Ready to hit the ground running in 2026? To get things started, here are my top 5 predictions on the new-generation tech enablers and business models that will help media companies achieve sustainable profitability in an increasingly fragmented world.
Consolidation has been part of the media landscape for decades, but in 2026, it moves squarely to the center of the conversation. Large-scale transactions are no longer speculative — they’re increasingly viewed as signals of where the market is headed. At the same time, regulatory reviews of U.S. station ownership rules and national broadcast caps are expected to unlock new M&A activity.
This accelerated shift toward consolidation is driven by necessity. Fragmented audiences, rising costs, and evolving revenue models mean scale matters more than ever. It’s a proven way to manage volatility, adapt to rapid platform change, and create more resilient businesses. At the same time, the push for greater efficiency will drive internal consolidation across workflows and teams.
That dynamic also extends to the technology ecosystem. As content providers consolidate, opportunities (and setbacks) will follow for technology vendors. Media companies will increasingly look to work with a few trusted partners offering broader, deeper portfolios and more integrated solutions.
In 2026, consolidation won’t just be a headline. It will define how the entire industry operates.
Look for tech partners who are also building scale to help you create a flexible, resilient strategy across the entire media value chain.
“In 2026, we predict more than $80 billion in media M&A deal value, with sustained increased volume across all quarters. This will be driven by a broader resurgence in M&A activity across large and small deals as media companies adjust to a new economic normal and consolidate legacy assets while investing in new technologies.”
“Media M&A in 2026: Dealmaking in the age of disruption,” AlixPartners
Total TV is often discussed, but rarely implemented in its true form — particularly in the U.S. Many organizations claim to be doing Total TV, but are still splitting orders by platform. They’re still selling linear spots and digital impressions. And this approach limits both efficiency and revenue potential.
Implementing a true Total TV model starts with seeing the audience as the inventory. When properly executed, Total TV enables media companies to deliver that audience across linear and streaming, wherever they choose to watch. Markets like the UK, Australia, and the Nordics have been operating this way for some time. While the U.S. has been slower on the uptake, conditions for a breakthrough are finally in place, and we expect at least one operator to commit to a true Total TV approach in 2026.
The call to arms from the buying community for simpler transactions, outcomes-based measurement, and demonstrable ROI — areas where digital platforms currently excel — are accelerating Total TV urgency, as broadcasters work hard to correct this imbalance through 2026 and beyond.
Stop thinking in terms of linear vs. streaming. Start thinking in terms of audiences.
For years, playout and streaming have been managed as separate operations, each with its own systems, workflows, and teams. Unified origination has long been an aspiration, but until recently the technology was not mature enough to support it reliably at scale.
First-generation attempts at unification often meant piecing together systems built for single-site or platform-specific operations. As soon as operators tried to scale those configurations, the cracks started to show. Those early efforts made clear what true unified origination requires: multisite orchestration, flexible automation, consistent metadata, and infrastructure purpose-built to deliver both linear and digital in a single, cohesive workflow. And the model is no longer theoretical. Multiple operators around the world are already running these newer generation unified environments, providing real proof points for others to follow.
The large organizations that still operate in silos — with separate playout and streaming teams, automation stacks, staffing models, and workflows — know the cost of that fragmentation. Until now, they lacked a viable path to unify. In 2026, that path is fully available. The architectural hurdles are resolved, the workflows are validated, and early adopters have demonstrated what’s achievable.
Evaluate your infrastructure roadmap with unified origination as the end goal.
In 2026, the conversation around AI will change from “what’s possible” to “why it matters.” AI is becoming meaningful from a business point of view, with the focus shifting from prototypes and POCs to tangible results.
The strongest early impact is in automation. AI extends software-based workflows by handling repetitive tasks at greater speed and scale. Video quality control is one example, with AI-driven systems delivering faster and more consistent results. Another is monitoring and multiviewing, where AI can analyze hundreds of feeds at once, so operators can spend time making decisions instead of passively watching screens. AI is also emerging as a valuable tool in ad tech for planning and optimization, generating initial schedules and planning scenarios that humans can refine using editorial insight and judgment.
AI will matter in 2026 because the business case is finally real: less manual work, more scalability, higher accuracy, and smarter automation. The mindset is shifting from potential to proven value — and that’s what makes AI a practical driver of how media businesses will operate moving forward.
Identify one workflow where AI can deliver measurable results and start there.
Whether to migrate to IP is no longer in question — it’s the industry’s established trajectory. ST 2110 infrastructures are now standard across broadcast and production, with focus shifted entirely from concept to implementation. Broadcasters are evaluating hybrid and all-IP architectures, and 2026 will see many assessments become actual deployments.
Multiple factors drive this momentum. IP switches and networking gear are significantly more affordable. Engineering teams increasingly possess IT and network expertise, reducing operational complexity. And IP enables remote, distributed, and cloud-integrated production that SDI cannot match. Maintaining isolated SDI systems grows more burdensome and costly.
Adopting IP means transitioning workflows onto packet-switched platforms like ST 2110, supporting multi-location production, and allocating resources flexibly across sites. Mixed SDI/IP environments are an important transitional phase for many projects, but the path is clear: each year, more operations migrate to IP.
What distinguishes 2026 is evolution from pilot projects to enterprise-scale implementation. Broadcasters now focus on execution speed and cost efficiency rather than questioning viability. IP is fundamental to software-centric operations, and delaying migration only increases future costs and competitive risk.
Move faster and scale smarter. IP is not the goal — it’s the enabler.
Our knowledgeable teams are ready to help you get started.
