If you want your broadcast content to win,
The broadcast equipment market is undergoing changes the likes of which the industry hasn’t seen in a long time. But the question remains, are you capitalizing on this opportunity to grow? If you’re still operating with old school, legacy broadcasting equipment and tech, then the answer is no.
The truth is broadcast equipment innovations are driving the industry forward faster than ever. New technology solutions are reshaping every aspect of how content is delivered to audiences.
But if you’re stuck in the past with your tech, you’re doing this innovation at your own expense.
Why?
Traditional broadcast infrastructure comes with a huge maintenance overhead. It’s difficult to scale, expensive to expand, and challenging to deliver high-quality content on multiple platforms to a wide range of viewers.
The Solution? Broadcast Equipment Innovations & Technologies.
New solutions are available that are disrupting the entire industry and giving your competitors the edge.
In this article we’ll explore the essential broadcast equipment innovations to consider now, so you don’t fall behind your competition.
Table of Contents
The Broadcast Equipment Market Is Booming
The global market for broadcast equipment is set to boom in the coming years. Industry data shows the broadcast equipment market generated $5.35 billion in revenue in 2024 and is projected to reach $9.38 billion in 2033.
The market is growing in part because broadcasters need the most up-to-date, efficient equipment in order to meet growing audience expectations for higher-quality HD, 4K, and 8K content.
But also because if you’re not modernizing your broadcasting equipment and technology solutions, you’re at a serious disadvantage against competitors who have. They’ll eat your lunch in the quality and efficiency of their content delivery.
Broadcast Equipment Innovations to Consider Now
With all this growth, the question becomes what equipment and technology innovations are worth considering now? We’ll answer this question and more below.
1) IP-Based Infrastructure Solutions
One of the biggest broadcast infrastructure innovations currently shaking the industry is the shift to IP-based solutions.
Traditional broadcasting uses dedicated hardware and cables that are more expensive and more limited than they need to be. IP-based streaming and broadcasting instead use standard Internet Protocol networks to transmit audio, video, and data.
Why does this matter? Companies like Thor Broadcast are leading the charge in providing IP-based streaming and broadcasting equipment and tech solutions that offer massive benefits to broadcasters. IP solutions are more flexible and scalable than traditional SDI-based infrastructure.
The benefits include:
- Cost savings. You’ll reduce operational costs with IP-based systems because they use existing network infrastructure.
- Scalability. Easier to scale infrastructure up and down as needs change.
- Flexibility. Streamline content delivery across regions and platforms.
The beauty of an IP-based architecture is that a single 25 GigE SMPTE ST 2110 cable can carry a range of 4K/UltraHD signals, or even 80+ HD feeds in both directions. Compare that to the racks of dedicated hardware you need for traditional infrastructure, and the new tech becomes hard to ignore.
2) Broadcast Quality Encoders
Encoders are the dominant force in the broadcast equipment market for good reason. In 2024, the market share held by encoders was 22.5%. And the demand for these tools is only growing.
That’s because encoders compress and convert video signals into a format that’s more efficient for transmission and streaming. As broadcasters look to shift to 4K and even 8K resolution content, advanced encoding technology like HEVC (H.265) and AV1 are more essential than ever.
They reduce bandwidth without losing visual quality. A critical improvement for both live broadcasts and on-demand services.
The growing need for cloud-based workflows, and new OTT platforms, has further increased demand for robust encoding solutions. Broadcast encoders now support a wider variety of formats, can handle higher resolutions, and are tightly integrated with cloud services.
The best part?
Hardware-accelerated encoders can now support thousands of simultaneous connections without sacrificing broadcast-quality standards. That level of performance wasn’t possible a few years ago.
3) Cloud and Remote Production
Remote production has already completely reshaped the broadcasting industry by revolutionizing efficiency in production.
Recent statistics reveal that broadcasters can improve operational efficiency by as much as 70% by adopting remote production. Now, entire events can be run remotely with fewer personnel on-site. Even events with multiple simultaneous productions, broadcasters can switch locations and adapt to changing conditions with the press of a button.
The flexibility and profitability of remote production is also greater because you don’t need as many crew and personnel on-site. This is a major game-changer for live events such as the Olympics, World Cups, and Euro championships.
Cloud-based solutions take this a step further, allowing broadcasters to dynamically scale operations up and down. Reducing infrastructure costs while integrating with automated workflows, real-time analytics, and multi-platform content delivery.
It means your teams can now produce high-quality broadcasts from practically anywhere in the world using cloud infrastructure. No more multi-truck productions with hundreds of personnel on-site.
4) AI Automation
Artificial Intelligence is already automating the broadcast industry by taking over many routine, time-consuming tasks that previously needed significant manual intervention.
AI-based tools can now do facial recognition, content organization, highlights creation, and more. Smart workflows that dramatically speed up production, especially for documentaries and sports highlights.
Smart Reframe tools will even automatically resize and reposition footage to fit different aspect ratios and allow you to repurpose content across multiple platforms without the manual editing.
Digital broadcasting now has a market share of 86% in the video market. Digital broadcasting has been boosted by the implementation of new technologies that come with integrated AI and automation functions. These systems will interact to improve the intelligent content generation of a program, while also significantly reducing production time and costs.
AI also now works in conjunction with broadcast equipment to offer predictive analytics, automated quality control, and real-time audience insights. Not only will you be able to produce content more quickly, but you will also be able to create smarter and more personalized content to match your audience’s viewing preferences.
Take Advantage of Broadcast Equipment Innovations
As the market for broadcast equipment grows, so do innovations in new tech solutions. Broadcasters must act quickly to implement these changes or risk falling behind their competition.
The broadcast equipment market is growing in large part because these technologies offer huge advantages in cost efficiency, scalability, and content quality.
If you’re still using legacy solutions in your broadcasting, you’re not taking full advantage of the most up-to-date solutions on the market. In turn, doing innovation and technological growth at your own expense.
The industry is already undergoing massive change due to innovations in broadcast equipment and tech solutions. Companies that want to keep pace with competition need to implement new technologies as fast as possible.
Broadcasting is changing faster than ever before, and broadcasters who don’t make changes to their infrastructure are falling behind.
So don’t let this be you. Upgrade your broadcast equipment and technology solutions now so you’re fully equipped to win.
