Broadcast and Media team

Presentations (for registration please click on the title)

ATSC 3.0 Updates (Madeleine Noland - Advanced Television Systems Committee)

ATSC 3.0 Advancement and Projects Updates (Mark Aitken - Sinclair)

Broadcast Positioning System (BPS) Proof of Concept Review (Harvey Arnold - Sinclair)

Optimized Antenna Design: Navigating FCC Interference Criteria (Doug Lung)

NextGen Now: Why ATSC 3.0 is the Gateway to Broadcast Innovation (Anne Schell - Peal TV)

Data Casting - Review & Update on current projects (Mike Voge - Director of Engineering and

Operations from HC2)

Advanced Multiviewer & Monitoring for Legacy and Emerging Formats (Marcus Ruoff -

Rohde & Schwarz)

Maximizing Broadcast Potential: Best & Virtual Channel Strategies (Heartland Video Systems)

STLTP Networking & Beyond: Secure and Efficient Broadcast Transport (Heartland Video

Systems)

Dielectric Optiload: Innovation in Power Handling and Efficiency (Dielectric)

Hybrid Dielectric Design: Innovation in Broadcast Technology (Dielectric)

Next-Gen Broadcasting: Avateq's Approach to BPS & MIMO (Avateq)

ROHDE & SCHWARZ

TECH TALKS

April 6 – 9, 2025

Las Vegas Convention Center

West Hall, Booth W3043

Secure your spot here

Join our presentations at NAB 2025

NEWSCASTSTUDIO.COM

prehensive approach is needed, including

a more thorough analysis of TCO that ac-

counts for all associated costs.”

While cloud adoption ofers ﬂexibility, it

also requires careful cost management.

“The cloud conversation has matured

from hype to hard economics, with cus-

tomers seeking guidance through the

maze of storage costs, trafc expenses,

and performance needs,” said Jan Weign-

er, chief technology ofcer, Cinegy. “Ef-

ciency isn’t just a buzzword anymore; it’s

a survival strategy in an industry where

doing more with less has become the man-

date.”

Many organizations are ﬁnding that a hy-

brid approach provides the best balance.

“We’re tracking the emergence of hy-

brid approaches that blend on-premises

reliability with cloud ﬂexibility – creating

balanced systems that optimize both per-

formance and costs,” said Weigner. “The

trend we’re most encouraged by is the

industry’s return to business case reality

over technology infatuation.”

Media companies are paying particular

attention to these ongoing costs.

“Increasingly, media businesses are

also more cognizant about ways to avoid

the heavy cloud egress fees that come

with frequently moving in and out of pub-

lic cloud environments,” said Rick Young,

senior vice president of global products,

LTN.

AI adoption moving from hype to

practical applications

As artiﬁcial intelligence continues inﬁl-

trating the product pipeline, the focus has

shifted from theoretical possibilities to

practical applications that deliver measur-

able workﬂow improvements across the

entire media pipeline.

“The AI conversation is ﬁnally maturing

beyond hype to ﬁxed-function applications

that solve speciﬁc workﬂow problems

with clear cost-beneﬁt advantages,” said

Weigner.

Media organizations are implementing

AI strategically rather than as a blanket

solution.

“Given the high cost of AI models for

computer vision services, it’s essential for

companies to deﬁne automation strategies

that balance efciency with cost-efective-

ness,” said Blake Parrish, vice president of

product management, Telestream.

These targeted AI implementations are

already showing results in real-world pro-

duction environments.

“In 2024, it seemed that AI was dominat-

ing the industry, but as we are entering the

ﬁrst quarter of 2025, AI is progressing and

actually providing some valuable working

solutions,” said Jane Sung, chief operating

ofcer, Cinedeck.

For example, the integration of AI into

quality control workﬂows is proving par-

ticularly valuable.

“Workﬂow optimization now focuses on

unifying siloed processes — for example,

integrating AI-driven diagnostics directly

into encoding pipelines to preemptively

ﬂag quality issues or automate bandwidth

allocation,” said Anupama Anantharaman,

vice president of product management,

Interra Systems. “Predictive analytics are

helping teams prioritize ﬁxes based on

viewer impact, while tools for real-time

metadata tagging streamline localization

and compliance checks.”

This focus on practical AI applications

extends beyond just production to audi-

ence engagement.

“Smarter workﬂows that deliver real re-

sults today will continue to drive the con-

versation at NAB 2025 - and AI is leading

the charge,” said Sam Kamel, chief execu-

tive ofcer, Bitcentral.

Remote production and

collaboration evolving

The pandemic accelerated remote pro-

duction adoption, and media organiza-

tions continue to reﬁne these workﬂows

for long-term efciency.

“Remote production remains a key fo-

cus, as broadcasters continue to reduce

production costs by deploying technolo-

gies that minimize the need for large on-

site crews,” said Matthew Williams-Neale,

vice president of marketing, Appear. “This

is also important for sustainability as the

industry continues to reduce its environ-

mental footprint.”

These distributed workﬂows create new

challenges around asset management and

collaboration.

“The explosive growth in content reso-

lution and complexity is pushing tradition-

al ﬁle sharing infrastructure to its limits,”

said Ned Pyle, enterprise storage techni-

cal ofcer, Tuxera. “We’re seeing broad-

cast operations struggling with 4K/8K

workﬂows and virtual production that

demand real-time access to massive ﬁles

across distributed teams.”

