InfoComm 2026 is the largest professional AV trade show in North America, and for the first time the show has a dedicated Broadcast AV presence in North Hall. If you’re an enterprise AV decision maker evaluating production infrastructure, this is your opportunity to see what’s available, compare approaches, and have direct conversations with the companies building the platforms you’ll depend on.
But trade shows can be overwhelming. Hundreds of exhibitors, thousands of products, and a lot of marketing noise competing for your attention. Knowing what to evaluate, and what questions to ask, makes the difference between a productive visit and an exhausting one.
Here’s what to look for if you’re evaluating broadcast grade production solutions for an enterprise environment.
Ask About Scalability, Not Just Capability
Every vendor on the show floor will demonstrate impressive capabilities. Multi camera switching, real time graphics, streaming output: these are table stakes. The question that matters for an enterprise buyer isn’t what the system can do in a demo. It’s how the system behaves when your requirements change.
Can the platform handle a two-camera internal briefing and a twelve-camera global event using the same operator interface? Can it scale without requiring a different system architecture? Can your team learn one workflow and apply it across every production scenario they encounter?
If the answer involves a different product for a different scale, that’s a red flag. You’re buying complexity, not scalability.
Evaluate Operator Experience, Not Just Feature Sets
The people operating your production system are rarely full-time broadcast engineers. They’re AV technicians, communications specialists, IT adjacent team members, or in some cases volunteers and students. The operator experience needs to match the people who will use it.
At InfoComm, ask vendors to show you what day two looks like. Not the keynote demo, but the Tuesday morning briefing where one person needs to get a clean, professional feed out to four platforms in 15 minutes. That’s the workflow that matters.
Interrogate the Security Model
For any organisation handling sensitive content, whether that’s corporate earnings data, government communications, or student records, the security architecture of the production platform is non-negotiable. Ask vendors specifically: where does the production data sit? What leaves your network? What’s the authentication model? How does the platform integrate with your existing IT security framework?
If the answer is vague, or if the security model requires trusting a third-party cloud with your production data, that’s worth knowing before you invest.
Look for Integration, Not Isolation
A production platform doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It needs to work with your existing AV infrastructure, your network environment, your content management systems, and your distribution channels. The most capable production switcher in the world is a liability if it can’t interoperate with the systems, it sits alongside.
Ask about open standards. Ask about API integration. Ask how the platform handles mixed vendor environments, because every enterprise AV environment is a mixed vendor environment.
Demand a Business Case, Not Just a Technology Case
The best production technology in the world is irrelevant if you can’t build a business case for it. Ask vendors to articulate the operational savings, the risk reduction, the staffing efficiency, and the content value that their platform delivers. If the conversation stays in specifications and features without connecting to business outcomes, it’s not ready for an enterprise procurement process.
Where to Start at InfoComm
Grass Valley’s meeting room is in the North Hall Broadcast AV zone. We’ve structured our InfoComm presence around 15-minute conversations designed to help you evaluate whether broadcast grade production infrastructure fits your operational environment and budget.
No product demo reel. No hard sell. A conversation with someone who’s spent the last 60 years building production systems that hold up under pressure, and who understands that enterprise buyers need business cases, not brochures.
Walk ins are welcome. But with limited slots, booking ahead guarantees your time.
Nobody plans for their AV infrastructure to become a bottleneck. It happens gradually, one workaround at a time, one “we’ll fix it after the next event” at a time, until the gap between what the organisation needs and what the system can deliver becomes impossible to ignore.
For organisations producing live video at any meaningful scale, the signs are remarkably consistent across verticals. Whether you’re running corporate communications, government media services, university broadcasting, venue production, or esports operations, the friction points tend to look the same.
Here are five indicators that your production environment has outgrown its current foundations.
1. Your biggest events require a completely different setup to your everyday production
If your CEO townhall, annual conference, or flagship event requires an external production crew, a temporary control room, or a fundamentally different technical setup to your daily operations, that’s a scalability problem.
In a broadcast grade production environment, the same platform handles both. The operator interface, the signal routing, the graphics, and the distribution path remain consistent whether the production is a simple two camera internal update or a twelve camera, multi-site, globally streamed event. Scale changes. The system doesn’t.
When your biggest moments require a parallel infrastructure, you’re paying twice: in cost, in complexity, and in risk.
2. Your team’s expertise doesn’t transfer between events or locations
An AV operator who is highly competent in Boardroom A shouldn’t need retraining for Auditorium B. A video engineer who manages signal flow at your headquarters shouldn’t face a completely different architecture at your regional office.
