Production 360 Issue V3.2 March-April 2026

YOUR MAGAZINE FOR SPORT, NEWS, FILM & TV AND EVENTS

V3.2 • MARCH-APRIL 2026

The art of collaboration

Why partnership is more important to broadcast tech than ever

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA WELCOME

MARCH-APRIL 2026 | 3

Adapt or die!

Welcome to the latest issue

of Production360°, timed

to coincide with the NAB

Show. Once again, it’s a packed digital

read full of industry leaders keen

to drive innovation, collaboration

and resilience. This is also true of

us as a publishing platform. We are

embracing AI whilst unreservedly

retaining our human element. In this

ecosystem, publishers must become partners with vendors,

remain independent, and offer different ways to produce

and distribute content to the right audience.

Since the last issue that we produced for ISE the world

again seems to have been turned upside down. I speak

from experience with family in the Middle East just how

anxious things have become. Nonetheless, with another

huge trade show on the horizon in the form of NAB, what

we are seeing is a dogged determination to not only survive

— but to flourish.

Indeed, on many occasions during the production of this

issue, we have witnessed companies willing to go beyond

— and that often includes extensive collaborations with

partners worldwide.

The ‘Adapt or Die’ I am referring to here is more

Darwinian than Moneyball and might seem a little

extreme! However, the current reality for every single one of

us is that we are often dealing with circumstances beyond

our control, so if we fight then it’s because there is a need

to — rather than a ‘want to’.

In this issue we have some incredible content and

opinion. Every single piece is written to provide the reader

with an honest, balanced and positive reading experience.

We are still growing as a platform, learning every day,

investing in innovation, and prepared to be different. Our

new audio description on www.production360.media

is driving huge engagement. And, most importantly,

we will not stop.

As in life, we won’t always get it right and we will make

mistakes. Every day is a challenge that me and the small

team look forward to facing.

We hope you enjoy the issue. We remain free to all —

there are no subscriptions — and we do not collect any

data. Never have and never will.

For those attending NAB, we hope you have a fantastic

and fulfilling show.

Chris Cope, Publisher

Production 360º

Broadcast Studios

Mobile Production

Contribution & Distribution

Remote Production

Commentary

Post Production

Live Events & Entertainment

Corporate AV

Theaters

Houses of Worship

Government

Control Rooms

Education & Campus AV

Esports

Stadiums & Arenas

If there was

ONE

thing you could wish for,

what would it be?

https://lawo.online/one

Sign up for

Lawo’s Special Online Event.

April 08, 2026.

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA MARCH-APRIL 2026 | 5

CONTENTS

Publisher

Chris Cope

chris@production360.media

Contributing Writer

David Davies

daviddaviesjournalist@gmail.com

Production

Dean Cook

deancook@magazineproduction.com

Production 360 Media Ltd,

6 The Forum, Minerva Business Park,

Peterborough, PE2 6FT.

Tel: +44 (0)20 3289 8015

Website: www.production360.media

Production 360 is published six times

a year by Production 360 Media Ltd.

© 2026 Production 360 Media Ltd

The views expressed in Production 360

are not necessarily those of the editorial or

publishing team.

@production360

3 Welcome to Production360º

Publisher Chris Cope on the importance

of (re)invention

6 Collaboration is key

Partnership is more integral to the success

of the broadcast & media industries than

ever before, writes David Davies.

8 Crossing the Atlantic

Despite the huge number of technological

changes, media tech remains is still

fundamentally a people business,

including in the US, says 808 Talent

CEO Ben Swanton.

12 SMPTE: ‘This year is all about

growth for the organisation’

Key figures at SMPTE reflect on recent

and current initiatives, including those

pertaining to cloud and AI.

18 NAB Show’s Karen Chupka: ‘The

key M&E trend is convergence’

The executive vice-president of the NAB

Show previews some of what awaits

visitors to this year’s show.

26 Rise: championing mentoring,

leadership and community

Rise Women in Broadcast previews its

participation at this year’s NAB Show.

28 MPTS’ Charlotte Wheeler: ‘2026

marks our largest edition yet’

The MPTS director reflects on the show’s

10-year journey and looks ahead to this

year’s edition, taking place on May 13/14.

32 Disguise and ASB

GlassFloor collaboration

The two companies have announced a

strategic partnership that turns the arena

floor into a fully customisable interactive

digital surface.

34 Telestream’s Charlie

Dunn: ‘Collaboration

accelerates innovation’

The company’s executive vice-president

reflects on cloud adoption, AI and more.

40 Lawo’s Jamie Dunn: ‘Our sales

partnerships are a critical aspect

to our success’

The company’s CEO discusses open

standards, interoperability and supply

chain challenges.

44 Signiant scales OUTtv’s global

LGBTQ+ storytelling

Faster ingest and turnaround, easier

operational scaling, and stronger

protection for high-value content

are among the results of the

Signiant deployment.

48 Bridge Technologies’ Simen

K. Frostad: ‘Open and honest

communication is key’

The monitoring and analysis technology

company chairman discusses some

notable partnerships and the ongoing

“mission” of IP.

54 Cobalt Digital’s Suzana Brady:

‘We recognise the value of

collaborating with other vendors’

The SVP of worldwide sales & marketing

for Cobalt Digital discusses the “building

block” importance of collaboration.

58 Grass Valley’s Jon Wilson:

‘Media technology is becoming

increasingly global’

The CEO of the media technology giant

reflects on the centrality of collaboration

to this industry, and the essential nature of

interoperability.

62 Content strategy: from

data to meaning

Ivan Verbesselt from Mediagenix explains

why semantic intelligence matters for

content strategy and monetisation.

64 Pixotope’s Marcus B. Brodersen:

‘Our customers are everywhere’

The CEO of Pixotope Technologies reflects

on the global nature of the business, and

its role in helping customers to use virtual

production and real-time graphics.

68 Pebble’s Peter Mayhead: ‘The big

challenges now are commercial,

structural & cultural’

Pebble’s CEO reflects on an industrywide

shift towards an emphasis on issues

surrounding advertising, rights costs and

audience share.

72 On Air 2026: The art of timing

Thoughts on scheduling, timezone

wrangling, and multi-channel dynamics

ahead of this year’s On Air event.

/production360

6 | MARCH-APRIL 2026 COMMENT

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA

Collaboration is key

Partnership has always been integral to the success of the broadcast & media industries, but with an unprecedented wave of

technological change in progress it’s becoming more important than ever, writes David Davies.

It’s not necessary to look far in

order to identify examples of

hugely productive collaborations

in broadcast & media. For instance,

let’s consider the various standards

initiatives that have provided

structure and interoperability to

vendors and customers over the past

three decades or more.

One might first highlight SDI, the

family of digital video interfaces

standardised by SMPTE in 1989.

Swiftly embraced by an industry in

urgent need of standard transmission

of video signals, SDI became a

mainstay of broadcast facility

development — and despite the rise

of IP, remains hugely popular thanks

to its stability and robustness, among

other characteristics.

More recently, the emergence of IP

has called for a huge and sustained

collaboration between leading

industry bodies — such as SMPTE,

VSF and AES — and numerous other

stakeholders in order to deliver a

set of standards able to define the

complex yet flexible possibilities

heralded by this new-generation

technology. The result was SMPTE

ST 2110, whose first instalments

were issued in 2015. Since that time,

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA COMMENT


ST 2110 has become the dominant

force in IP implementation and

has also fed into other standards

initiatives such as IPMX, which

is geared more towards the

requirements of Pro AV applications.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Even among those facilities for

whom going fully IP does not make

sense yet, there is a firm trend

towards hybrid workflows that

include both SDI and IP. This is

also occasioning a fresh wave of

collaboration between vendors to

ensure that broadcasters can work

in the way they choose — without

encountering interoperability issues.

But it could be that the most

challenging — and essential — era of

collaboration is still ahead. Confronted

with a formidable array of new

technologies, from 4K to VR and AI, it’s

clear that relatively few organisations

have the capabilities to develop

everything they need in-house. Things

are simply moving too fast, and in too

many directions, for that to be realistic

in most cases — then there is the

fact that the world itself is becoming

more unstable and unpredictable with

every passing day.

All of which means that it’s not a

surprise to find repeated references to

the impetus for increased collaboration

in the interviews contained in this issue

of Production360°.

PRISED FOR PARTNERSHIP

To pick a few examples from the

Q&As, here is Lawo CEO Jamie Dunn

responding to a question about

whether — with cloud, virtualisation

and so many other areas of tech

progressing so rapidly — it would be

fair to say that companies need to

be more open to R&D partnership

than previously: “Yes, absolutely.

The accelerating shift toward

software‐defined and cloud‐ready,

agile media infrastructures makes

R&D‐focused collaboration more

important than ever. The Linux

Foundation’s MXL initiative is a

clear example of how vendors and

broadcasters are now jointly defining

the technical frameworks needed

for future media operations. Lawo is

actively involved in these discussions

through the leadership roles held by

our CTO [Phil Myers].”

For Charlie Dunn, executive

vice-president of Telestream, “the

pace of change in media technology

today makes collaboration in

R&D more important than ever.

Collaboration accelerates innovation

and ensures solutions remain

practical for real-world production

environments. The industry is

simultaneously (but unevenly)

adopting cloud infrastructure,

AI-driven automation, and IPbased

production workflows. These

No single vendor has all the answers, which is

why open collaboration between technology

providers, broadcasters, and platform operators has

become essential.

shifts are happening quickly and

often intersect. No single vendor

has all the answers, which is

why open collaboration between

technology providers, broadcasters,

and platform operators has

become essential.”

The observation about no

single vendor possessing all the

answers surely goes to the core of

what defines this current era of

collaboration. Particularly, although

by no means exclusively, in AI there

is a sense that the foundations

underpinning the technology are

continuing to shift all the time. It

might reasonably be argued that

governments should have taken

more of a role here some time

ago, putting in place the kind of

regulations that would not only

provide assurance to technology

developers, but also to members of

the workforce and the general public

who — quite understandably — may

feel deeply unnerved by some of

AI’s implications.

Even with the earliest AI-based

broadcast solutions, such as those

relating to localisation and initial

editing, there is a level of complexity

that may make it far more difficult

for one single organisation to

bring it to market successfully. As

the technology begins to mature

and impact on more aspects of

production and distribution,

the complexity could increased

exponentially — necessitating

additional partnerships, often

relating to very specific aspects

of the workflow.

Not only will this require a

sharing of expertise, it will also

involve a revised mindset that looks

more to what we have in common —

rather than what we are competing

about. In a world that seems

more divided than ever, that can’t

be a bad thing.

8 | MARCH-APRIL 2026 808 TALENT

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA

Crossing the Atlantic

For all the talk of cloud, AI and virtualised

workflows, one thing about the media

technology industry hasn’t changed

— it is still fundamentally a people

business, not least in the US, says

808 Talent CEO Ben Swanton.

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA 808 TALENT


Relationships matter. Reputation

matters. And perhaps more than ever,

showing up matters.

In 2026 the industry is more global than at

any point in its history. Innovation is happening

simultaneously across Europe, North America

and Asia, and the technologies reshaping media

workflows, including cloud infrastructure,

AI-driven tools and remote production,

are increasingly being developed through

collaborative ecosystems rather than within the

walls of a single company.

From where I sit running 808 Talent, that

international dynamic is something we see every

day. In conversations with founders, investors

and leadership teams across the sector, the

same question often comes up: how do you

successfully translate European innovation

into the US market?

Even amid geopolitical complexity and economic

uncertainty, the ambition to build transatlantic

media technology businesses remains strong. If

anything, it has become more deliberate.

What often surprises founders and leadership

teams, however, is that entering a new market is

not primarily a technology challenge. More often

than not, it is a cultural one.

TECHNOLOGY IS RARELY

THE BARRIER

Founders naturally believe their biggest

competitive advantage lies in their product, and

that belief is often justified. Engineering talent

across Europe continues to produce world-class

innovation. But when companies expand into the

US market, technology alone rarely determines

whether they succeed. Culture, messaging and

commercial execution tend to matter far more.

European and American businesses operate

quite differently. In the United States, visibility

and confidence play a major role in building

credibility. Customers expect to see vendors

actively participating in the industry, attending

events, building relationships and communicating

their value clearly.

European companies, particularly engineeringled

ones, sometimes approach this more

cautiously. They may focus heavily on product

development while assuming the technology will

speak for itself.

In the US market, technology alone is rarely

enough. That is why the first hires a European

company makes in the United States are so critical.

These roles are almost always commercially

focused, typically sales leaders, regional executives

or business development specialists tasked with

opening the market. Those individuals become the

bridge between two business cultures.

Industry experience obviously matters.

Networks matter as well. But personality and

cultural understanding are just as important. The

best leaders in these roles know how to translate

a European company’s strengths into a narrative

that resonates with American customers.

When that hire works, expansion can accelerate

quickly. When it does not, even exceptional

technology can struggle to gain traction.

INVESTMENT LEVELS

Another reality European companies sometimes

underestimate is the level of investment required

to succeed in the United States.

When that hire works,

expansion can accelerate quickly.

Hiring is the most obvious step change. Senior

commercial leadership in the US represents

a significantly larger investment than an

equivalent hire in Europe, something that can

initially surprise founders. But hiring is only

part of the story.

Marketing investment also needs to scale.

Messaging often needs to be adapted for a

US audience, brand visibility becomes more

important, and building market presence requires

consistent engagement with the industry. That

means being present.

The NAB Show and other industry events

play an enormous role in building credibility

in the US market, particularly when targeting

large enterprise customers. Being visible and

showing up consistently sends a clear signal that a

company is committed to the market.

Of course, that visibility requires investment.

Exhibition stands, travel, marketing campaigns

and local hires quickly add up. But the companies

that succeed in the US are usually the ones willing

to make that commitment. Trying to test the

market halfway rarely works.

The upside, however, can be significant. The

US remains the largest and most commercially

dynamic market in media technology. Securing

even a handful of major enterprise customers can

transform a company’s growth trajectory.

10 | MARCH-APRIL 2026 808 TALENT

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA

ACCELERATING INNOVATION

Alongside international expansion, one of the

most encouraging trends in the industry is the

growing importance of collaboration. The pace of

technological change, particularly across cloud

infrastructure, AI and remote production, has

become too fast for most companies to tackle

alone. As a result, partnerships are becoming

increasingly common.

