Features

The 2026 NAB Show has wrapped after welcoming more than 58,000 registered attendees and a host of new tools and technologies intent on shaping the future of media.

If there is a single takeaway from NAB 2026 it’s that the broadcast media industry is rebalancing. The centre of gravity is shifting, the customer base is diversifying, and the definition of “media” is expanding across sectors.

Volumetric humans are moving from experimental captures to live, broadcast-ready assets, reshaping the creative opportunities and practical challenges of immersive storytelling and established production workflows across virtual and hybrid environments.

When Cinematographer Blake McClure signed on to shoot HBO’s new comedy Rooster, he wasn’t looking to reinvent the sitcom; he was looking for a way to stretch the visual language of comedy to integrate the intimacy of large format.

Leveraging generative AI, computer vision, and data from real environments, spatial computing has opened the door for cutting-edge systems that blend the physical and digital worlds into a new frontier of human-technology interaction.

NAB 2026 looks set to bring a raft of creativity and technological innovation, yet serious political and environmental questions remain.

Given the chance to shoot the 18th century action-drama Bedlam, Cinematographer James Butler crafted a daring project that merged medium-format photography with cutting-edge digital cinema on a customised Blackmagic URSA Cine 17K 65.

While looking after his dying parents, VR Filmmaker Ian Tuason became obsessed with demonic possession stories, which planted the seed for the uniquely creepy sound design of his first feature.

Live sports entertainment remains the most powerful driver of real-time engagement in media, but the format through which it’s delivered is rapidly evolving.

As broadcasters and content creators embrace in-camera VFX and data-driven workflows, a new technology stack is redefining what can be achieved on set and who can afford to achieve it. Framestore’s Connor Ling explores the possibilities of this evolving ecosystem.