The curtain has fallen on NAB Show 2025 in Las Vegas, and while the event leaned toward a North American crowd, the insights gained were anything but regional. For media innovators like Cuez, this year’s gathering showcased not just products and prototypes, but a seismic shift in how the media industry thinks, creates, and delivers. Here are five transformative trends emerging from NAB 2025 that are setting the tone for a new era in media production and consumption.
1. Broadcasting Reimagined: From Linear to Omnichannel
The term “broadcasting” is undergoing a quiet but profound reinvention. Gone are the days when it referred exclusively to linear, scheduled television. The modern broadcaster is no longer confined to a single screen or a static audience. Instead, they are rapidly evolving into multi-platform media houses, delivering content across television, social media, websites, digital newsrooms, and on-demand platforms like YouTube.
This shift was visible on the exhibition floor. Traditional broadcasters, once the dominant presence, were fewer in number, replaced by new entrants from corporate media, audiovisual production, and digital-first agencies. These players are reshaping the definition of media, as the industry transitions from broadcast to content—meeting audiences on their terms, in the formats they prefer.
2. AI Integration Across the Workflow
Artificial intelligence has firmly embedded itself into the heart of media operations. From newsroom efficiency to content scheduling and automation, AI’s influence is no longer experimental—it’s foundational. NAB 2025 made it clear that AI is not just an enhancement but a core pillar in modern production strategies.
Cuez, for instance, highlighted this transformation through its “Evolution of the Control Room” initiative. Built in collaboration with leading names such as the BBC, ITN, TV 2 Danmark, and Google, this project demonstrated an AI-powered control environment capable of managing live shows with voice commands, smart cueing, and integrated tools. This vision reduces operational complexity while freeing creative teams to focus on storytelling.
3. Cloud-Native Workflows and the Challenge of Change Management
The cloud revolution continues to gain traction, with more broadcasters embracing cloud-native workflows for their inherent flexibility, sustainability, and scalability. But adoption is not without its challenges. While the technical benefits are clear, operational change still encounters resistance. The real obstacle lies in integration—new tools must fit existing systems without disrupting well-established routines.
This is where the conversation shifted toward interoperability. Vendors pushing closed, single-vendor ecosystems are increasingly out of step with user demands. Broadcasters want flexibility, modularity, and the ability to pick best-of-breed tools that work seamlessly together. Cuez tackled this challenge head-on by introducing Automator Mini, a tool designed to help users create custom integrations with minimal friction, and Browz, which allows direct access to external media systems without file transfers—cutting down on time, complexity, and overhead.
4. Hyper-Local News: Global Industry, Local Impact
One of the more compelling trends to emerge was the renewed focus on hyper-local content. In a digital landscape flooded with global stories, what captures engagement is often the local and the personal. Newsrooms are rediscovering the value of serving their immediate communities—producing stories that resonate with lived experiences, regional identity, and community relevance.
This trend is not limited to news. Niche content like local sports, community events, and subcultural stories are finding eager audiences, especially as distribution becomes easier across multiple digital platforms. The hyper-local wave is reshaping editorial strategies and opening the door for smaller, more agile content creators to flourish alongside legacy media.
5. The Creator Economy and Rise of Consumer-Grade Tools
Perhaps the most democratizing shift on display at NAB 2025 was the continued convergence between professional and consumer media tools. As content creation explodes beyond traditional studios, the line between pro gear and consumer tech continues to blur. More creators are turning to intuitive, affordable, and flexible AV tools that perform at near-professional levels without the learning curve.
This accessibility is fostering a content ecosystem where everyone—from solo vloggers to in-house marketing teams—can produce broadcast-quality material. Vertical video formats, popularized by TikTok and Instagram, are influencing even traditional broadcasters to rethink framing, pacing, and platform-first distribution. Meanwhile, platforms like YouTube, which support both short-form and long-form viewing across mobile and TV, illustrate the growing complexity—and opportunity—of today’s viewing habits.
The Road Ahead
If NAB 2025 revealed anything, it’s that the media industry is no longer waiting for the future—it’s actively building it. AI, cloud, hyper-local storytelling, and creator-led formats are not fringe trends; they are central to how media is evolving. The tools and strategies that will define the next era are collaborative, interoperable, and designed for agility.
Cuez’s presence at NAB 2025 positioned the company not just as a tech provider, but as a forward-thinking catalyst helping shape this transformation. As the boundaries between broadcaster, creator, and viewer continue to dissolve, the industry is moving toward a model that values flexibility, personalisation, and shared creativity above all else.
The next chapter of media is already being written—and it’s happening across screens, devices, and communities worldwide.