Technology vendors are integrating platforms

more deeply, building joint solutions and forming

alliances that allow them to move faster. Investors

are connecting founders with experienced

operators who understand how to scale companies

internationally. Even competitors occasionally

collaborate around standards and interoperability.

Increasingly, innovation in media technology is

happening across borders. European engineering

teams, American commercial networks and

global cloud platforms are collaborating to create

solutions that simply would not emerge within a

single country or market. In many ways the media

technology ecosystem now behaves more like a

network than a collection of individual vendors.

This shift also changes the type of leadership

companies need. Building a media technology

company today increasingly means building an

ecosystem around it.

Executives must be comfortable operating

in partnership-driven environments, building

relationships across organisations, managing

distributed teams, and navigating multiple

markets simultaneously.

Technical expertise still matters. But leadership

increasingly means being able to connect people,

ideas and opportunities across the ecosystem.

Investors are connecting founders with experienced operators

who understand how to scale companies internationally.

RESILIENT INDUSTRY

The wider geopolitical environment is clearly more

complex than it was a decade ago. Trade tensions,

regulatory shifts and economic uncertainty all

influence how companies operate internationally.

Yet the media technology sector continues to show

remarkable resilience.

Content still needs to be created, managed and

distributed. Broadcasters, streaming platforms

and content owners still rely on the technology

that enables those workflows. Innovation has

not slowed down. If anything, the pace of change

across media technology is accelerating.

The collaborative nature of the industry helps

companies navigate that complexity. Strong

partnerships and trusted relationships allow

organisations to adapt quickly when markets

shift. Indeed, this has always been an industry

built on relationships.

NAB SHOW AS DEFINING MOMENT

Which brings us to NAB. Every April it acts as

a focal point for the global media technology

community. Vendors, broadcasters, investors,

engineers and entrepreneurs all converge in

Las Vegas for a week that is as much about

conversations as it is about technology.

Yes, NAB is a trade show. But it is also where

relationships begin. For European companies

entering the US market, NAB often becomes a

defining moment. It is where they meet potential

customers, partners and future hires. It is where

strategies take shape and where long-term

collaborations frequently start.

Moreover, it is where companies demonstrate that

they are serious about the market. Because in the

United States, showing up matters. Attending NAB

properly requires commitment. Travel, exhibition

space and marketing activity are significant

investments. But trying to build a presence in the US

market from a distance is far harder.

Media technology remains a relationshipdriven

industry. Some of the most important

partnerships, hires and commercial deals begin

with conversations at events like NAB – whether

on a stand, in a meeting room, or during a chance

encounter walking between the halls.

In an increasingly digital world, those moments

of connection still matter enormously. And every

year, NAB reminds us that despite the complexity

surrounding global business, the media

technology industry remains a truly international

community built on collaboration, innovation and

the willingness to engage.

For companies looking to grow across the

Atlantic, there are few better places to start the

conversation, and few better reminders that this

industry still runs on relationships.

12 | MARCH-APRIL 2026 SMPTE

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA

SMPTE: ‘This year is all about

growth for the organisation’

Three key figures at SMPTE — executive

director Sally-Ann D’Amato, director of

standards development Thomas Bause Mason,

and director of education Maja Davidovic — reflect on recent

and current initiatives, including those pertaining to cloud and AI.

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA SMPTE


Going into the 2026 edition of the NAB

Show, how do you look back on the past 12

months for SMPTE?

[S-A D] 2026 is all about growth for SMPTE. Over

the past year, we focused on strengthening our

infrastructure and internal processes — laying the

groundwork that allows us to now begin rolling

out several important new initiatives.

One of the most significant developments

is the launch of a major fundraising campaign

in the coming months to build upon the Next

Century Fund, which was originally established

during SMPTE’s Centennial Celebration in

2016 as a forward-looking investment in the

Society’s future.

The Fund was created to ensure that SMPTE

continues advancing, innovating, and serving

the global motion-imaging community for

generations to come. Thanks to the generosity of

our founding corporate donors — including The

Walt Disney Company, Panasonic, Technicolor,

Dolby, Google, Netflix, Blackmagic Design,

FotoKem, Ross Video, and Fox Corporation—as

well as many dedicated individual supporters, the

Fund has already made a meaningful impact.

It has helped send students to industry events,

expand SMPTE’s presence in programs for

emerging professionals, support educational

initiatives, strengthen our standards development

and publishing processes, and most recently

enable the launch of our new member portal

at the end of 2025 — an important step in

modernising how our community connects and

engages with the Society.

As we grow the Fund further, it will allow us

to invest in new member benefits, expanded

educational offerings and learning formats,

stronger support for both existing and emerging

Sections, and additional resources for students

and early-career professionals. Our goal is to make

SMPTE more accessible and impactful globally—

and we already have initiatives underway in

regions including Europe, India, and South Africa.

At the same time, we are continuing to

strengthen our network of Industry Partner

organisations. Each organisation in our ecosystem

brings something unique to the table, and by

working together we can better serve the broader

media technology community. Building those

partnerships will help us expand the reach of

our programs, education and standards work

across the industry.

That’s about all I can tease for now — but I will

say that there are some exciting announcements

coming soon that will help shape the future

of SMPTE and our role in the evolving media

technology landscape.

There have been significant recent

developments in terms of SMPTE standards,

including those on AI and the cloud. Can you

bring our readers up to date on the latest news

regarding standardisation?

[TBM] Regarding developments in cloud

technology, SMPTE has initiated the creation of

standards focused on control protocols. These

protocols are designed to establish a unified, open,


PRODUCTION360.MEDIA

The rapid evolution of AI

brings both significant

opportunities and challenges.

secure and vendor-neutral control plane for media

systems, whether deployed in on-premises data

centres or operating within the public cloud. At

present, this comprehensive suite of standards

comprises six separate documents:

OV 2138-0 — Roadmap for the

2138 Document Suite

ST 2138-10 — Catena Model: This

document specifies schema for plug-and-play

communication and control of media services

and devices across cloud, on-premises, and hybrid

cloud/on-premises platforms. This document also

defines a number of Access Scopes that reflect

how media production equipment is used in a

variety of use cases.

ST 2138-11 — gRPC Connection Type: This

document defines the use of a gRPC connection

manager with Catena.

ST 2138-12 — REST Connection Type: This

document specifies the use of a REST connection

manager with Catena.

ST 2138-19 — Protocol Objects: This document

defines the objects that are exchanged between

participants using the ST2138 protocol.

ST 2138-50 — Authenticity — Integrity —

Access Control — Confidentiality and Availability:

This document specifies how to securely utilise

the Catena control protocol (as defined in ST

2138) with respect to authenticity, integrity, access

control, confidentiality and availability.

In terms of AI, SMPTE has several initiatives.

There is the long-standing Taskforce on AI in

Media, which has published two reports so far.

The latest report is available here.

SMPTE also has three drafting groups for AI

related topics:

SMPTE ST 2141 — Metadata Generated by

LLMs: Contextual and Versioning Standards: The

project will define the necessary metadata fields

for LLM-generated content, including context,

model version, prompt, hyperparameters and

confidence scores. It will also develop guidelines

for capturing and storing this metadata to ensure

traceability and reproducibility.

SMPTE ST 2142 — Embeddings as Metadata:

Contextual and Non-Human Readable Fields:

The project will focus on defining the metadata

required for embeddings, including generation

context, model parameters and other relevant

information. It will also investigate methods to

ensure interoperability of embeddings between

different systems.

SMPTE ST 2143 — Standardisation of AI

Model Metadata and Creation of a Centralised

Model Registry: This document will define a

standardised metadata schema for AI models,

develop guidelines for metadata creation and

management and create a centralised database

for registering and storing AI model metadata.

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA SMPTE


In addition it will establish processes for model

registration, updates and version control, and

develop APIs and tools for interacting with

the model registry

SMPTE has established a formal liaison with

ISO/IEC JTC1 SC42, the ISO subcommittee

dedicated to Artificial Intelligence, and held its

inaugural AI Standards Forum in September 2025.

Building on this momentum, SMPTE is steadfast

in its commitment to become the premier

standards organisation for AI within professional

media technology. The organisation is dedicated

to ensuring that its AI standards are crafted with

a focus on responsibility and trustworthiness.

Looking ahead, SMPTE anticipates hosting

additional AI Standards Forums to further

advance these important initiatives.

In connection with AI advancements, SMPTE

has initiated a study group focused on content

provenance and authenticity (CPA). The

group’s objective is to assess whether current

standards need to be revised to accommodate

CPA, or if entirely new standards should be

created. Additionally, SMPTE has joined the

ITU’s collaborative effort on AI and Multimedia

Authenticity Standards, further reinforcing its

commitment to developing industry-leading

standards in this evolving field.

Focusing on AI in particular, how challenging

has the pace of change — which has surprised

many — been for the AI Taskforce and

standards projects in this area?

[TBM] The rapid evolution of AI brings both

significant opportunities and challenges. On the

positive side, the current speed of advancement

makes it difficult for companies to meaningfully

integrate AI into their operations, as they, like

SMPTE, are still evaluating which technologies

to adopt and how best to implement them. This

transitional period means that the development

of robust AI standards is still a few years away,

providing SMPTE with a unique opportunity

to position itself as a front-runner in AI

standardisation.

However, this swift pace also presents

obstacles. It is increasingly challenging for

SMPTE to keep up with the constant influx of new

developments within the AI sector. To address

this, SMPTE launched the Taskforce on AI in

Media, which actively monitors market trends

and innovations. This group is dedicated to

capturing the latest advancements and ensuring

that the requirements and needs of the industry

are communicated effectively to SMPTE and the

broader media community.

What are going to be your main points of

emphasis at the NAB Show?

[MD] At this year’s NAB Show, SMPTE’s

educational focus will centre on how the industry

is translating innovation into practical, deployable

media technology. Through the SMPTE Visual

Innovation and Brilliant Engineering (VIBE)

Conference, we’ll explore the engineering

processes behind emerging workflows — from

AI-enabled production and content authenticity

to large-scale immersive experiences, new opensource

tools, accessibility of content, and nextgeneration

live sports workflows.

Our goal is to highlight the real engineering

challenges and solutions that underpin today’s

most exciting creative projects and processes.

Our VIBE (Visual Innovation and Brilliant

Engineering) sessions will dive into topics


PRODUCTION360.MEDIA

such as open-source collaboration, advanced

camera robotics systems, and scalable streaming

infrastructures, all framed around SMPTE’s

long-standing mission to bridge standards

development, engineering practice, and

creative storytelling.

In short, SMPTE’s emphasis at NAB is on

connecting innovation with implementation —

giving engineers, technologists, and creators the

technical insight needed to build reliable, futureready

media systems.

Could you please highlight a few conference

sessions/seminars in which SMPTE members

are participating this year?

[MD] SMPTE members will be actively involved

across several sessions within the SMPTE Visual

Innovation and Brilliant Engineering (VIBE)

Conference at NAB Show on Saturday, April 18.

Highlights include sessions such as “Robotic

Cameras — From Earth to Space,” which explores

advanced camera systems and automation in

demanding production environments, and “The

Engineering Case for Content Authenticity,” which

looks at emerging standards and technologies

designed to preserve trusted media metadata

throughout modern workflows.

Other notable discussions include “Open

Source Is Ready for Prime Time,” which examines

how open-source development and standards

organisations are collaborating to accelerate

interoperability and innovation across the

media ecosystem, and “From Build to Broadcast

to Fan Experience in Live Sports Systems,”

which explores the engineering infrastructure

required to deliver increasingly personalised and

immersive live sports experiences.

Also, we will launch SMTPE-EBU Innovation

Lab: providing information on new technologies

developed under the EBU — SMPTE umbrella

that may turn into SMPTE standards eventually,

and this time we are presenting their Ograf

open specification.

In addition, SMPTE will place strong emphasis

on hands-on professional training through

the SMPTE Roadshow: ST 2110 Bootcamp

at NAB Show on Tuesday, April 21. This oneday,

immersive training program is designed

to help engineers and media technologists

confidently design, deploy, and operate IP-based

production systems built on the SMPTE ST 2110

standards suite. The programme moves beyond

theory to focus on real-world system design,

including how IP infrastructures function across

facilities, remote production, and hybrid SDI/

IP environments.

Together, these sessions reflect SMPTE’s role in

both advancing the technical foundations of the

media industry and helping professionals apply

those standards and innovations in practical

production environments.

Ahead of the action.

Behind every signal.

Trusted Test & Measurement solutions

Whether in live production, post, or

engineering, Leader stands behind

every signal, so you can stay

confidently ahead of the action.

www.leaderphabrix.com

#C5516

18 | MARCH-APRIL 2026 NAB SHOW

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA

NAB Show’s Karen

Chupka: ‘The key M&E

trend is convergence’

The executive vice-president of

the NAB Show — which takes

place from April 18-22 at the

Las Vegas Convention Center

— preview some of what awaits

visitors to this year’s show.

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA NAB SHOW


One clear signal is the

scale of AI participation across

the show floor.

This year’s NAB Show arguably takes place at

a period of technological and geopolitical

change without recent precedent.

What are your overriding thoughts as the 2026

event approaches?

The defining trend across media and

entertainment right now is convergence.

Broadcast, streaming, sports production, film and

the creator economy are increasingly operating

within the same ecosystem, often using the same

production tools, distribution platforms and

business models.

NAB Show reflects that reality. The event brings

together the full spectrum of the industry —

technology innovators, broadcasters, streaming

platforms, sports leagues and creators — to

explore how these worlds are intersecting.

Just as important, it brings together the

global community behind that work. Each

year we welcome companies, creators and

delegations from around the world who come

to see new technologies, exchange ideas and

build partnerships.

At a time when both technology and the global

media landscape are evolving quickly, that kind of

cross-industry and international collaboration is

more important than ever.

To what extent do you think AI and

cloud technologies will dominate the

showfloor? And are there particular aspects

of these technologies you expect to be

especially prominent?

Artificial intelligence and cloud technologies have

been building momentum at NAB Show for several


PRODUCTION360.MEDIA

years, but by every indication we can see 2026

represents a real inflection point. What’s different

this year is not simply the number of companies

working in these areas, but how deeply these

technologies are now integrated across the media

production and distribution chain.