Ensuring efcient collaboration across

these distributed environments requires

new approaches to project management.

“Post-production doesn’t have to be so

difcult. If we can encourage organiza-

tions to put the focus on the project, which

is the fundamental unit of post-production,

signiﬁcant improvements to efciency, se-

curity, and turnaround become possible,”

said Derek Barrilleaux, chief executive of-

ﬁcer, Projective.

Balancing innovation with

practicality

The tension between digital transforma-

tion and practical business needs contin-

ues to shape purchasing decisions in the

world of media and entertainment.

“We’re seeing a refreshing shift toward

evolution over revolution – where incre-

mental improvements delivering measur-

able beneﬁts take precedence over ﬂashy

but impractical innovations,” said Weigner.

“The growing recognition that operation-

al efciency directly impacts bottom-line

results is validating our long-standing ap-

proach to software-deﬁned television.”

The industry is also seeking more adapt-

able solutions that adjust to evolving re-

quirements.

“Today’s media service providers need

to be able to scale operations, adapt ac-

cording to changing audience demands

and navigate often complex workﬂows

which span both cloud and hardware en-

vironments - all while keeping costs in

check,” said Williams-Neale.

This focus on practical solutions is

driving workﬂow automation and laying a

roadmap for the future.

“The industry is looking for ways to re-

duce complexity, automate manual tasks,

and increase the reliability of live video

workﬂows,” said Chris Clarke, chief reve-

nue ofcer and co-founder, Cerberus Tech.

The convergence of workﬂow efciency,

cost management and practical innovation

will shape discussions on the show ﬂoor

and point the way toward the broadcast

industry’s future.



Continued from previous page

The tension between

digital transformation

and practical business

needs continues to shape

purchasing decisions in

the world of media and

entertainment.

As broadcasters and media compa-

nies prepare to gather for the NAB Show

in Las Vegas this April, monetization has

emerged as a central theme in an industry

navigating profound transformation. The

annual trade show, scheduled for April 5-9,

2025, will spotlight new revenue genera-

tion approaches as viewing habits evolve

across platforms.

With traditional broadcast models fac-

ing disruption from streaming services

and changing consumer preferences, in-

dustry leaders are reimagining moneti-

zation strategies to maintain proﬁtability

while meeting audience expectations.

This year’s NAB Show will explore how

companies balance subscription models,

advertising opportunities and hybrid ap-

proaches across increasingly fragmented

distribution channels.

The shifting monetization

landscape

The transformation in how audiences

consume content has created challenges

and opportunities for broadcasters and

streaming platforms. This evolution re-

quires completely rethinking how media

companies approach their business mod-

els.

“A fundamental shift in viewing habits

has led to a paradigm change in moneti-

zation,” said Steve Reynolds, chief exec-

utive ofcer of Imagine Communications.

“While

traditional

broadcast

remains

viable, the rise of linear streaming and

on-demand platforms has reshaped how

audiences consume content. This shift

has fragmented the audience, making it

increasingly challenging for advertisers to

reach consumers efectively.”

The industry is moving from viewing in-

ventory simply as ad slots toward a more

sophisticated approach that prioritizes au-

dience engagement across platforms.

“Instead of viewing inventory as a collec-

tion of ad slots, broadcasters must adopt

a new mindset — one that considers their

audience as their inventory,” Reynolds

said. “This shift empowers advertisers to

execute cross-platform orders efective-

ly, seamlessly blending linear and digital

strategies to reach the right viewers.”

Hybrid revenue models

gain traction

As traditional linear TV revenue wanes,

media companies increasingly embrace

multiple revenue streams to maintain

growth.

“The conversation around monetization

is being driven by the need for broadcast-

ers and content owners to adapt to chang-

ing viewer behaviors while maintaining

proﬁtability,” said Chris Clarke, chief rev-

enue ofcer and co-founder of Cerberus

Tech. “The shift toward hybrid revenue

models — combining subscription, adver-

tising, and pay-per-view — is accelerating,

especially as traditional linear TV revenue

declines.”

Free ad-supported streaming television

(FAST) has been a signiﬁcant growth area,

ofering viewers free content in exchange

for watching advertisements.

“Monetization will remain central to the

NAB conversation, particularly with the

accelerated adoption of free ad-support-

ed streaming television,” said Anupama

Anantharaman, vice president of product

management at Interra Systems. “Broad-

casters are prioritizing solutions that bal-

ance ad relevance with seamless viewer

retention, moving beyond basic insertion

tactics to contextual alignment.”

The success of FAST platforms depends

heavily on sophisticated advertising tech-

nology that maintains the viewing experi-

ence.

“Viewers increasingly accept ads as a

fair trade-of for free or lower-cost con-

tent, with streaming platforms and broad-

casters needing to fully explore the opti-

mization of their all-important advertising

strategy,” said Jacques Le Mancq, CEO of

Broadpeak. “Dynamic ad insertion is the

solution, delivering seamless, personal-

ized ads, encouraging viewer engagement

and ‘stickiness’.”

Le Mancq emphasized that efective ad

insertion requires comprehensive tech-

nical solutions: “But to achieve maximum

ﬁll rates and drive monetization, DAI tech

has to reach far beyond simple insertion.

There’s meticulous content preparation

required; truly dynamic adaptation to each

Monetization strategies evolve as streaming

reshapes broadcasting, opens opportunities

Continued on next page

MONETIZATION

NAB PREVIEW