When workflows vary across rooms, sites, or event types, operational consistency disappears. Knowledge becomes personal rather than institutional. And the organisation becomes dependent on specific individuals rather than a reliable system.
Broadcast environments solved this decades ago. Operators work within a consistent production framework regardless of scale or location. That consistency is what allows broadcast teams to deliver thousands of hours of live output per year without the wheels falling off.
3. Post event content repurposing is manual, slow, or non-existent
A CEO’s townhall address contains messages relevant to external comms, investor relations, recruitment marketing, and internal training. A government press conference produces footage needed across multiple departments. A university lecture has value as on demand content for years.
But if extracting that value requires manual downloading, re encoding, and redistribution through disconnected systems, most of it never happens. The live event ends, and the content dies with it.
Production systems designed for professional use treat content management as part of the workflow, not an afterthought. Ingest, cataloguing, clipping, and multi-platform distribution are built into the production chain, so the content your organisation invests in producing continues to deliver value long after the live feed ends.
4. Security and compliance are afterthoughts, not architecture
For corporate enterprises handling market sensitive information, government agencies dealing with classified or sensitive content, and educational institutions subject to accessibility mandates, the security posture of the production environment matters.
Many enterprise AV setups rely on consumer or prosumer grade tools that route content through third party cloud services with limited visibility into data handling. For a departmental meeting, that may be acceptable. For an earnings call, a cabinet briefing, or a broadcast carrying sensitive institutional communications, it often isn’t.
Broadcast AV architectures are designed with data sovereignty in mind. The production data plane stays on your network. The control plane provides modern cloud managed flexibility. Security isn’t a configuration, it’s the architecture.
5. Every live production feels like the first one
This is the clearest sign. If your team approaches each live event with a fresh wave of anxiety, retesting connections, rebuilding configurations, checking that last week’s workaround still holds, the system isn’t supporting them. It’s testing them.
In organisations that have invested in broadcast grade production infrastructure, live events are routine operations. Not because the stakes are lower, but because the system is engineered for exactly this kind of sustained, repeatable, high-pressure use. That’s what broadcast equipment is designed to do. That’s why it exists.
What Comes Next
Recognising these signs is the first step. Addressing them doesn’t require building a broadcast station. It requires rethinking the production model, moving from a collection of AV tools to an integrated production platform that scales with the organisation.
Grass Valley is at InfoComm 2026 in Las Vegas (June 17 to 19) specifically to have these conversations. If any of the five signs above sound familiar, a 15-minute meeting on the show floor could change how you think about what’s possible.
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia & Montreal, Canada – May 12, 2025 – Arabsat, a leading global satellite operator and the primary provider of satellite services across the Arab world, has partnered with Grass Valley, the technology leader in live production solutions, to launch a new suite of cloud-based broadcast services. Powered by Grass Valley AMPP OS (Agile Media Processing Platform), the new Playout X offering introduces a scalable, cloud-native media platform designed to meet the evolving needs of broadcasters across the Middle East, Africa, and beyond.
This strategic collaboration, formalized at CABSAT 2024, marks a significant milestone in Arabsat’s digital transformation journey. Traditionally reliant on on premises infrastructure, Arabsat has stepped up its video distribution with a state-of-the-art cloud-based architecture—offering clients more flexibility, faster deployment, and enhanced operational efficiency.
The Playout X suite features three tailored service tiers:
“At Arabsat, we are committed to staying ahead of industry demands and delivering cutting-edge media services to our customers,” said Eng. Alhamedi Alanezi, CEO & President of Arabsat. “By leveraging Grass Valley AMPP, we’re enabling a new generation of agile, multitenant, cloud-based services that support our video customers’ growth and innovation across the region.”
AMPP, Grass Valley’s cloud-native platform, was selected for its scalability, secure multitenancy features, and seamless integration into Arabsat’s private cloud. Together, the two companies have completed extensive technical validation,
customizing AMPP to meet Arabsat’s operational standards and security requirements while ensuring high-quality broadcast delivery.
“This collaboration with Arabsat is a major step forward for Grass Valley in the MENA region,” said Jon Wilson, CEO at Grass Valley. “Arabsat’s vision aligns perfectly with AMPP’s strengths – offering broadcasters the flexibility, performance, and reliability needed to succeed in today’s fast-evolving media landscape.”