One clear signal is the scale of AI participation

across the show floor. We’ve doubled our AI

presence this year with two dedicated AI Pavilions

featuring more than 50 exhibitors, with several

more in the Startup Pavilion, and roughly 300

companies across the Show highlighting work

in areas such as machine learning, vision AI

and voice AI. These technologies are appearing

throughout the workflow, from content

creation and editing to metadata, localisation,

discoverability and audience analytics.

What’s especially notable is how the

conversation around AI has shifted from

experimentation to practical application.

Production teams are increasingly focused on how

these tools can accelerate repetitive tasks and

support creative decision-making.

Cloud infrastructure is playing a central role

in enabling these advances. As production

environments become more distributed, cloudbased

systems allow teams to collaborate

across locations, access shared assets and scale

computing power when complex processing is

required. For production professionals, one of

the most compelling developments is how AI and

cloud technologies are beginning to work together

to support production pipelines that simply

weren’t possible a few years ago.

Go live.

EVEN HERE

The intelligent production

unit with AI-powered

connectivity.

Old rules don’t apply.

Visit us at NAB Show – Booth N1740


PRODUCTION360.MEDIA

How is this year’s Show looking in terms of

new/returning exhibitors, and are there any in

particular you would like to highlight?

The exhibitor landscape for 2026 reflects how

quickly the media technology sector is evolving.

Many companies long central to the broadcast and

production ecosystem are returning to the Show,

while we’re also seeing strong participation from

companies representing newer areas of innovation

across software, infrastructure and creatordriven

production.

One of the most notable developments is the

growing presence of the major cloud platforms

— AWS, Google and Microsoft — all of which

are taking significant space on the show floor

this year. Their presence reflects how closely

media production is now tied to large-scale

computing infrastructure and distributed

collaboration environments.

At the same time, NAB Show continues to

feature the camera manufacturers, editing

platforms, graphics systems, audio technologies

and broadcast infrastructure providers that power

everyday production. Seeing those established

Modern production

environments rely on

interconnected systems.

leaders alongside emerging startups and new

software platforms gives attendees a clear picture

of how the industry is evolving.

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA NAB SHOW


explores how AI can augment the creative process

inside the studio environment rather than simply

automate individual tasks, and how these tools

integrate into real production workflows.

Sports media will also be a major focus as part

of our Sports Summit, which has been expanded

to four days. The Main Stage conversation “NBC

Sports Playbook: Rights, Partnerships, and What’s

Next” will explore how leagues, broadcasters

and technology partners are navigating an

evolving ecosystem of streaming platforms, rights

negotiations and new distribution models.

Sessions such as “Who Controls the Pipe?

Platform Distribution, Power, and the New Deal

Economics” step back to examine the changing

balance of power across platforms, distributors

and content owners as media companies reassess

how content reaches audiences and how value is

shared across the ecosystem.

Together, these sessions reflect the breadth

of the NAB Show program, from AI-enabled

production to the infrastructure, economics and

partnerships shaping the future of media.

We’re also introducing a new Networking

Lounge where attendees can connect

with peers and participate in meetups for

different communities across the industry.

That kind of interaction is an important

part of the Show. In fact, our survey data

shows that nearly US$17 billion in business

is generated each year through connections

made at NAB Show.

Could you please highlight a few

conference sessions that you expect to be

especially noteworthy?

Several sessions stand out this year because they

reflect the forces reshaping media production

and distribution. One I would highlight is “The

Augmented Studio: Supercharging Creativity with

the Power of AI,” which features perspectives from

Google Cloud and Google DeepMind. The session

A key theme of this issue is collaboration

and partnership. As broadcast and media

technologies become more fast-moving and

complex, how important do you think it will

be that companies are prepared to work more

collaboratively?

Collaboration is becoming increasingly essential

as the media technology ecosystem grows more

complex. No single company, and often no single

production team, can build or operate the entire

media workflow alone.

Modern production environments rely on


PRODUCTION360.MEDIA

One of the things I look forward to most each year is seeing how

technology ultimately serves storytelling.

interconnected systems that include cameras,

software platforms, cloud infrastructure, AI tools,

distribution networks and analytics platforms. For

those systems to function effectively, they must

integrate and interoperate.

As a result, we’re seeing a growing emphasis

on open architectures, shared standards and

partnerships that allow companies to integrate

their tools into broader production environments.

Many of the most interesting innovations in

media today happen at those intersections, when

technology providers, creative professionals

and broadcasters work together to rethink how

content is produced and delivered.

That collaborative spirit is something NAB

Show has always tried to foster by bringing

thousands of companies and professionals

together in one place to exchange ideas and

build partnerships.

It would be remiss not to mention the current

geopolitical challenges, including the concerns

many have about travelling to the US at present,

which is already having a significant impact

on passenger numbers. How do you expect this

to be reflected in Show attendance and what

reassurance (if any) can be offered to visitors?

International travel patterns can fluctuate from

year to year for many reasons, including economic

conditions, exchange rates and policy changes.

What we consistently see, however, is that when

the media and technology industry is experiencing

rapid innovation, the need for in-person

collaboration remains strong.

NAB Show has long served as a global

meeting point for the media, entertainment and

technology ecosystem. Each year we welcome

participants from across Europe, Asia, Latin

America, the Middle East and many other regions.

Because the challenges and opportunities

shaping our industry, from artificial intelligence

and cloud production to evolving distribution

models, are global in nature, the ability to gather,

exchange ideas and build partnerships remains

incredibly valuable.

We continue to see strong engagement from

international exhibitors, companies and industry

leaders who view NAB Show as an essential place

to connect with partners and customers from

around the world.

NAB Show also maintains an updated page on

our website with travel policies and resources to

assist participants planning their trip.

Finally, what are you personally most looking

forward to at this year’s NAB Show?

One of the things I look forward to most

each year is seeing how technology ultimately

serves storytelling.

At NAB Show you can move from a conversation

about AI-driven production workflows to a

discussion about live sports production or

creator-driven storytelling and see how those

ideas connect. It’s a reminder that the purpose

of all this technology is to help people tell better

stories and reach audiences in new ways.

What I find especially rewarding is seeing

how ideas introduced at the Show often evolve

into real tools and workflows over the following

year. You might see an early demonstration

of a new production technology one year and

then return the next year to see it being used in

real productions.

That sense of progress, of technology and

creativity evolving together is what makes NAB

Show such a unique gathering for the global

media community.

BOOTH C4908

BOOTH N7105

SEE IT.

LOVE IT.

REPLAY IT.

RIMOTION REPLAY

REPLAY FOR EVERYBODY,

EVERYWHERE.

RiMotion is an easy-to-install

replay solution that can be

implemented almost instantly

in broadcast environments of

any scale. It streamlines

traditional and modern

workflows and provides

real-time performance,

even when working remotely.

• Intuitive touchscreen UI

• Dedicated Remote Controller

• Compact 1RU or 2RU server

Available in five

cost-effective bundles

RiMotion R6, R8, R10, and R12 with 6 to 12 HD channels

RiMotion R84 with up to 4 UHD SDR / 8 HD HDR channels

SUPER-SLOMO

CAPABLE

riedel.net

26 | MARCH-APRIL 2026 RISE

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA

Rise: championing mentoring,

leadership and community

Rise Women in Broadcast previews its participation at NAB 2026, including showcases

for the latest developments in its Rise Mentoring and Rise Elevate initiatives.

… these initiatives offer a

practical way to identify, support

and retain talent from underrepresented

groups.

Rise Women in Broadcast is returning to NAB

2026 with a clear focus: to support women

working in broadcast and media technology

through mentoring, leadership development and

community. NAB is one of the most significant

gatherings for the sector, and for Rise it is an

opportunity to strengthen the talent pipeline

and make visible, sustained support available to

women at every career stage.

Rise will be located at Stand W1354 in the West

Hall, open throughout the show to anyone who

would like to meet the team, learn more about

its initiatives or pause for a friendly check-in!

Trade shows can be energising and overwhelming

in equal measure, with long days, back-to-back

meetings and packed schedules that leave little

room for anything else.

MENTORING AND ELEVATE

At the heart of Rise’s work is the Rise Mentoring

Programme, a free, six-month global scheme

pairing women working in broadcast and

media technology with experienced industry

mentors. Active across the UK, Europe, North

America, India, APAC, ANZ and MENA, the

programme provides structured support focused

on confidence, clarity and progression. It helps

participants map their career journeys, articulate

their goals and build resilience in technical and

leadership environments where representation can

still be limited.

Alongside mentoring sits the Rise Elevate

leadership programme, developed for mid-

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA RISE


career women preparing to move into senior and

executive positions. Elevate combines structured

learning with real-world application, encouraging

participants to strengthen their leadership

presence, develop strategic thinking and increase

their influence within their organisations.

Together, both programmes create a clear

pathway from early career development through

to senior leadership. For broadcasters, vendors

and service providers thinking about succession

planning, skills shortages and long-term

organisational health, these initiatives offer a

practical way to identify, support and retain talent

from under-represented groups.

Throughout the show, the Rise stand will

be a place to talk in-depth about the North

America mentoring opportunity, what the

six-month commitment looks like, and how it

can fit around demanding professional roles.

The aim is to encourage more women based in,

or working closely with, the North American

market to see mentoring as a practical step in

their development and to feel confident about

applying. If you are attending, be sure to stop by

and chat with the team.

EMERGENCY PACKS, C-SUITE

ENGAGEMENT AND MORE

In addition to mentoring and leadership

development, Rise continues to prioritise practical

inclusion at industry events. During NAB 2026,

Rise will once again offer its Rise Emergency

Packs, kindly sponsored by FooEngine. These

kits contain practical and wellness essentials

designed to help female attendees through long

days at the show. The initiative reflects a broader

The relationships formed at events like the NAB Show continue

long after the exhibition closes, supporting both individuals and

organisations as they work towards more equitable, vibrant media

technology workplaces.

belief within Rise: inclusion is not only about

representation on stage or in boardrooms, but also

about the everyday details that make people feel

considered and supported.

At the senior end of the talent pipeline, Rise will

host an invitation-only C-Suite Breakfast during

the show. This gathering will bring together

executives, industry leaders and inclusion

advocates to discuss talent development,

retention and how to turn diversity commitments

into meaningful organisational change.

Rise’s Panel+ initiative will also be active

throughout the show, supporting the placement

of women and diverse experts on technical

and strategic panels. Panel+ exists to move

representation beyond specialist diversity sessions

and into the core conversations that define

the future of media technology, working with

organisers and partners to ensure that industry

stages reflect the breadth of talent in the sector.

On Sunday 19th April, Rise and AWS will host a

Happy Hour from 5:00 to 6:00 pm at the AWS Main

Booth on the second floor, welcoming up to 75

guests. This informal gathering will give attendees

another opportunity to connect with the Rise

community, meet peers and allies, and continue

conversations started on the show floor in a more

relaxed setting. Register here.

CONNECTED GLOBAL COMMUNITY

Beyond the show, Rise networks connect

professionals across North America, Europe,

MENA, ANZ, APAC and India through yearround

mentoring, leadership development and

digital engagement. The relationships formed at

events like the NAB Show continue long after the

exhibition closes, supporting both individuals

and organisations as they work towards more

equitable, vibrant media technology workplaces.

Visitors to NAB are encouraged to stop by Stand

W1354 in the West Hall to meet the team, learn

more or simply say hello. Whether you are starting

out, preparing for leadership or looking for ways

to build more inclusive teams, Rise is there to

support you at the NAB Show and throughout the

year. Deborah Cross, Rise Operations Director,

will be on site throughout the show and available

for meetings; contact admin@risewib.com to

schedule a time to connect.

Learn more about Rise and become a member here.

28 | MARCH-APRIL 2026 MPTS

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA

MPTS’s Charlotte Wheeler:

‘2026 marks our largest

edition yet’

Charlotte Wheeler, director of

MPTS and Broadcast Tech and

Sport Group, reflects on the

show’s 10-year journey, exploring

a decade of growth, innovation

and community impact. She also outlines

what visitors can expect ahead of this

year’s show on May 13/14.

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA MPTS


…the core idea remains the

same: bringing together the

people shaping the future of

content creation.

What makes this 10th anniversary edition of

MPTS so special?

MPTS 2026 marks a decade of bringing the

UK’s media, production and technology

community together. Over the past ten years, the

show has grown alongside the industry itself,

reflecting the rise of cloud workflows, remote

production, AI adoption, and increased focus on

sustainability.

For 2026, we’re proud to be celebrating our

largest edition yet, with an expanded exhibition,

over 300 exhibitors, new content zones, and a

wide range of live experiences. It’s about driving

innovation and continuing to create a space that

connects creators, technologists, broadcasters

and industry leaders.

How has MPTS evolved over the past decade?

The evolution of the show is reflected even in

its name. It launched as The Media Production

Show, focused on the craft of production,

before becoming The Media Production &

Technology Show as technology became central

to how content is created and delivered. Today,

simply known as MPTS, it reflects a much

broader community across the entire content

production ecosystem.

Since moving to Olympia in 2017, we’ve been

able to grow the event and expand the programme

to reflect the changing industry. This now includes

the SMPTE Media Technology Conference Europe,

bringing together senior technical leaders, and

Post Production World Conference Europe, which

delivers hands-on workshops and training for post

production professionals.

For 2026 we’re also introducing the Creator

Hub, recognising the rapid growth of the creator

economy and the increasing overlap between

broadcast, digital and creator-led production.

Even as the show has grown, the core idea

remains the same: bringing together the people

shaping the future of content creation.

What challenges has MPTS faced, and how have

you overcome them?

Like any long-running event, we’ve had our share

of challenges. We’ve managed venue changes,

industry consolidation and the pandemic, all

while adapting to a rapidly evolving market. But

these challenges have pushed us to innovate,

to listen more closely to our community, and

to ensure MPTS remains the UK’s only show

dedicated to the full content production and

technology ecosystem.

30 | MARCH-APRIL 2026 MPTS

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA

Inclusion has always been

central to MPTS.

What new features can attendees

expect in 2026?

We’re excited to introduce a range of new additions

to the show this year, including:

• Creator Hub in partnership with InterTalent:

This new area reflects the growth of the creator

economy, with a Creator Stage and Lounge

showcasing influencer marketing, short-form

video, platform innovation, and creator brand

collaborations. We’re excited to announce

Sandisk and Western Digital as sponsors.

