What NAB 2025 Trend Will Impact Your Streaming Strategy the Most?

Brian_Ellis
Thu, 10 Apr 2025 21:24:46 +0000
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Hey everyone — I just got back from NAB Show 2025 and wanted to share a few thoughts. It was a packed few days, and the energy around innovation in broadcast and streaming was stronger than ever.

The show opened with a literal launch — an astronaut appeared live from space to welcome everyone from orbit. It was a pretty surreal (and very on-brand) way to kick off a week focused on the future of media.

One of the big headlines this year was the growing momentum behind NextGen TV. There’s now broader support for HDR and Dolby Atmos, which is helping immersive experiences go mainstream. It’s also clear that high-fidelity playback is no longer just for the biggest screens — we’re seeing serious advancements across all devices.

Throughout the event, the conversations were refreshingly practical. Industry leaders were focused on real-world challenges like bandwidth optimization, cost-effective storage, and delivery. There was a lot of attention on next-gen codecs and creative network and compute partnerships aimed at driving down egress costs. Server-side ad insertion (SGAI) also had its moment, with several sessions highlighting how it’s opening up new monetization opportunities — without sacrificing the user experience.

On the show floor, AI-powered workflows were a major theme. I saw live captioning, automated content editing, and smart media search in action — all aimed at simplifying operations and making content more discoverable at scale. Cloud-native and remote production tools were everywhere too, continuing the shift toward infrastructure that’s scalable, flexible, and built for modern teams.

And on the creative front, cinematic cameras and creator-first tools are really starting to push the boundaries of live production. It’s exciting to see real-time workflows that also support cinematic storytelling — the two worlds are definitely starting to blend.

What struck me most was that even with all this innovation, the conversations stayed grounded. It wasn’t just about future vision — it was about practical, scalable solutions that teams can act on today.

I’d love to hear what you think:
1. Are you exploring AI-powered tools in your workflow this year?
2. How are you approaching bandwidth and cost optimization in 2025?
3. Is your audience asking for immersive formats like HDR or Dolby Atmos?
4. What impact do you think remote production will have on teams of your size or structure?

Looking forward to hearing your perspectives!

— Brian

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