by Jonathon Whittle

Las Vegas was abuzz again this April as NAB Show 2025 brought together top decision-makers and technologies in the broadcasting world. This year’s show didn’t just highlight the pace of innovation, it emphasised the critical need for flexibility across every aspect of the industry. From infrastructure to production workflows, the clear theme was: future-ready systems that meet today's realities.

Broadcasters are balancing legacy systems with next-gen ambitions, finding cost-effective ways to evolve without compromising on reliability. Whether it’s scaling up operations, transitioning from Serial Digital Interface (SDI) to Internet Protocol (IP), or embracing remote production at scale, flexibility isn’t just a buzzword. It’s the new blueprint for an industry that keeps evolving, adapting to growing audiences and continuous technological advancement. 

Read on, as we round up three key themes from NAB Show 2025, an event packed with invaluable insight on how our industry is changing shape. 

#1 Future-proof Broadcasting: Scalability at the Core 

In a dynamic media landscape, and amid persistent economic headwinds,  broadcasters are prioritising technology investment that offer immediate functionality, as well as a pathway for future growth. Scalability, today, is a fundamental principle that drives decisions, not just in terms of capacity and architecture, but also in correlation to budgets.

Broadcasters are naturally gravitating towards more flexible, modular architectures, avoiding the financial burden of large upfront investments, yet with the ability to incrementally expand their capabilities and infrastructures as their needs evolve. The message seems clear: future-proof, but don’t overcommit.

#2 The IP Horizon: The Evolution into a Hybrid Reality 

The debate surrounding a solid shift from SDI to ST2110 standards is now giving way to a hybrid future where technologies can coexist and complement each other. 

Early adopters of the ST2110 suite of standards are ultimately realising the promised benefits of an IP-based workflow, from enhanced flexibility to scalability, and resource sharing. However, a significant segment of the broadcast industry continues to rely on well-established SDI infrastructure, especially for transmission paths, where reliability and familiarity are paramount.

Not only do broadcasters recognise the reality and the significant investment that’s still tied to existing SDI systems, they are also proactively seeking transitional strategies. This approach aims to bridge the gap between two worlds: a hybrid model that allows for a gradual adoption of IP-based workflows in specific areas, while maintaining the robustness of SDI for others.

#3 Beyond the Truck: Remote Production for Live Events

The evolution of remote production is reshaping broadcasters’ understanding of physical presence at event locations. The once-ubiquitous large outside broadcast (OB) trucks and extensive on-site productions are progressively being replaced by smaller, more agile OB units, as well as a more streamlined operation.

The most transformative shift ultimately lies in how cloud-based technologies are revolutionising core broadcast workflows. Think of replay, ingest, and content distribution, for instance. The emergence of more sophisticated cloud platforms is enabling broadcasters to reimagine these notoriously hardware-intensive processes with greater flexibility and opportunities to scale. Centralised control rooms are becoming more common, and innovation is fueling growing interest in cloud-based replay systems. 

The capabilities described above are integral to a more efficient and collaborative production workflow, erasing geographical barriers, and optimising resource allocation across multiple productions. 

Conclusions

NAB Show 2025 made it clear: flexibility isn’t just a feature it is now a foundational principle. Whether you're SDI-first, cloud-curious, or currently building a hybrid workflow, the key takeaway is that your tech choices should meet your current needs, while opening doors to what’s next.

NAB was a whirlwind of insightful discussions and connections, particularly around the Sony booth and throughout the show. As we continue to innovate our HawkREPLAY and HawkNEST ecosystem to reimagine broadcast workflows for enhanced efficiency, we're excited to shape the future of our industry. 

Interested in discussing future-proof solutions – with flexibility at the core – and cloud requirements? Reach out to our teams now.