• Post Production World Conference Europe:

Partnering with Future Media Conferences

(FMC), PPW will offer hands-on workshops

for the first time in Europe, covering AI,

post-production, motion graphics, VFX, and

creative career development. Maxon and Adobe

join as platinum sponsors, with Blackmagic

supporting as a gold sponsor; we’re thrilled to

have them on board.

• Enhanced SMPTE Media Technology

Conference Europe: Moving to a larger groundfloor

space, this conference will host senior

technical leaders and innovators exploring the

future of media technology.

• Live Podcast Studio: For the first time,

attendees can get a behind-the-scenes look at

podcast production and the latest trends in

on-demand audio.

• Networking and Wellbeing Spaces: Additional

collaboration zones and work-from-anywhere

areas will also be available, and we’re pleased to

introduce the new MPTS Pub Garden, sponsored

by Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, designed

to facilitate networking and informal meetings.

EventWell will provide a SensoryCalm safe space

for wellbeing and accessibility.

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA MPTS


How does MPTS support diversity

and inclusivity?

Inclusion has always been central to MPTS.

In 2025, 37% of our speakers were female, and

24% of attendees were female. We continue to

ensure a diverse range of voices, perspectives

and experiences are represented on-stage and

across the showfloor, reflecting the values of

our community and driving positive change

in the industry.

How do you see MPTS influencing the

industry going forward?

Our goal has always been to foster creativity,

collaboration and connection. By providing spaces

for discussion, hands-on learning and networking,

MPTS not only showcases technology but also

enables the industry to evolve together. We hope

that in celebrating this 10th year, we inspire both

newcomers and veterans to push boundaries,

adopt new technologies, and shape the future of

media production in the UK and beyond.

How can attendees make the

most of MPTS 2026?

Plan ahead and explore the full programme!

From live demonstrations and interactive

zones to in-depth training and networking

opportunities, there’s something for everyone.

Make sure to check out the Creator Hub, Post

Production World sessions, and the SMPTE

Media Technology Conference Europe, and take

advantage of our informal meeting areas to

connect with peers.

What are you most proud of as MPTS

enters its 10th year?

While I’m proud of the scale and reach we’ve

achieved, what really stands out is the community

we’ve built. MPTS is about the people who make

the industry tick: the innovators, the creatives, and

the decision-makers. We’ve grown because we’ve

listened to our community, adapted to their needs,

and kept the focus on meaningful connections

rather than just technology on display.

32 | MARCH-APRIL 2026 NEWS

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA

Disguise and ASB GlassFloor

announce strategic sports partnership

Combining Disguise’s Emmy Award-winning

platform with ASB GlassFloor’s LED court

technology and proprietary software enables

improved real-time player and ball tracking.

Disguise and ASB GlassFloor have announced

a strategic partnership that turns the arena

floor into a fully customisable interactive digital

surface. This will enable coaches to visualise ball

tracking data as well as players’ live positions,

movement speed and performance metrics

right on the playing surface — allowing teams to

win more matches.

The technology will also enable more venues

to become multi-purpose entertainment

spaces by offering augmented reality (AR) floor

experiences, such as interactive games, to fans

and advertisers at halftime.

In order to do this, ASB GlassFloor’s operational

system for the digital court, GLASSCOURT OS,

feeds directly into Disguise’s servers. Adopting the

Disguise environment means that, on top of the

GLASSCOURT OS solutions, ASB GlassFloor now

enables all venues to use the most state-of-theart

media servers in the industry to directly feed

interactive content to the floor.

Disguise’s media server technology has already

helped teams like the Portland Trail Blazers

become the first NBA team to broadcast AR

graphics from a handheld camera, and has been

trusted to drive visual experiences across some of

the most high-stakes stadiums and entertainment

venues across the world. Now, that same Disguise

technology will form the backbone of ASB

GlassFloor’s LumiFlex LED floor platform, ensuring

frame-accurate UHD playback, low latency

and stability so that impressive graphics can be

displayed on a massive scale.

As part of the partnership, the Disguise platform

will be used exclusively on all ASB Arena and Event

Services floors, as well as ASB GlassFloor sports

courts and activations, including the NBA All Star

Weekend, FIBA Basketball Champions League

Final 4 and the EuroLeague, and the company’s

own state-of-the-art facility in Orlando, the

ASB Athletes Lab.

Developed in collaboration with the NBA,

the Athletes Lab will be used to showcase the

technology, and allow teams and clients to see

the immersive sports solution in action, as well as

acting as a testing ground for future innovation.

Disguise and ASB GlassFloor will also provide three

full-sized, portable event rental basketball courts

that will see usage at marquee sports events

across the US and Europe this year.

“Through initiatives like our ASB GlassFloor

Athletes Lab, we’ve already helped NBA coaches

draw plays on their iPad, and see them instantly

show up on the digital court floor, alongside

real-time player data,” says ASB GlassFloor CEO

Christof Babinsky. “By partnering with Disguise,

we aim to take things even further. We previously

worked with Disguise on an interactive LED court

at the NBA’s All Star Weekend in 2024 and other

events. Following the huge success of these

activations, we hope to unify venue AV across

more LED floors, banners, jumbotrons, lights and

sound so they can be driven from a single system

in the future.”

To support this goal, ASB GlassFloor and Disguise

are co-developing a suite of applications built

specifically to offer fans AR games and interactive

halftime experiences they can enjoy from any

part of the arena. These applications will also allow

venues to use the floor for training, competition,

fan engagement and non-game-day activations.

From AI-assisted defenders in basketball

coaching, to traffic safety applications for children

and aiding larger, live TV productions on the

weekends, the integrated platform aims to drive

more traffic, impact, and utilisation to existing

arena infrastructure.

“This partnership highlights a broader industry

shift: sports venues are no longer static spaces

used only on game day,” says senior vice president

of commercial at Disguise, Jake Stone.

34 | MARCH-APRIL 2026 TELESTREAM

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA

Telestream’s Charlie Dunn:

‘Collaboration accelerates innovation’

The executive vice-president of

Telestream reflects on a “deeply

global industry”, cloud adoption

and AI, and the company’s plans for

the rest of 2026.

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA TELESTREAM


In a distributed production

environment, interoperability

enables seamless collaboration.

The theme of this issue is collaboration

between companies and countries. Can you

first provide a little insight into how global

your business is in 2026?

We operate in a deeply global industry, and

the Telestream business reflects that reality.

Our customers include broadcasters, streaming

platforms, sports organisations, studios, and

service providers across every major geo. Their

workflows increasingly involve distributed

production teams, cloud infrastructure spanning

multiple regions, and content pipelines that cross

borders before reaching audiences worldwide. Our

role is to support that global media infrastructure,

regardless of production environment.

Telestream technologies are used across

the entire media lifecycle, from ingest

and live production to processing, quality

control, monitoring and distribution, so our

systems often sit at the intersection of many

international operations.

As production models become more

distributed, the ability to collaborate across

countries is no longer optional; it’s foundational.

That’s why Telestream solutions are designed

for on-prem, hybrid and cloud environments,

enabling media organisations to operate

seamlessly across regions while maintaining

consistent workflows and quality standards.

How important would you say collaboration

has been to your company over the years?

And has it tended to be more geared towards

technological or business collaborators?

Collaboration has always been central to

Telestream’s approach in both technology

development and business operations. Media

workflows are complex ecosystems, and no single

vendor can solve every challenge in isolation.

Our strategy has long been to build solutions

that integrate cleanly with the broader media

technology stack. In a distributed production

environment, interoperability enables seamless

collaboration.

Collaboration happens on two levels.

Technologically, we work closely with partners

across editing, MAM, cloud infrastructure and

distribution platforms to ensure workflows

connect without friction. We often think of

Telestream as the “glue layer” of modern media

ecosystems, tightly connecting different elements

of the media pipeline. Our partnerships and

integrations are driven by customers seeking

to streamline and automate workflows while

enabling entirely new ones using a mix of existing

and contemporary tools.


PRODUCTION360.MEDIA

The pace of change in media technology today makes

collaboration in R&D more important than ever.

Business collaboration is equally important,

working alongside customers and industry

partners to understand evolving production

models and operational requirements. Our goal is

to eliminate manual handoffs and enable seamless

workflows across organisations and tools.

With cloud, virtualisation, AI and so many other

areas of tech progressing so rapidly, would it be

fair to say that companies do need to be more

open to R&D partnership than previously?

The pace of change in media technology today

makes collaboration in R&D more important than

ever. Collaboration accelerates innovation and

ensures solutions remain practical for real-world

production environments.

The industry is simultaneously (but unevenly)

adopting cloud infrastructure, AI-driven

automation, and IP-based production workflows.

These shifts are happening quickly and often

intersect. No single vendor has all the answers,

which is why open collaboration between

technology providers, broadcasters, and platform

operators has become essential.

We’re also seeing customers move away from

closed, proprietary ecosystems as they increase

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA TELESTREAM


their capacity to develop in-house. Media

companies increasingly want technologies that

integrate with and evolve alongside their existing

environments, without relying entirely on a

partner to solve every challenge with custom-built

solutions. Instead, they want a system tailored to

their needs that will flex and adapt to changing

environments. That means vendors must design

solutions that are modular, interoperable, and

suitable for open ecosystems.

For Telestream, this philosophy is reflected in

our ecosystem approach: connecting workflows

across ingest, processing, monitoring and

distribution, while integrating with partners

across the broader media supply chain.

Could you briefly outline some of the main

highlights for your company over the

past 12 months?

Over the past year, one of our biggest areas of

focus has been moving from AI experimentation

to practical, production-ready applications.

Across the Telestream portfolio, we’ve expanded

AI capabilities that automate tasks such as

captioning, metadata extraction, compliance

checks and media analysis.

These technologies are designed to reduce

manual effort and accelerate workflows rather

than simply add new features. For example,

AI-powered tools can now identify and analyse

content in media files, automate localisation

workflows across dozens of languages, and assist

with quality-control processes such as lip-sync

validation and subtitle alignment.

At the same time, we’ve continued expanding

Telestream’s cloud services to support modern

production models. The industry is increasingly

operating in hybrid environments that

combine on-prem systems with scalable cloud

infrastructure. Our focus has been on enabling

organisations to extend existing workflows while

also supporting fully cloud-native production

pipelines – without forcing customers down a

path that doesn’t make sense for their business.

What would you say are your flagship solutions

at this time, with a particular emphasis on

recent additions or updates?

Vantage remains the cornerstone of the Telestream

workflow portfolio. It provides the automation and

media processing engine that many broadcasters

and streaming platforms rely on for ingest,

transcoding, QC, captioning and delivery.

More recently, we’ve expanded our cloud

capabilities significantly. A major milestone is the

introduction of UP, a cloud-native platform that

supports global ingest, workflow orchestration,

collaborative review, and real-time monitoring in

distributed production environments. Together

with EDC for high-scale cloud media processing

and Vantage Cloud for hybrid deployments, UP

forms a broader cloud services portfolio that

allows customers to modernise at their own pace.

Broadly speaking, Telestream’s innovation

continues to centre on two core strengths:

workflow automation and measurement.


PRODUCTION360.MEDIA

These capabilities help customers both operate

their media supply chains efficiently and

ensure the quality and reliability of the content

being delivered.

Geopolitical relations could be most mildly

described as ‘very challenging’ in 2026. Have

these issues had an impact on your business,

and to what extent have you been able to find

solutions to them?

Geopolitical tensions over the past few years have

created challenges around supply chains, tariffs

and access to certain markets. Because Telestream

is primarily a software and services company, the

direct impact on our business has been limited,

but navigating these issues still requires significant

operational effort. In many cases, the real cost is

the time and resources spent adapting to changing

conditions rather than a direct disruption to

our core business.

What can we expect from your company in

the rest of 2026?

Looking ahead, Telestream remains committed to

helping media organisations simplify increasingly

complex workflows.

The industry is producing more content than

ever, distributing it across more platforms, and

managing that process with tighter budgets

and smaller teams. That creates a clear need

for automation, improved observability across

workflows, and infrastructure that scales without

adding operational complexity.

Telestream’s roadmap continues to emphasise

practical AI, unified workflow automation,

and improved visibility across distributed

media environments. We’re also expanding

cloud-native capabilities and strengthening

integrations across the broader ecosystem of

editing, asset management and distribution

platforms, particularly with newer players

who are addressing workflow challenges

in modern ways.

Ultimately, our goal is to help customers build

modern media supply chains that are faster, more

resilient, and easier to operate, so they can focus

on creating and delivering content rather than

managing the complexity behind it.

Live starts

here.

Capture. Produce. Deliver.

Visit us at NAB Show ®

Booth N2451

40 | MARCH-APRIL 2026 LAWO

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA

Lawo’s Jamie Dunn: ‘Our sales

partnerships are a critical

aspect to our success’

The recently appointed CEO of

Lawo, who joined the company

in 2011, outlines the company’s

worldwide operation, its

advocacy of open standards

and interoperability, and the

challenge of recent supply chain issues.

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA LAWO






Lawo operates as a global company with entities

in Germany, USA, Canada, Switzerland, China,

the UAE and the UK. Our customer and partner

base is truly international, with major clients

across all five continents. Our revenue split is

balanced between North America and Europe,

with Germany remaining our strongest individual

market within Europe. The Middle East has grown

significantly for us in recent years—so much so

that we invested in a dedicated office in Dubai in

2025 to meet increasing regional demand.

We also maintain a broad customer base

across the entire APAC region, including China,

Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

Our reseller partners and system integrator

partnerships across the globe make up almost

50% of our total revenues. In every continental

market, our sales partnerships are a critical aspect

to our success.





As previously mentioned, our sales and business

partnerships are a critical element of our

success, but collaboration with other vendors,

even competitors, is essential for our clients

as technology integration is a key element

to the infrastructure systems in which our

customers invest.

For more than two decades, Lawo has been

The Middle East has grown significantly for us in recent years.

an advocate in supporting open standards and

interoperability. Our early involvement with

RAVENNA, which ultimately contributed to AES67

and SMPTE ST2110‐30/31, is a strong example of

this commitment. It enables reliable connectivity

between devices and systems from different

manufacturers, supporting flexible and scalable

networked audio and media workflows for the

broadcast industry.

Our commitment to collaboration and

interoperability continues today, and we are one

of the major stakeholders in the current MXL

and DMF industry discussions, with our CTO,

Phillip Myers, chairing a number of the current

work groups, helping define the future of IP‐based

media infrastructure.

