Broadcasters Embrace Remote Production and AI

For the fourth consecutive year, enabling remote production is the top technology priority for broadcasters, with 41% identifying it as their main focus. This sustained push is creating a clear technology adoption curve, pulling forward investments in IP-based routing and cloud-based infrastructure to support decentralized teams. The migration to IP infrastructures like SMPTE ST 2110 is steadily advancing, with adoption reaching 30% this year. However, the industry remains in a hybrid state, as 82% of broadcasters still rely on traditional SDI infrastructure for daily operations. This dual reality creates complexity, requiring solutions that can bridge legacy systems with modern, flexible IP workflows. Cellular connectivity is rapidly becoming a mission-critical component for live contribution. In 2026, 54% of broadcasters reported using cellular networks for live video feeds, a notable increase from 46% the previous year. Furthermore, 61% now use cellular as the primary backup for fiber connections in remote production, solidifying its role in ensuring transmission resilience. While current AI adoption in broadcasting sits at 27%, its perceived importance is unmatched; 64% of industry professionals believe AI will have the most significant impact on production over the next five years. Newsrooms are already using AI for tasks like transcribing interviews, generating content summaries, and analyzing large datasets to uncover stories. The Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) protocol has become the de facto standard for video transport over the internet. Its usage has surged from 47% in 2020 to 78% in 2026, a 31% overall increase, demonstrating its widespread adoption for secure, low-latency video streaming. Transitioning to IP-based workflows offers significant cost-saving advantages by reducing the need for expensive broadcast trucks and crew travel. However, it introduces new challenges, including the high-bandwidth requirements for uncompressed video and the complexities of ensuring precise synchronization across separate video, audio, and data streams. Major news organizations are actively developing proprietary AI tools to enhance their workflows. For example, Hearst Newspapers created a Slack-based tool using OpenAI's models to help journalists with headlines and SEO, while German publisher Der Spiegel built an AI system to support its fact-checking processes. BBC's investigative team has also used AI to analyze open-source intelligence for documentaries.