NAB 2026: AMC Global Media's AWS-Driven AI Journey

My visit to NAB 2026 skewed heavily toward talking about workflow changes with AI. I tried to keep my travels on the convention floor to very specific examples of AI's impact on streaming workflows, and this article will explore the most interesting ones I found. First up is how AMC Global Media (newly rebranded from AMC Networks) is working with AWS to leverage AI to create better content access.

New Study Reveals Power of Contextual in CTV: Content Adjacency Drives 4X Brand Lift for High-Consideration Categories

New research from Video Elephant shows that contextual relevance is the 'missing link' in achieving meaningful brand lift. The new report, titled The Power of Context: Driving Lift Through Video, finds that contextual alignment between an ad and its surrounding content is a primary driver of brand perception, with the power to 4X brand lift compared to industry averages.

NAB Is Full of Big Ideas—Live Sports Need Ideas That Work

As we head into another NAB, I'm less interested in what looks impressive in a booth and more interested in what is actually ready to survive in production.

New Research from Hub: Roku and Amazon TV Operating Systems Gain Influence as Consumers Explore New AI Integrations Across the Home

AI-powered home devices and smart TVs present new opportunities to improve home security, health, and entertainment experiences

NAB 2026, Via LA, and the Future of NDI|HX

As a longtime fan and proponent of NDI, I feel that new codec licensing fees and the response of hardware manufacturers put the entire future of HX on shaky ground.

Q&A: Paramount Global CTO Phil Wiser Talks AI in Media

After delivering a presentation on "AI's Impact on Media" at HumanX in San Francisco on April 7, Paramount Global CTO and Head of Multiplatform Innovations Phil Wiser did an open Q & A with attendees expanding on the key themes of his presentations.

Fubo Optimizes its Mobile Streaming Experience for Sports Fans On-the-Go

FuboTV Inc. (NYSE: FUBO) today unveiled a major upgrade to its iOS and Android apps, powered by its proprietary AI technology, to optimize the sports streaming experience for fans wherever they are. Recognizing that sports fans aren't always at home, and that they check their phones often for game updates, Fubo's enhanced mobile apps now deliver quick hits of moments that matter in addition to full video.

Peeling Back Sports' Hidden Layer of Streaming Ops and Tech

We spend a lot of time talking about what fans see in sports. The camera angles, the replays, the graphics, the studio analysis. All of it is designed to bring the viewer closer to the action. But the most important part of modern sports broadcasting is not what fans see. It is what they never see. Behind every moment on screen, there is an entire hidden layer of technology and operations working to make that experience feel effortless. And that layer is becoming more complex than ever.

Independent Report Compares Codec Royalty Costs Across Two Major Licensing Pools

Streaming services evaluating codec licensing face a difficult question: how do the royalty costs of Access Advance Video Distribution Patent Pool and the Avanci Video program actually compare? A new report from Streaming Learning Center's Jan Ozer answers that question with hard numbers.

Samsung TV Plus Powers the Next Era of FAST, Showcasing Live Events, Creator-Led Content, Exclusive Offerings, and Interactive Features Accelerating the Fan Experience

At IAB NewFronts 2026, Samsung TV Plus is expanding its exclusive offering with live events and creator-led programming, plus interactive experiences throughout.

Why the Future of Remote Production May Run at the Speed of Light

If immersive, real-time, and AI-driven production is the future, the underlying network must change, argue photonics advocates and members of IOWN.

Setplex Transforms Video Streaming with AI and Super Aggregation Innovations at the 2026 NAB Show

Setplex's Fully Integrated Zapflex Platform Empowers Operators and Media Owners to Manage, Distribute, and Monetize Video

H.264 Streaming Fees: What Changed, Who's Affected, and What It Means

Via's new AVC Streaming License Fee structure, which applies to new licenses beginning in 2026, replaces the old single-cap model with a tiered system that scales sharply with platform size.

The Games Behind the Games: Winter Olympics From Mountain Slope to Mobile Screen

That illusion of effortlessness is what makes the Winter Olympics such a powerful lens for understanding where streaming and live production are heading next. Because what happened at Milano Cortina 2026 is not just about new cameras or sharper graphics. It is about the entire journey from capture to cloud to consumer.

Netflix Ramps Up Ad Suite

Netflix hopes the special sauce of their newly expanded expanded Ads Suite with assists from Amazon and Yahoo DSP will make CTV look different. This balance of data and technology, making things faster, more efficient, and more personalized within the ad environment should bring a unique experience to the marketplace.

Vertical Leap: Growing the Free Vertical Drama Business at Streaming Media Connect

On Thursday, February 26, at Streaming Media Connect, the panel "Vertical Leap: Growing the Free Vertical Drama Business at Streaming Media Connect" assembled expert practitioners from Celestine Pictures, Hudson Vertical, Stratagem Vertical, and GoodShort to explore the ways that vertical drama is exploding on free streaming platforms, driven by mobile-first viewing, bingeable formats, and a new generation of viewers and global creators.

Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery Reshape Streaming’s Power Balance

The proposed merger of Paramount Skydance Global with Warner Bros. Discovery is being framed through the usual lenses—debt loads, political sensitivities, and regulatory scrutiny in the U.S. and Europe. But the real story is simpler and more strategic: this is a scale play built around intellectual property.

ICYMI: Streaming Media Connect February 2026

Streaming Media Connect February 2026 was all about the business and tech of ad-supported streaming and featured exclusive keynote fireside chats with Michelle Auguste of the NBA, Michelle Munson of Eluvio, and Kimmy Li of GAMELOOP and a slate of expert panels panels packed with speakers from YouTube, Disney, DAZN, Fubo, Fremantle, FloSports, Fuse, LG, Philo, Bitmovin, CacheFly, Tavant, and more. Check out a playlist with Streaming Media Connect sessions on Streaming Media's YouTube channel to catch the sessions you missed and revel in the ones you want to relive through the magic of VOD.

FOX 12 Plus Will Become The Home of the Portland Fire and Portland Thorns With New Focus On Women’s Sports

Portland Fire Announces Partnership With Kiswe To Power Fan-Focused Streaming Platform

What Live Sports Still Do Better Than Anything Else

Over the past decade, the streaming industry has worked hard to make sports more flexible. Cloud production, remote workflows, personalized streams, highlights on demand, clips everywhere. All of this has been important and largely positive. It has expanded access and reach. It has lowered barriers and opened new audiences. But in doing so, it has sometimes overlooked the one thing sports have always done better than anything else. It creates shared moments, in real time, that pull people into the same emotional space.