42 | MARCH-APRIL 2026 LAWO

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA

With cloud, virtualisation, AI and so many

other areas of tech progressing so rapidly,

would it be fair to say that companies do

need to be more open to R&D partnership

than previously?

Yes, absolutely. The accelerating shift toward

software‐defined and cloud‐ready, agile media

infrastructures makes R&D‐focused collaboration

more important than ever.

The Linux Foundation’s MXL initiative is a clear

example of how vendors and broadcasters are

now jointly defining the technical frameworks

needed for future media operations. Lawo is

actively involved in these discussions through the

leadership roles held by our CTO.

But in addition to direct collaboration on

operability standards, it has become increasingly

important to offer open APIs that allow direct

control and monitoring of your solutions and

platforms. This allows clients the ability to build

custom workflows between different vendors

which ultimately leads to more efficient and costeffective

end-to-end solutions.

One good example is a scheduling system talking

directly to our Lawo HOME platform through our

…partnerships can only prosper when both parties provide honest

and transparent communication so that objectives remain aligned.

open API to spin up and spin down audio and video

processing apps on standard CPU server processing

as and when needed. This maximises the potential

to save costs by optimising the utilisation of flexible

assets and commercial licenses.



moves such as tariffs and revised trade deals

had a direct impact on your business, and have

you been able to find solutions to these issues?

Tariffs have not been the biggest issue to the recent

geopolitical instability, but supply chain challenges

have been a big challenge. The situation has not

improved at all since the COVID pandemic and

in the case of some components, it has worsened.

Therefore, maintaining strong relationships and

close collaboration with key component suppliers

remains essential to ensure short as possible

delivery timescales of our hardware products

to our clients.

In purely business terms, what essential

lessons would you say you have learned

from collaborating with other companies

over the years?

As with all relationships in life, partnerships

can only prosper when both parties provide

honest and transparent communication so that

objectives remain aligned. This has been the

DNA of Lawo for the past 56 years. Our industry

is small, and therefore close collaboration across

the board, whether this be with clients, partners

or competitors, will remain an important factor in

the continued commercial growth of our broadcast

production market.

Delivering the most trusted, reliable

and feature rich playout solutions

Enterprise Products

Visit Pebble at NAB booth W2725

automation

Enterprise level

automation for powerful

multi-channel delivery

integrated channel

Software-defined integrated

channel with uniquely flexible

channel pipeline desig

remote

Web based monitoring,

management and control for

your automation environment

www.pebble.tv

44 | MARCH-APRIL 2026 SIGNIANT

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA

Signiant scales OUTtv’s

global LGBTQ+ storytelling

The results of the Signiant deployment

include faster ingest and turnaround, easier

operational scaling, stronger protection for

high-value content, and simplified producer

onboarding with intuitive branded portals.

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA SIGNIANT


OUTtv is a small but mighty Canadian

broadcaster turned OTT and streaming

platform; a leader in LGBTQ+

programming. What began more than two

decades ago as a linear channel has evolved into

a multi-platform entertainment brand spanning

direct-to-consumer apps and partnerships with

Apple, Amazon, Roku, YouTube, and beyond.

Today, OUTtv distributes premium LGBTQ+

content, including original productions, licensed

series, films and documentaries across 14

countries and five continents. With expansions

into FAST channels and new territories like

Taiwan, OUTtv continues to champion inclusive

storytelling while delivering diverse programming

to an ever-expanding global audience.

Samantha Amaral, OUTtv manager of broadcast

and OTT operations, oversees a team of seven and

every aspect of the network’s technical operations

— from ingesting masters and managing archives

to delivering to global partners and supporting

internal editorial workflows. Known for wearing

many hats, Amaral also manages OUTtv’s IT

infrastructure, making her team the backbone of

broadcast and digital distribution. Despite the

complexity and volume of work, her team ensures

that content moves quickly, securely and reliably.

THE BUSINESS WEIGHT

OF INEFFICIENCY

OUTtv’s initial use case was two-fold. Much of the

team’s archived library still lived on office hard drives.

“Archiving was one of our goals,” explained

Amaral. “Our fear was something happening to

the building; we would lose all those files!”

Early backups relied on a combination of hard

drives and transfers to a local NAS via consumergrade

tools like Dropbox, WeTransfer, and Google

Drive, which quickly fell apart as file sizes grew.

Solving challenges at the beginning of the

submission process was equally important. For a

typical delivery package, OUTtv expects a ProRes

master, either HQ422 or 444, texted and textless

file, split-track audio, marketing materials, closed

captions and metadata. With package sizes

growing, the team faced waiting hours or days to

download the files from FTP, which was slowing

down their workflows.

“When we were using FTP, files took two to

three days,” Amaral reflected. “There’s not a

heck of a lot more you can do on that computer

because it’s being bogged down by the download.”

OUTtv was growing, workflows became more

complex, timelines were shrinking, and the need

for a more reliable file transfer solution became

impossible to ignore.

HOW OUTTV FOUND ITS FLOW

What started as a way to modernise archives

quickly expanded into a full-scale delivery and

ingest solution. For a typical delivery package,

OUTtv expects a ProRes master, either HQ422

or 444, texted and textless file, split-track audio,

marketing materials, closed captions, and

metadata. With package sizes growing, the

team faced waiting hours or days to download

the files from FTP, which was slowing down

their workflows.

46 | MARCH-APRIL 2026 SIGNIANT

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA

We got to see a few of

the different ways they did

delivery. That was our first

introduction to Signiant.

OUTtv learned about Signiant from a partner

when onboarding onto their streaming platform.

“We got to see a few of the different ways they

did delivery,” Amaral said. “That was our first

introduction to Signiant.”

After evaluating a plethora of other solutions,

three things drew OUTtv back to Signiant:

acceleration to support growing 4K workloads;

security that satisfied strict legal and partner

requirements; and simplicity for any producer

delivering to the network

“The bulk of any file that comes in or goes out

of OUTtv is touching our Signiant portals at some

point, whether that’s being uploaded to the cloud

or receiving the file from the producer. Or even

sharing with our partners.”

Since then, OUTtv cut transfer times

dramatically, moving content in a matter of

hours instead of days. That type of efficiency not

only removed bottlenecks but also gave the team

confidence to take on more partners, expand to

new locations, and handle more content without

compromising on timelines.

“In the grand scheme of a project or show, it

could be a week of us delivering. Now, we can get

it back within a short period of time, even if they

have to re-deliver, it’s a couple of hours rather than

a couple of days,” Amaral said.

PROTECTING EVERY FRAME

Although speed improvements were the

main priority, security was equally critical to

OUTtv’s decision.

“Some of the files have ironclad legal terms

behind them,” said Amaral. “We wanted to make

sure we were following any rules.”

With increasing partnerships and a larger

global presence, OUTtv needed enterprise-grade

protection to keep sensitive, high-value content

safe at every step of the workflow. Signiant’s

secure transfer protocols offered exactly that,

ensuring that even under tight deadlines, files

could move quickly without compromising

compliance or partner trust.

The combination of acceleration, security and

simplicity is what truly sets Signiant apart for

OUTtv. Signiant leverages proprietary acceleration

technology that moves content up to 100x faster

than standard internet transmission speeds that

run FTP, giving the OUTtv team the confidence

to meet tight deadlines. At the same time, the

intuitive, user-friendly interface makes it easy

for producers of all experience levels to deliver

content through OUTtv branded portals, while

Amaral’s team maintains full control and visibility

behind the scenes.

“Signiant brings a professional level of file

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA SIGNIANT


It speaks volumes of what we can do now because we are not

tied up in our processes and are continually changing as we grow.

transfer that you don’t get with the other consumerbased

tools,” Amaral justified. “It’s levelled us up to

a different league with file management.”

Having peace of mind means Amaral’s team can

focus on operations, not worrying about whether

their transfer tools were exposing them to any

unnecessary risk, all while providing a level of

professionalism.

PROFESSIONAL DOESN’T HAVE TO BE

COMPLICATED

OUTtv works with a range of producers –

some seasoned, others completely new to

delivering to a network.

“We sometimes work with green producers, and

this may be their first time delivering a show to a

network,” Amaral noted. “We wanted something

that felt familiar and easy to use but also had the

speed and security behind it.”

With Signiant, OUTtv could provide producers

with a straightforward place to upload and a spec

sheet, ensuring a smooth onboarding process no

matter their level of experience. That ease of use

minimises training, reduces errors, and creates a

simple, user-friendly tool for all. And importantly,

Signiant offers this balance of usability and

enterprise-grade functionality at a price point

that fits OUTtv’s budget, making it both a

practical and sustainable choice as the company

continues to scale.

THE FOUNDATION OF GROWTH

The impact was immediate, for both operations

and from a business standpoint. “Signiant

smoothed out our delivery process from thirdparty

producers,” Amaral stated. “We were able to

make a very clear delivery path.”

By eliminating bottlenecks, the team also

gained time and headspace. What once stretched

into days now only takes hours, freeing Amaral’s

seven-person team to focus on growth instead of

troubleshooting transfers. Now, with countless

countries and myriad platforms, Amaral gives

credit for this expansion to the improvements of

their systems.

“It speaks volumes of what we can do now

because we are not tied up in our processes

and are continually changing as we grow,” she

explained. “Our first step was getting Signiant

just to get faster transfers. And it’s kind of been

snowballing since then.”

CHAMPIONING STORIES AND

MOVING FORWARD

For OUTtv, the transition to Signiant wasn’t just

about solving the challenges of the past; it was

about building a stable foundation for the future.

With faster transfers, stronger security, and

workflows that quickly and easily scale, Amaral

and her team can now support global expansion

without adding unnecessary complexity. The

difference has been so transformative that going

back to old methods isn’t even an option.

“I can’t even think about going back to hard

drive delivery or FTP,” Amaral laughed. “We’re not

going backwards. We have Signiant.”

With Signiant at the core of its operations,

OUTtv is positioned to keep growing, continue

innovating, and sticking to championing LGBTQ+

storytelling on a global stage.

48 | MARCH-APRIL 2026 BRIDGE TECHNOLOGIES

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA

Bridge Technologies’ Simen

K. Frostad: ‘Open and honest

communication is key’

The chairman of the

monitoring and analysis

technology company

discusses industry belief

in the “mission” of IP,

some notable partnerships, and why

everybody benefits when the industry

moves forward together.

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA BRIDGE TECHNOLOGIES






We’re fortunate to be able to say that we’re

genuinely global. Over forty business partners

span every continent, and we’ve built real presence

with some of the biggest Tier One broadcasters

across both streaming and traditional broadcast,

in production and distribution alike. The work

takes us to Australia, Japan, the States — and we

love every trip. But ask anyone in the offices in

Oslo what they look forward to most, and they’ll

tell you it’s coming home to lunch cooked by Deniz

in our converted red brick offices overlooking the

waterfall on the Akerselva river. There’s something

about that view that just…works.





We’ve been pushing for an IP broadcast

environment for over 20 years now. Back then,

convincing other people about our message wasn’t

just important — it was existential. For us to

We’re fortunate to be able to say that we’re genuinely global.

exist in the market, we needed others to believe

in the mission and adopt IP standards too. We’re

glad they listened. (We’d like to think we were

persuasive, but we’re not so arrogant as to rule out

a degree of luck. Or fate. Or something.)

We’ve used the line ‘collaboration over

competition’ for a long time, and it’s held up

well. The balance between tech and business

collaborators has been surprisingly even. On the

technology side, we needed others to develop

alongside us in IP, so we joined key organisations

like the SRT Alliance, Grass Valley Alliance, AIMS,

SMPTE, SCTE, SVG, and IABM — though of course

those serve business purposes too. We’ve worked

to integrate a range of other people’s applications

into our probes: Dolby, Sony’s SR Live for HDR

technology, Cromorama, Zabbix, DataMiner, JPEG

XS. Tech interoperability benefits the end user

enormously, and that’s always been the point.

But business partners have been just as

crucial. They’re our main sales mechanism, yes,

but they’re also a wonderful way to spread the

IP message more generally and have us part of

holistic integrations. That’s always been key to our


PRODUCTION360.MEDIA

…with monitoring, where possible, build it in. Don’t bolt it on.

thinking: with monitoring, where possible, build it

in. Don’t bolt it on. Our business partners all know

that when they’re delivering IP installations to

their clients, our monitoring solutions need to sit

at the heart of them.

Can you nominate one or two particularly

important collaborators over the years, and

explain how they have been significant to

company evolution?

Skyline Communications and their DataMiner

platform stand out. Together, we won an award

— the IABM Member Partnering Award — for our

collaboration, which says something about the

partnership beyond just the tech, and speaks to the

open and easy nature of our work together. They

share our understanding around visualisations:

that data is only useful if it’s understandable, and

that complexity should be surfaced, not dumbed

down. That mindset alignment matters more than

any individual integration.

Another important organisation to mention is

NEP. They’re clients, but they’re also collaborators

in the truest sense. They’re forward-thinking

and remarkably open as communicators. The

relationship offers mutual benefits: Bridge gets a

real-world testing ground and the invaluable input

of their engineering team, and in turn we give

them the opportunity to stay ahead of the market.

It’s the kind of partnership where both sides push

each other forward without keeping score.

And finally, our recent IPMX certification has

been genuinely important. As broadcast and

pro AV converge around IP, achieving their most

recent sign-off matters — and we’re pleased and

proud to have been involved from the start, seeing

those specifications develop from paper into

deployable technology.





than previously?

Virtualisation, particularly with containerisation

and the rise of MXL, sees a lot of companies

starting to realise that their products will need to

talk to each other. Which means they’re going to

need to talk to each other too, as tech engineers

and as business people. Converging around

standards can be tricky; there’s a fair amount of

finger-pointing in the early days as the kinks work

themselves out. But of course, the very point of

monitoring broadcast chains end-to-end is the

ability to point a finger exactly where it deserves

to be pointed — which might mean we end up

becoming something of a relationship counsellor

as collaborative standards develop.

Ultimately, as any armchair psychologist will

tell you, the key to a good relationship is open

and honest communication. It’s just that this

relationship will have thousands of people in it.

#VB440

REMOTE PRODUCTION

ANALYTICS

The VB440 is a comprehensive set of production tools

contained in a single instrument, designed to give technical

and creative professionals the insight needed to complete

tasks on a fixed, remote and distributed basis.

