Broadcast and AV convergence: The future…or the present?
Once spoken about in theory, broadcast and AV convergence is now hardwired into real-world systems, budgets and workflows
|28.01.2026
2 min read
If you wander around any trade show floor, from ISE in Barcelona to InfoComm in the States, you’ll often hear the same buzzphrase at any given booth, demo and networking lunch: convergence.
But unlike a lot of industry jargon that sounds cool but lacks some serious substance, broadcast and AV convergence is real and impacting budgets and job roles right now.
Let’s unpack that seismic shift.
The professional AV industry is huge, having been projected to reach $322 billion in revenue in 2025 – and is expected to keep growing at a 3.9% CAGR through the rest of the decade. Within that figure, the broadcast AV segment alone clocks in at around $44.2 billion, therefore making it one of the top five revenue drivers in pro AV.
When you contrast that with traditional broadcast and media tech, its growth has been more modest. AV broadcast tech is growing roughly twice as fast as broadcast and media tech overall, 2.9% CAGR vs 1.8% according to research from IABM and Caretta.
Shifting silos to shared infrastructure
The most significant technical driver behind convergence is the move toward IP-based systems, particularly AV-over-IP (AVoIP) and broadcast standards like SMPTE ST 2110.
Once upon a time, broadcast facilities ran on SDI cabling and proprietary systems, while pro AV stuck to HDMI/HDBaseT. Now, both worlds are moving towards packet-based infrastructure, meaning:
- Video, audio and metadata all travel as network traffic.
- Systems scale using switches, VLANs and managed networks such as IT systems.
- Broadcasters gain flexibility and AV systems gain broadcast-grade quality and reliability.
This shared architecture reduces friction for systems designers, offering software-driven and centrally controllable environments.
This matters hugely to pro AV consumers. What with more and more stadiums streaming live clips directly to fans, education campuses producing broadcast-quality lectures or corporate HQs running internal live streams with the same polish as outdoor news coverage, top-tier tech has never been more crucial.
New revenue streams
Industry research shows that 86% of professionals say convergence is already impacting their organisations and 50% of broadcast and media tech revenue comes from outside traditional broadcast buyers, ie corporate, education, government and retail. Plus, 52% see new business opportunities as the top benefit of blending broadcast and AV.
But, it’s important to weigh up some caveats. 87% of vendors say selling into new markets is tough due to price sensitivity and experience gaps. Then there’s the problem of expertise. Many AV buyers want intuitive tools, not complex broadcast workflows designed for specialist engineers.
However, if one thing is certain, broadcast and AV convergence is no longer lingering on the horizon, it’s already reshaping entire industries. Whether you call it broadcast AV, AVoIP or plain old network-first media production, the future of media technology isn’t split in two, it’s connected – and it’s growing fast.
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