NEP Platform Launch

NEP Group has rolled out a new control system called NEP Platform, shifting more of its live-production operation into software ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. (sportsvideo.org) NEP said the platform ties together services across mobile trucks, production hubs, data centers and cloud systems, instead of building each show around separate hardware stacks. The company began publicly showcasing it at the 2026 NAB Show in Las Vegas this month. (businesswire.com) In plain terms, software orchestration means a producer can call up processing, monitoring and switching tools from one control layer, rather than wiring together dedicated boxes for every event. NEP said that lets operators configure resources “at a click of a button” and scale them up or down on demand. (nepgroup.com) Martin Stewart, NEP’s chief executive, told Sports Video Group on April 22 that the company had already worked major events including the Super Bowl, the Masters, the NBA All-Star Game and Eurovision while preparing for the World Cup. He described the new platform as part of a hybrid-production model built for larger event calendars and more simultaneous feeds. (sportsvideo.org) The timing reflects a broader change in sports broadcasting, where rightsholders want more versions of the same event: main telecasts, alternate feeds, digital streams, shoulder programming and social clips. NEP said the platform is aimed at broadcasters, leagues, rightsholders and content creators that need more control and flexibility across those workflows. (businesswire.com) NEP is pitching the system as a unifying layer for third-party tools, not just its own gear. At NAB, it said the platform would be demonstrated with partners including Bridge Technologies, Grass Valley, Manifold, Panasonic and Sony. (businesswire.com) Some of those integrations are already specific. Panasonic said its Kairos live-production platform is being linked with NEP Platform for IP-based workflows, and Bridge Technologies said its VB440 monitoring probe now works inside the system as a software-defined monitoring tool. (tvtechnology.com 1) (tvtechnology.com 2) NEP is making the launch from a large installed base. In earlier company updates, it said its connected production network included more than 20 production hubs, 100 control rooms, 200 mobile units and 100 flypacks worldwide. (svgeurope.org) The company marked its 40th anniversary this year, and Stewart’s pitch at NAB was that the next phase of live production will be defined less by “rack-and-stack” engineering and more by software that can move the same operation across trucks, hubs and remote sites. With the World Cup less than two months away, NEP is presenting the platform as the system it wants running underneath that scale. (sportsvideo.org)