Providing the right tool at the right time, the VB440

incorporates packet analysis, content visualisation,

scopes, audio and deep engineering. VB440 uses

monitoring and analytical data to generate visual

information that drives in-the-moment decision making:

condensing a range of IP production functions into one

appliance, accessible from any HTML5 browser, anywhere

in the world.

ST 2110, ST 2022-6/7, PTP, AES67,

ST 2110-41, DOLBY®, JPEG-XS,

TR-07, HDR - VIDEO & AUDIO

BRIDGETECH.TV


PRODUCTION360.MEDIA

What’s more

important than ever is that

we have real engineers

speaking to real engineers.

On AI, yes, R&D partnerships will need to

improve, but perhaps not for the reasons one

might initially think. What’s more important

than ever is that we have real engineers speaking

to real engineers, keeping knowledge resources

in the market high. Outsource that to AI and

you risk distorting or decaying that knowledge

for good. Machines are useful tools. They’re not

replacements for the judgement that comes from

twenty years of watching things go wrong and

learning why. We need to make sure we’re talking

as much to each other as we are to our own most

beloved LLM of choice.



moves such as tariffs and revised trade deals

had a direct impact on your business, and have

you been able to find solutions to these issues?

For the most part, the market’s all in it together.

There were chip shortages before, GPU processing

is a challenge now — but it’s a challenge for

everyone. There are some technical moves you

can make to address this: we believe strongly

in offering flexible solutions to clients, so while

appliance and embedded solutions will continue

to call for access to underlying hardware, having

software-only and containerised elements in the

cloud can offset over-reliance.

On the business side, some people read the

market well and stockpile resources. Others

scramble to keep up. We’ve…done well enough.

As for tariffs, nobody can really afford to

accommodate endlessly capricious tariff policies

into their business model at the moment; being

diversified in sales across the globe does help with

that. Furthermore, our manufacturing facilities

in Norway as well as in North America provide

additional locations from which to conduct

business without disruption.

In purely business terms, what essential

lessons would you say you’ve learned

from collaborating with other companies

over the years?

Broadcast — indeed industry in general — isn’t

the zero-sum game we’ve been led to believe it

is. When the industry pushes forward together,

everybody benefits. Stand alone and you’ll fall

alone. Stand together and you’ll stay strong. It’s not

complicated, but that doesn’t make it easy.

make it live

MeshConnect:

Total control across your

wireless camera systems

www.vislink.com

54 | MARCH-APRIL 2026 COBALT

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA

Cobalt Digital’s Suzana Brady:

‘We recognise the value of

collaborating with other vendors’

The SVP of

worldwide sales

& marketing for

Cobalt Digital

discusses the

‘building block’

importance

of collaboration

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA COBALT






Founded in 1997 in Champaign, Illinois, Cobalt

Digital has grown into a global designer and

manufacturer of award-winning signal processing

technology for broadcast and media environments.

Today, more than 1,000 customers worldwide rely

on Cobalt for mission-critical signal-processing

across broadcast networks, cable and satellite

facilities, sports production, government agencies,

houses of worship, corporate settings, mobile and

ENG units, TV stations and other professional

AV environments.

Operating as a global company involves

designing products and building partnerships

that support diverse workflows, standards

and requirements around the world. While

engineering and manufacturing remain in the US,

Cobalt’s sales reach is truly international with a

channel network spanning the Americas, the UK,

Europe, Asia, Middle East and Africa, delivering

localised expertise and responsive support

in every region.





Collaboration has always been a building block

at Cobalt, beginning with our customers. Our

team understands broadcast technology, but our

customers understand competitive pressure and

daily operational challenges. We work closely

with our customers to address their real-world

needs and consistently deliver practical, reliable

solutions tailored to each situation.

Beyond customer collaboration, Cobalt

recognises the value of collaborating with other

vendors, even those who might be competitors.

One example is openGear, an open-architecture,

modular frame system that Cobalt founded

along with Ross Video and Ward-Beck twenty

years ago. openGear offers the freedom to choose

best-of-breed technology from multiple vendors,

[thereby] avoiding vendor lock-in, to suit the

various needs of a broadcast, production, or a

distribution facility.

Another example is the RIST Forum. Cobalt was

a founder and I currently serve as its chairperson.

Cobalt UltraBlue MV-SW

We work closely with

our customers to address their

real-world needs.

RIST (Reliable Internet Stream Transport) began

with a small group of engineers who recognised

the need for an interoperable standard for

transporting low-latency video over unmanaged

networks. Today RIST has over 310 members

globally. We may be competitors, but at meetings

56 | MARCH-APRIL 2026 COBALT

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA

we’re a group of colleagues working together to

benefit the industry.

Cobalt Digital is also proud to be among

the first manufacturers to participate in, and

achieve, Internet Protocol Media Experience

(IPMX) product certification across multiple

product families.

In addition to openGear and RIST, Cobalt is

an active participant in AIMS, IABM, IEEE, SBE,

SMPTE, SVG, and VSF.





than previously?

Absolutely. Technology is evolving at an

extraordinary pace. The transition from traditional

SDI infrastructures to IP-based operations, along

with the rise of cloud workflows and softwaredefined

processing, has reinforced the view that no

single company can innovate in isolation anymore.

Whether we’re talking about ST 2110 and

IPMX IP transport standards, cloud-based

workflows or emerging AI-driven tools, customers

need solutions that integrate smoothly into

existing infrastructures and prepare them

for the future. That means coordination

between multiple vendors for standards

development, interoperability testing, and joint

engineering initiatives.

At Cobalt we embrace that open approach and

believe that collaboration in R&D accelerates

innovation, benefiting everyone. We actively

participate in many organisations that

develop standards.


highlights for your company over the

past 12 months?

The past year has been particularly exciting for

Cobalt. We added nine awards to our collection,

including two for our ARIA AUD-MON — the

industry’s only IPMX-compliant audio monitor. We

are proud of these achievements and grateful to be

recognised for innovation so frequently.

In the past 12 months we’ve continued to

strengthen our IPMX and SMPTE ST 2110 product

portfolio by adding new monitoring, compression,

conversion, processing, satellite, and multiviewer

solutions designed to simplify the transition to IP

while maintaining compatibility with existing SDI

infrastructures. We’ve strengthened this initiative

by exhibiting at more shows including InfoComm

and ISE while maintaining our significant

presence at IBC and NAB. We also support our

customers and partners around the world at

regional events.




Cobalt has long been known for our signal

processing solutions, and we offer over a dozen

product families. Our ecosystem is built around

modular, interoperable platforms designed to

support both SDI and IP workflows available

as openGear cards or standalone units. The

company’s portfolio spans ST 2110, IPMX,

and SDI conversion, routing, processing,

control, monitoring, compression and

multiviewer technologies.

Our most recent additions will be at NAB

2026 where visitors can see many of our legacy

solutions with new functionality, and also get

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA COBALT


a glimpse of our latest innovations including

blueCORE, a new family of 1RU standalone signal

processors designed to deliver powerful multifunction

processing in a compact form factor and

the new 9925-FSx and 9981-LUTx low-cost, entry

level openGear cards that can be upgraded along

with customers’ requirements.

We’re also expanding our compression

platform and will continue to build an end-to-end

ecosystem that supports both SDI and IP while

allowing customers to migrate at their own pace.





solutions to them?

Like many technology companies operating

globally, we closely monitor geopolitical and

economic developments that can affect supply

chains, manufacturing and international trade.

Cobalt products are designed and

manufactured in the United States, which has

worked in our favour. While the sales team was

in Las Vegas for NAB 2025, when tariffs and trade

policy discussions intensified, the folks back in

Champaign were working 24/7 to fulfil orders and

ship product. That experience reinforced the value

of maintaining domestic manufacturing with

control over our own supply chain.

…our focus remains on

helping customers navigate the

transition to IP…

Of course, global markets are always evolving,

and our international customers operate under

many different conditions. The key is maintaining

strong relationships with our distribution

partners and having the ability to quickly address

the needs of different markets.

What can we expect from your company in

the rest of 2026?

Looking ahead, our focus remains on helping

customers navigate the transition to IP by building

bridges that support SDI and IP with unmatched

flexibility while protecting their existing

infrastructure investments.

You’ll see continued expansion of our hybrid

solutions that integrate SDI, ST 2110 and IPMX

technologies. Products such as our blueCORE

processing platform, PACIFIC compression line,

INDIGO gateway family, UltraBlue multiviewers,

SAPPHIRE converter series, ARIA audio monitors,

and cost-effective, flexible-function openGear

cards are simplifying interoperability and easing

the path to IP. Additionally, Cobalt will introduce

new solutions for the satellite market, addressing

the transition from C-band to Ku/Ka-band.

We’re also continuing to develop softwaredefined

capabilities that give facilities greater

flexibility as their workflows evolve.

Most importantly, we’ll remain deeply engaged

with industry initiatives and standards bodies

while collaboration between companies,

customers and global organisations will continue

to play a central role in how we operate.

For Cobalt, the goal is straightforward:

provide the tools to build flexible, future-ready

infrastructures while maintaining the reliability

that mission-critical media operations demand.

58 | MARCH-APRIL 2026 GRASS VALLEY

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA

Grass Valley’s

Jon Wilson: ‘Media

technology is becoming

increasingly global’

The CEO of the media technology giant reflects on the

centrality of collaboration to this industry, the essential

nature of interoperability, and the importance of both

‘resilience and flexibility’.

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA GRASS VALLEY


Can you first provide a little insight into how

global your business is in 2026?

For nearly 70 years, Grass Valley has helped

drive many of the most important technology

transitions in broadcast and live media production.

Today our solutions support broadcasters, content

owners, sports leagues and production companies

across every major region of the world.

Our teams operate across North America,

Europe, the Middle East, Latin America and Asia-

Pacific, supported by a strong network of partners,

system integrators and resellers. That global

presence matters because every market evolves

differently. Local regulations, infrastructure, viewer

behaviour and the pace of digital transformation

can vary widely, and being close to customers

allows us to better support those dynamics.

At the same time, media technology itself

is becoming increasingly global. Softwaredefined

workflows, cloud deployment and IP

infrastructure are enabling production teams to

collaborate across cities, countries and continents

in ways that were difficult just a few years ago.

For us, that combination is powerful. We bring

the perspective of a company with deep live

production heritage while helping customers

modernise their operations with technologies that

enable collaboration and distributed production

anywhere in the world.





Collaboration has always been fundamental to

this industry. Live production is inherently a team

effort, and the same is true for the technology

behind it. A single production workflow can

involve many different vendors, partners and

service providers working together.

For Grass Valley, collaboration exists at multiple

levels. On the technology side, interoperability

has always been essential. Broadcasters rely on a

complex ecosystem of tools, and our responsibility

is to ensure our solutions integrate smoothly

within that broader environment. Industry

standards bodies have played an important role in

enabling that openness.

On the business side, partnerships with

system integrators, channel partners and

cloud providers are increasingly important

Live production is

inherently a team effort, and the

same is true for the technology

behind it.

as production environments become more

distributed and complex.

What we’re seeing today is those two

dimensions coming together. The most effective

60 | MARCH-APRIL 2026 GRASS VALLEY

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA

partnerships combine deep

technical integration with strong

commercial alignment. That

thinking sits behind the Grass

Valley Media Universe, where we’re

bringing together technology

partners to expand the ecosystem

around our AMPP platform and give

customers greater flexibility in how

they design their workflows.

With cloud, virtualisation, AI

and so many other areas of tech

progressing so rapidly, would it be

fair to say that companies need to

be more open to R&D partnerships

than previously?

Absolutely. The pace of innovation

across media technology has

accelerated significantly. Cloud

computing, virtualisation, and

AI-driven tools are all reshaping

how content is produced, managed

and distributed.

No single company can

realistically build every part of that

ecosystem alone. The most effective

innovation increasingly comes from

collaboration between specialists

across different domains.

For customers, however,

innovation only matters if it

translates into practical solutions

that work reliably in real

production environments and

make business sense. That’s where

partnerships become critical and

a platform-centric approach is key.

Collaboration allows companies to

combine expertise while ensuring

technologies integrate into

coherent workflows rather than

creating new silos.

Across the industry we’re seeing

a clear shift toward more open

ecosystems where applications,

services and infrastructure can work

together more fluidly. That openness

ultimately benefits customers

by accelerating innovation while

preserving flexibility.

Could you briefly outline some

of the main highlights for your

company over the past 12 months?

Over the past year we’ve continued to

focus on helping media organizations

modernise their production

environments while protecting

the investments they’ve made in

broadcast infrastructure.

A major area of progress has

been the continued evolution of

our AMPP platform, which enables

virtualised production tools that

scale across on-premises, cloud and

hybrid environments.

Live sports production remains

one of the primary drivers of

innovation across the industry.

Increasingly, we’re seeing

broadcasters and production

organisations adopt softwaredefined

and virtualised workflows

at scale to support some of the

most demanding live events in the

world. That trend continues to

accelerate as organisations look

for more flexibility, scalability and

cost-efficiency.

Another milestone has been the

introduction of the Media eXchange

Layer, or MXL, which simplifies

how applications and services

connect across modern production

environments. By enabling more

seamless communication between

tools, MXL allows customers to

integrate technologies from multiple

vendors more easily and ultimately

paving the way towards the Dynamic

Media Facility (DMF) of the future.

Alongside that, the continued

growth of our partner ecosystem

within the Grass Valley Media

Universe is accelerating, increasing

the number of partner applications

available to customers while

maintaining unified workflows.

What would you say are your

flagship solutions at this time,

with a particular emphasis on


At the centre of our portfolio is the

AMPP platform, which represents

our vision for the future of live media

production. AMPP allows production

tools to be deployed in a virtualised

environment, enabling customers

to scale resources dynamically

across on-premises infrastructure,

private data centres or public

cloud environments.

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA GRASS VALLEY


Collaboration across creative

teams is also evolving rapidly.

Solutions such as AMPP Framelight

X are helping organisations

modernise how media is managed

and produced, enabling flexible

workflows from ingest through

production and distribution.

More broadly, we’re focused on

enabling the entire production

lifecycle, from capturing live

content through to producing,

managing and delivering finished

programming. Increasingly, those

workflows no longer need to be tied

to a single facility. Creative teams

can collaborate across locations

while operating within a unified

production environment.

Importantly, this evolution

doesn’t mean hardware disappears.

Cameras, live production

switchers and IP infrastructure

remain essential components of

high-performance production

environments. At Grass Valley we

continue to invest across both

hardware and software, ensuring

customers can combine the

reliability of broadcast hardware

with the flexibility of modern

software workflows.

Geopolitical relations could

be most mildly described as

‘very challenging’ in 2026. Have

these issues had an impact

on your business?

Like many global industries, media

technology operates within a

complex geopolitical environment.

Supply chains, regulatory

frameworks and regional market

dynamics can all be influenced by

broader global developments.

For a company like Grass

Valley, resilience and flexibility

are essential. We maintain

diversified supply chains and work

closely with regional partners

to ensure we can continue

supporting customers regardless

of external conditions.

What remains constant is the

global demand for high-quality

content production. Audiences

continue to expect compelling live

sports, news and entertainment, and

media organisations need trusted

technology partners to deliver those

experiences reliably.

Our focus remains on supporting

customers wherever they operate

and helping them navigate

an industry that continues to

evolve rapidly.

What can we expect from your

company for the rest of 2026?

Our focus for the rest of the year

is on continuing to simplify how

production workflows come together.

Historically, media production

relied on collections of individual

tools connected through complex

infrastructure. The future is

about cohesive environments

where applications, services and

infrastructure operate as part of a

unified system.

We will continue expanding

the AMPP ecosystem, enabling

more partners to integrate their

technologies into a shared platform

that customers can deploy flexibly

across on-premises and cloud

environments. And in parallel

we continue to invest heavily in

leading hardware-based platforms

that ensure our customers have

flexibility to choose the solutions

that meet their needs today while

future-proofing investments with an

increasingly integrated ecosystem of

technology tools.

We also expect continued progress

in how edge infrastructure, data

centres and cloud platforms work

together to support distributed

production models.

As we approach NAB and look

ahead to the next phase of the

industry’s evolution, one thing

is becoming increasingly clear:

the future of media production

will be software-defined, globally

collaborative and built on

open ecosystems.

At Grass Valley, and across Team

GV around the world, our focus is

on helping lead that evolution by

giving our customers the technology,

ecosystem and confidence to create

the future of media.

62 | MARCH-APRIL 2026 MEDIAGENIX — COMMENT

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA

Content strategy:

from data to

meaning

Ivan Verbesselt, chief strategy &

marketing officer at Mediagenix,

explains why semantic intelligence

matters for content strategy

and monetisation.

Media organisations operate in one of

the most instrumented industries in

the world. Every day broadcasters and

streaming platforms track audience curves,

completion behaviour, subscription churn,

advertising yield, and viewing patterns across

multiple devices and services. Measurement

capabilities continue to improve as distribution

expands across linear television, streaming

platforms, FAST channels, catch-up services, and

social environments.

Yet many strategic discussions still begin

with a familiar challenge. Teams can clearly

see how a title performed, though translating

Content portfolios continue to grow while distribution channels

multiply and audience behaviour fragments across platforms.

that performance into repeatable guidance for

future decisions often proves difficult. Analytics

reveal the scale of engagement. Metadata

catalogues key characteristics of each program.

The connection between the deeper meaning of

content and the behaviour of audiences remains

harder to interpret.

Executives frequently find themselves asking

the same questions, such as: What aspects of a

program truly resonated with viewers? Which

audience motivations were involved? Under what

conditions did engagement increase?

These questions are becoming more urgent

as the industry faces intensifying competition

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA MEDIAGENIX — COMMENT


for attention. Content portfolios continue to

grow while distribution channels multiply

and audience behaviour fragments across

platforms. In this environment, understanding

how creative attributes connect with audience

behaviour is moving from analytical curiosity to

operational necessity.

Semantic intelligence is one approach that is

gaining interest across the industry.

At its core semantic intelligence organises

the meaning of content in a structured way and

links those attributes to audience signals and

performance outcomes. A traditional metadata

record may describe a title through genre, cast,

synopsis and runtime. A semantic framework

extends that description to capture themes,

narrative structure, emotional tone, pacing, and

the relationships between titles within a library.

Once these attributes are structured and

connected with audience data, a richer picture

begins to emerge. Media companies can

examine how particular narrative elements align

with audience segments, viewing contexts or

platform environments. Over time, this layer of

understanding helps decision makers interpret

performance patterns with greater confidence.

This shift has implications across several

operational areas. For content development

teams, semantic context can reveal patterns

within a portfolio that may not be visible through

genre labels alone. Insights about storytelling

style, character dynamics or thematic alignment

can inform commissioning strategies and

help identify opportunities that resonate with

specific audiences.

Programming and distribution teams can also

benefit from deeper contextual understanding.

The same title may perform differently depending

on platform environment, time of day, device

usage, or viewing session length. When those

contextual relationships are understood,

scheduling, packaging and cross-platform

placement can be optimised more effectively.

Catalogue management represents another

opportunity. Many media organisations

maintain extensive libraries that span decades

of programming. Within these archives are

relationships between titles that can support

curated collections, thematic resurfacing,

and targeted discovery strategies. Semantic

organisation helps reveal those connections

and allows content portfolios to function

more dynamically with an accelerated route

to monetisation.

Audience engagement is also influenced by

how effectively viewers can discover relevant

programming. Personalisation systems

traditionally rely on historical viewing patterns.

Audience engagement is

also influenced by how effectively

viewers can discover relevant

programming.

When semantic attributes are incorporated into

recommendation models, platforms gain a more

detailed understanding of viewer motivations

and preferences.

Creative intuition will always remain central

to the media business. What is changing is the

scale and speed at which decisions must be

made. In a fragmented environment defined by

constant content flow, platform diversification,

and growing pressure on monetisation, relying

on surface-level performance signals is no

longer sufficient.

Media organisations need the ability to connect

content meaning, audience behaviour, and

operational decisions in a continuous feedback

loop. Semantic intelligence provides the structure

that makes this possible. It transforms large

volumes of data into contextual understanding

that can guide commissioning, scheduling,

distribution and discovery.

In a market where every programming decision

carries financial weight and every platform

competes for attention, understanding content at

the level of meaning is becoming a prerequisite for

sustained success.

64 | MARCH-APRIL 2026 PIXOTOPE

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA

Pixotope’s Marcus B. Brodersen:

‘Our customers are everywhere’

The CEO of Pixotope Technologies reflects on the global

nature of the business, its role in helping customers to

use virtual production and real-time graphics, and the

ever-growing importance of interoperability.

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA PIXOTOPE


Can you first provide a little insight into how

global your business is in 2026?

Pixotope is global in the most direct sense: our

customers are everywhere. NRK and SVT in the

Nordics, RTBF and TF1 in continental Europe, Fox

Sports and CBS News in the US, CCTV in China,

JioStar in India, SBS in Korea, RTS in Switzerland.

And many of these customers are themselves

global organisations. Disney and Warner Bros

Discovery, for example, have Pixotope users spread

across multiple continents.

Our team reflects that, too. We’re

headquartered in Oslo, with an R&D lab

in Cologne, subsidiaries in the US and UK,

and employees across 15 countries. More

nationalities than that, actually.





More and more, we see our business as helping

customers figure out how to best use virtual

production and real-time graphics. The software

we make is an efficient way of packaging that

expertise, but the starting point is always

understanding what a specific customer needs so

we can help design the right solution.

That naturally extends to the broader

ecosystem. A virtual production setup involves

LED panels, media processors, cameras, robotics

and networking. For the customer, all of it has

to work together. We see it as part of our job

to make sure it does. This is both a technology

collaboration and a business one. You can’t

really separate them.

With cloud, virtualisation, AI and so many other

areas of tech progressing so rapidly, would it be

fair to say that companies do need to be more

open to R&D partnership than previously?

What we need, more than anything, is strong

interfaces and data format standards. Vendors

need to be able to develop against structures they

know will interoperate with other applications.

That has always been true in broadcast, but it is

becoming rapidly more important.

The thing that does need to change is the speed

at which we develop these interfaces. We have to

be able to turn something around in months, not

years and decades.

Credit ESPN Brazil and TekTrade

The recent OpenTrackIO standard is a good

example. The industry came together to remove

unnecessary compatibility issues around tracking

data, standardising something that individually

gave no single company a competitive edge but

collectively made everyone’s products work better

together. We need more of that, and faster.


highlights for Pixotope over the past 12 months?

On the customer side, we’re seeing strong adoption

across regions. Fox Sports, RTS in Switzerland, SBS

in Korea, JioStar in India, and Formula 1 have all

chosen Pixotope for their LED and green screen

66 | MARCH-APRIL 2026 PIXOTOPE

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA

Credit: France TV and Askida Creative

Pixotope VS AR for Jiohotstar in India

studio productions. We also won two Digital

Studio M&E Awards in 2025, for Best in Immersive

& XR Media Technology and Best in Live

Sports Production, which was a nice validation

from the industry.

The market response to our Zone and Fly

through-the-lens camera tracking products has

been particularly strong. These let live sports

broadcasters add graphics to their production

without any on-site hardware. That’s a real shift in

how remote broadcast can work.

On the R&D side, we keep pushing what’s

possible with real-time tools. We’re using AI

to explore techniques that used to be reserved

for post-production: normal-based relighting,

video matting, monocular depth estimation.

Our team has been deep in research around

these areas, benchmarking new models

and figuring out what can run at broadcastquality

frame rates.




Our flagship is Pixotope XR, which is a single

graphics solution for all types of real-time

graphics and virtual production. That means

virtual studio with chroma key, augmented

reality, motion and production graphics, LEDbased

XR, and video-wall production — all in

one platform. Beyond the specific features that

make XR production scalable and reliable, we

also have Pixotope Vision, our own studio camera

tracking system. Because it’s integrated into the

graphics engine directly, it enables capabilities

that a separate, non-integrated tracking system

simply can’t do.

Then there’s Pixotope Fly, which is the

world’s only through-the-lens 6DoF camera

tracking system with zoom support. It only

needs a video feed to generate solid 3D camera

tracking. No sensors, no encoders bolted to

the camera. That makes it especially wellsuited

for remote broadcast, drones and

aerial production.

Pixotope Zone takes a similar approach for

stationary cameras. It lets sports producers

insert AR graphics and other live elements into

stadium-based broadcasts remotely and without

specialised on-site equipment. We’re already

seeing broadcasters use it for baseball, basketball

and football coverage.





solutions to them?

There are plenty of geopolitical challenges to

navigate in 2026, and some of them, like the war in

Ukraine, have unavoidably made business in that

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA PIXOTOPE


Coruna Immersive Studio. Credit: CEI

Credit: TV Globo

region more difficult and sometimes impossible.

That said, being a Norwegian company gives us

a certain neutrality. We generally aren’t blocked

by political boundaries, and with the exception

of formal trade restrictions, which we of course

follow, we’ve seen few roadblocks for partnerships

and business around the world.

We’re also primarily a software company, so

economic tools like trade tariffs don’t affect us the

way they would a hardware manufacturer.

The biggest disruption for us lately has

actually been the price of RAM and off-the-shelf

computer components like GPUs. The demand

from AI data centre buildouts has driven up

hardware costs significantly, and our customers

feel that directly when speccing render engines.

We’ve been working with hardware partners

to benchmark and recommend cost-efficient

configurations, but it’s a real issue across the

industry right now.

What can we expect from Pixotope in

the rest of 2026?

We’re focused on five things right now. First, we’re

continuing to develop the most scalable and easyto-deploy

XR solution on the market. We’ve solved

many of the hardest problems, but there’s still a lot

to improve, especially for larger deployments with

dozens of render engines. We work closely with

our customers on this so we spend time on real

challenges, not theoretical ones. One early result

is a new UX for using Pixotope XR in traditional

video-wall applications, where you don’t need

camera tracking and parallax, or where you want

to mix conventional graphic and video playback

with off-axis rendering and AR set extensions.

Second, we’re investing heavily in AI for live

sports. We’re expanding the Zone product with

video matting and player tracking features over

the coming months.

Third, for virtual studio, which is chroma keybased,

we’re also building AI tools to move toward

replacing the green screen entirely. The goal is to

use AI-based depth estimation, video matting, and

real-time relighting so you can skip the chroma

screen and separate talent tracking systems.

Easier to deploy, easier to operate.

Fourth, for live production and motion graphics,

we’re focused on getting the best out of Unreal’s

Motion Design system for live broadcast, and

combining it with Ograf-based HTML graphics,

all under one control, templating and integration

system. We believe in open formats. Broadcasters

should be able to use the tools best suited to their

needs through a single, transparent workflow.

And fifth, while our products can be used

separately, we’re consolidating everything onto a

single development platform. That means when

we add improvements to asset management,

WebRTC-based preview systems, colour

management and so on, every product benefits.

68 | MARCH-APRIL 2026 PEBBLE

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA

Pebble’s Peter Mayhead: ‘The big challenges

now are commercial, structural & cultural’

The CEO of Pebble reflects on a major shift now taking

place in broadcast and media, which — with fundamental

technical constraints no longer the challenge they once

were — sees the emphasis move to issues surrounding

advertising, rights costs and audience share.

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA PEBBLE


How has the definition of progress in

broadcasting changed over the years?

For most of broadcasting’s modern history,

progress meant overcoming technical constraints:

keeping systems on air without interruption,

maintaining precise synchronisation, and

managing storage and processing as channel

counts grew. Engineering was the discipline that

defined success. If you could make the technology

work seamlessly and reliably, you were ahead of

the game. That was a reasonable way to measure

things, and the industry got very good at it.

What’s changed now?

The technical constraints that once dominated

our thinking are no longer the biggest challenge.

Modern computing power is extraordinary,

virtualisation is mature, IP transport is proven,

and automation platforms are more capable than

ever. The industry has genuinely come a long way,

and it deserves credit for that. And yet, across

broadcasters, service providers, streamers and

vendors, there’s a common feeling that things have

become more difficult, not less. That tension is

worth paying attention to.

So what is driving the difficulty?

The biggest challenges today are commercial,

structural and cultural rather than technical. For

broadcasters, the picture is fairly clear: advertising

models are shifting, rights costs are rising, and

audiences are increasingly fragmented across

platforms. Simply delivering seamless channels

isn’t enough anymore. The real question is how

broadcasters monetise these platforms in a way

that’s genuinely sustainable.

Simply delivering seamless channels isn’t enough anymore.

Is this only an issue for traditional broadcasters?

Not at all. Streaming platforms face their own

version of the same pressure. Moving into

premium live content exposes operational

complexity that can’t be hidden behind a welldesigned

interface. Reliability has become just

as crucial for streamers as it has always been for

broadcasters, and the expectations placed on them

are increasingly broadcast-grade, regardless of

where their business started.

70 | MARCH-APRIL 2026 PEBBLE

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA

What about service providers and

playout centres?

They’re feeling it too. Customers expect more

flexibility, more regionalisation, faster deployment,

and they want all of that without a proportional

increase in cost. Scaling operations without scaling

overhead has become a constant balancing act,

and one that doesn’t get any easier as the requests

grow more complex.

How are vendors affected by this shift?

Vendors aren’t immune. The pace of innovation

remains relentless, but customers are becoming

more cautious. Investment cycles are longer,

procurement scrutiny is sharper, and there’s

more at stake in getting a decision wrong, both

technically and commercially. That’s causing

genuine hesitation in the buying process, which is

understandable, but it does create its own kind of

friction across the industry.

Is there a belief that new technologies will be

the answer to these challenges?

Yes, and that’s where some of the industry’s

assumptions can lead it astray. There’s a recurring

belief that the next major platform shift will

The pace of innovation

remains relentless, but customers

are becoming more cautious.

unlock the next wave of revenue. Cloud, FAST,

IP, streaming, virtualisation: each has been

presented at some point as a transformative force.

And they are genuinely significant. But technology

enables opportunity; it doesn’t guarantee

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA PEBBLE


Partnerships matter more

in this environment than they did

in more stable times.

commercial success. That distinction matters

more than it sometimes gets credit for.

How should organisations approach

technology to avoid these pitfalls?

Automation, IP and other technologies provide

real scalability and flexibility, but they support

strategy rather than define it. The harder question

is how organisations align their operational

capabilities with their commercial goals, and

that’s fundamentally a leadership question. The

organisations that will do well are those who

know when not to chase every new development.

They’ll simplify where others complicate and focus

their teams on clear outcomes rather than the

latest features.

You mentioned partnerships. How do they fit

into this evolving landscape?

Partnerships matter more in this environment

than they did in more stable times. When markets

are predictable, vendor relationships can be fairly

transactional and that’s fine. When markets are

uncertain, trust and long-term collaboration

become genuinely valuable. Broadcasters, service

providers, vendors and streamers all benefit from

stability and transparency within the ecosystem,

and that’s something the industry would do well to

invest in more deliberately.

How do you see Pebble’s role in this shift?

Our industry has solved many of the engineering

challenges that once defined it. Reliability,

resilience and precision are now standard

expectations rather than differentiators, and

that’s a real achievement. But the question now is

whether we can build on that technical foundation

in a way that supports long-term, sustainable

growth. It’s not just whether we can build the

technology. It’s whether we can build businesses

that remain viable in a far more competitive world.

That’s the challenge we all share, and honestly, it’s a

more interesting one.

72 | MARCH-APRIL 2026 TALENT MANIFESTO – ON AIR 2026

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA

On Air 2026:

The art of timing

Thoughts on scheduling, timezone

wrangling, and multi-channel dynamics

ahead of On Air 2026, from Laurissa Yeung

Shea — resource bookings application

manager, Warner Bros. Discovery — and

broadcast consultant Sarah Chase.

PRODUCTION360.MEDIA TALENT MANIFESTO – ON AIR 2026


We had followed very

similar paths, in the same roles,

just at different companies.

On Air 2026, the world’s largest student

broadcast, is back and bigger than ever!

Led once again by Carrie Wootten and

the Media Talent Manifesto, this year’s event has

expanded to five live channels showcasing student

talent from across the globe. We go behind

the scenes with the team orchestrating when

universities from around the world take their

turn to be On Air.

Meet the Scheduling Team, who are managing

the technology for scheduling, last-minute

changes, shaping the promotional strategy,

and navigating the complexities of global time

zones to keep 24 hours of live, following-the-sun

broadcasting running smoothly.

Tell us a bit about yourself — what’s your

role in the broadcast and technology world,

and what made you want to volunteer for

something this ambitious?

LYS: Carrie had contacted me for On Air 2025

because of my experience as a scheduling manager

and it was an obvious “Yes!”, even without

knowing the full details! I was excited to get

involved, but quickly realised it was going to need

extra knowledge and expertise, which is why I

contacted Sarah.

We have actually known each other for over

25 years, having worked together early on in our

careers. We had followed very similar paths, in the

same roles, just at different companies.

Media and broadcasting has always been a

passion. Apparently, when I was 8, I had told my

dad I wanted to be a journalist, and used to play

around with my uncle’s VHS(!) video camera

and found out I preferred to work behind the

scenes. The journey has led me into live sports

and technology instead, which ties into the

project so well.

It’s a huge and inspiring project, a fantastic

chance to share knowledge with students and

experts. I’m excited to see how we can all pull

together for these five live channels.

Sarah and I worked so well together last year

as scheduling co-leads, and it was so much fun to

work with an old friend, while making new ones.

SC: Laurissa got in touch in May last year and

said ‘you have got to hear about this wild idea —

you’re going to love it’. An introduction to Carrie

and a mini-synopsis later and I had signed myself

up to On Air ‘25 with glee. I’m drawn to bold ideas,


PRODUCTION360.MEDIA

my best when I’m working with a team of people,

needing to find a creative solution, with a scary

deadline. So ‘On Air’ feels like a calling!

Plus working with Laurissa again was so

uplifting last year. Having a great partner is

everything in doing great work.

big thinking and bringing people together.

This was also the opportunity Laurissa and I

had been waiting for to work side by side again

since our first job in London, back in the early

‘00s. We had almost eerily and unintentionally

mirrored each other’s career paths; from Ingest to

Edit to MCR to Playout to Presentation Scheduling

and then both managing large scheduling teams.

We remained in contact throughout.

I then took a different path and joined

a broadcast consultancy. This gave me the

opportunity to work with many large broadcast

companies where my work was to look

holistically at workflows and implement changes

to processes and technology. I was able to apply

everything I had learnt, and at the same time

scoop up a wealth of new learnings and work

with some of the most inspirational people

in the industry.

I am at heart a people person, it’s where I find

my energy. Much of my work is creating success

(and joy?) between people and technology. I’m at

Broadcasting five live channels simultaneously

across multiple time zones sounds intense.

How does scheduling and programme planning

play a role in a project like this — can you

explain what that actually involves?

SC: It involves thinking at a variety of different

levels all at once. On the highest level: where in

the world is the content coming from, what’s

the local time compared to HQ, and when/if

they have daylight savings changes. At the very

beginning setting the ‘home’ timezone was key.

Our schedules will be working in British Summer

Time (BST), which will be a ‘heat map’ of where

content from locations could be scheduled for

local sociable hours.

At the mid level: the ‘long form’ content start

times for each location and the time between live

events. As more locations signed up last year, or

some had timing restrictions, we had to condense

and move the schedule around a lot.

With five channels in play this year we are

anticipating lots of movement, and with the

addition of live sport we will need to be even more

flexible! Some locations will be broadcasting

across more than one channel so [that means]

taking into consideration they have enough time

and resources between events.

As well as live start times we think a lot about

filler content, the prerecorded content that sits



between the live elements (which are also student

productions) and is delivered in advance.

At the detail level: the ‘short-form’ content and

the presentation of the channel. The bumps, the

idents, the logos. These are the elements that

dress a channel and give it its look and feel. Its

personality. This year we plan for much more of

these as well as promotional elements to unite the

five individual channels together as a family. Here

we are also focused on ‘timing up’ the channels —

ensuring that every frame of air time is accounted

for and calculated correctly.

The ‘under the bonnet’ level: how are we

assigning metadata, such as duration of a

programme or which technical lines the live

feed will come from, that will interact with the

playout system and tell it what to do and when.

The schedule can look splendid, but if it’s not

compatible with playout or linked to the content,

nothing will go to air.

And at the cross level: does the channel look

great, does it flow, does it feel right? Is all the

filler content compliant and has it all been

delivered? This year we will need to look across

all of the channels to make sure the content is not

competing with itself or the audience.

Of course there is always the back-up level, too:

what’s the plan if things go wrong?

As the On Air Scheduling team, our work

incorporates elements from a number of roles

from a traditional broadcast house, such as

programme scheduling, media planning,

continuity, compliance, presentation scheduling,

line bookings and media operations, which

we will describe in detail to the students

that work with us.

We know how the channel should look and feel to audiences

worldwide, and our goal is to protect that experience.

From technical and operational perspectives,

how do you manage the moving parts?

LYS: As scheduling managers, we understand

the media workflow end‐to‐end so we can design

system setups that support new channel launches.

So we think about how and why systems need to

speak to each other, what type of information is

being shared, how are they going to get it, and who

do you need to collaborate with to achieve all of

this. And this is where Sarah and I get to use our

paralleled experience on this project.

Believe it or not, the ‘technical’ is linked closely

with creativity. We connect all the pieces from

people and the operational departments who

might be tracking or viewing metadata, to how to

connect systems to share programme metadata

across departments.

We plan for best and worst case scenarios. We

know how the channel should look and feel to

audiences worldwide, and our goal is to protect

that experience. If viewers enjoy the programmes,

as well as the transitions and branding between

them, we know we have done our job well.

Operationally, a broadcast management

system (BMS) allows us to apply everything

Sarah has described, in a collaborative, unified

environment, giving us transparency across

content and channels, in comparison to multi-tab

excel workbooks.

We have partnered with Renata Chytková at

Provys Technologies again this year. She and the

brilliant team have provided the system set-up

and the BMS: Provys Sphere. Last year, they helped

us bring to life our vision of a ‘timezone translator’

— automatically calculating across 17 university

timezones against BST, as well as developing a

bespoke playlist export for the playout team, in

order to share metadata for transmission, which

we will be using again for 2026.

The system helps us to plan, manage

content, manage changes and updates, export

playlists, and also strategise across the five

live channels. Also, like last year, it allows us

to build contingency plans should anything go

awry on the day.

It means that we won’t have to use our fingers

and toes to calculate timezones to decide which

time slot is better for that country and university,

or if they have specific time requests. It prevents

duplication of scheduling tasks, and enables us to

be agile — to juggle and focus on all the exciting

content and metadata that the universities from

across the world will be providing, as well as being

as best prepared as we can for any changes and

issues that might occur.

The BMS also supports strategies and creative

planning. It estimates programme and segment

durations based on the information we enter,


PRODUCTION360.MEDIA

Being able to concisely

communicate is a critical skill.

It’s so exciting to be able to inspire, share

knowledge and work with students to show

what happens before a live broadcast, as it takes

months of planning and refining before the

actual go live day.

helping students prepare scripts for presenters,

and allows us to time and manage all branding

and promotional elements that keep the channel

looking polished and professional.

Scheduling sits right at the end of the workflow

before transmission. We are the department

which checks that everything is where it should

be. Not just in the schedule and in the way it

looks, but the content as well, making sure

that the metadata the schedule contains is

linked to content like emergency programmes,

promotions or branding is ready for transmission

before the actual broadcast. Having a system

to navigate any potential strategy and real

life changes is a joy. That’s the scheduling

geek in both of us!

For students participating in On Air 2026, what

are some of the core scheduling skills they can

expect to develop that will help them stand out

when looking for future opportunities?

SC: This year at the University of Westminster,

there will need to be defined lines of

communication as the scale is so much bigger.

For the Scheduling Team, it will also include

proper escalation procedures and agreed ways

to remain informed and aligned. These are all

very familiar within the real world and will

provide that enhanced learning experience to the

students. We very much expect them to be part

of these procedures too! Being able to concisely

communicate is a critical skill.

We want students to have more visibility and

participation with behind the scenes discussions

and earlier contributions so they are part of the

build. The project meetings, the working groups,

the problem solving, the re-working and the test

days. This will provide a really solid picture of

the multitude and variety of roles that exist, as

well as the craft and scale of what it takes to pull



something like this together.

And not forgetting contributing to

documentation — sorry students, we’ve all gotta

do it (and keep it up to date)!

As you share your knowledge, what do you

hope it unlocks in those coming after you, and

what strengths do you hope they’ll add to the

evolving media landscape?

SC: One of the greatest things from On Air ‘25

was the students and the industry professionals

working together as peers. It was far from just the

technical experience; the students were exposed

to how people interact in a high pressure situation,

even when things are tight or they don’t go as

planned — it’s the way that respect, support,

accountability and humour remain in place. It’s

what ‘thinking on your feet’ really looks like.

It’s as important that we, as the industry

professionals, learn from the students. They

are studying in a world with far greater

technical advantages than ever before and

will have ideas and considerations that will be

fresh and inspiring.

LYS: On Air 2026 goes beyond our current

knowledge, technical and strategical logistics.

For now, we are only providing a foundation

by sharing what we have learnt over the last 25+

years to launch this live 24 hour broadcast.

We also want to pass on the soft skills which

you need to be successful in the industry. You

should be curious, you should ask questions — as

there are no stupid ones! — and you should be

brave to try it, since you learn what not to do as

well as what to do!

In the future, these up and coming amazing

minds will reshape and evolve the very skills we

once shared with them.

We also want to pass on the

soft skills which you need to be

successful in the industry.

I wonder if in 10-20 years time, these students

from across the world would create a project for

us, so we can have hands-on learning from them.

Now wouldn’t that be a fantastic opportunity

for Sarah and I?

On Air 2026 will be broadcasting live on

Thursday 22 October. Subscribe to: YouTube —

www.youtube.com/@mediatalentmanifesto.

Find out more at: Media Talent Manifesto —

www.mediatalentmanifesto.com/on-air

Keeping your

finger on the

evolution

of production

MISSED A RECENT ISSUE?

READ IT HERE, READ IT NOW CLICK TO READ ISSUE V2.5 CLICK TO READ ISSUE V3.1

Widen your picture and

elevate your brand with

all-year-round exposure

Reach a highly engaged audience of industry professionals with

our specialised digital magazine. Maximise your brand visibility and

connect with potential global clients and partners in the TV and film

production world. Our publication offers unparalleled reach and

credibility, ensuring your message resonates with decision-makers.

It starts by emailing chris@production360.media

Production 360 Issue V3.2 March-April 2026

Transform your PDFs into Flipbooks and boost your revenue!

Delete template?

Save as template ?