As Arabsat begins commercial rollout following CABSAT 2025, broadcasters across the region will benefit from faster service launches, lower hardware infrastructure dependency, and seamless access to next-generation broadcast capabilities—all from a trusted regional provider.
Grass Valley and Arabsat will be jointly showcasing their partnership at CABSAT 2025.
Visit Arabsat Booth S2-D10 in Hall 2 to see live demonstrations of the new Playout X services powered by GV AMPP and explore how to seamlessly schedule, program, and brand your channels from anywhere, using file-based content and live feeds.
Visit Grass Valley at Booth S1-H10, where the company will showcase groundbreaking camera-to-consumer solutions that blend live production, network infrastructure, playout, and remote production into a seamless, efficient ecosystem – highlighting the power of an integrated end-to-end workflow built on AMPP.
#####
About Arabsat
Arabsat’s vision is to be an empowering force behind the world’s ability to connect. Arabsat is dedicated to be the catalyst for connectivity, by leveraging its heritage and unique capabilities in satellite communications. Guided by a deep commitment to cultural unity and the power of human connections, Arabsat is empowering futures and enabling a world of infinite possibilities.
As industry pioneer, founded in 1976 by the 21 member-states of the Arab League, Arabsat is one of the world’s leading satellite services organizations, and by far the largest, most experienced operator in the MENA region. Arabsat’s commitment to being a global leader in satellite communications is fueled by a passion for innovation and strategic partnerships.
With 8 advanced satellites equipped with state-of-the-art technologies, Arabsat provides an extensive suite of services, from TV and radio broadcasting to enterprise broadband and secure government networks. Arabsat’s end-to-end solutions and tailored offering meets the full spectrum of market needs for any video and data transmissions.
Today, Arabsat supports over 6 encrypted television networks, and provides services to more than 650 FTA TV channels, including over 160 HD channels, and 245 radio stations worldwide. Arabsat ensures that over 300 million viewers stay connected with content that matters to them.
For Media inquiries:
Elodie Nicole Maurer
ElodieM@ARABSAT.com
Director of Marketing and Corporate Communication
About Grass Valley
Grass Valley empowers over 90% of the world’s top media brands to create and deliver compelling stories that captivate audiences. At the heart of its solutions is the GV Media Universe (GVMU), combining advanced hardware solutions, with the agility, elasticity, and adaptability of the AMPP Media Operating System. Together, they form a seamless, scalable ecosystem for efficient and innovative workflows.
With a portfolio spanning from camera to consumer, Grass Valley provides the flexibility to build solutions for every need – from a single creative harnessing immense production power to globally distributed teams collaborating seamlessly. This breadth of capability enables customers to craft efficient workflows that inspire and engage their audiences.
With over 65 years of expertise, Grass Valley has consistently driven the evolution of live content creation and storytelling. Headquartered in Montreal and supported by Black Dragon Capital, the company remains dedicated to shaping and leading the media revolution.
Montreal, Canada– May 21, 2024 – Grass Valley, a pioneer in live production solutions, announces that Arabsat has chosen its AMPP SaaS platform as the foundation for a new three-tiered suite of broadcast transmission services. Arabsat is a major global satellite operator that delivers over 700 TV and radio channels to more than 80 countries.
The new services are based on Playout X, an AMPP-based SaaS solution that will enable Arabsat customers to broadcast quality signals in a much more flexible and efficient way. “These new AMPP-based services will allow our customers to set-up a new TV channel in just a few minutes,” said Alhamedi Alanezi, CEO & President of Arabsat. “Because this new agile, accessible and scalable cloud-based transmission technology is also more affordable, it will allow us to reach many new customers,” he continued.
The three playout products offered by Arabsat are TV Starter, TV Advanced and TV Pinnacle, leveraging state of the art private cloud infrastructure as well as GV AMPP orchestration platform. TV Starter and TV Advanced are designed to accommodate today’s Broadcasters playout needs for high quality and reliability in a cost-effective package while TV Pinnacle is a very sophisticated cloud production and playout system capable of handling multiple live sources for the most demanding events.
According to Grass Valley’s CEO and chairman Louis Hernandez, “We’re extremely gratified to be partnering with Arabsat on this TV transmission paradigm shift. Both companies have a long track record of leadership, and this collaboration represents the next logical next step in the ease, scalability, and affordability of television distribution.”
Come and visit booth # S1-J10 at CABSAT in Dubai from May 21 to 23, 2024 and discover how Grass Valley is shaping the future of Media Production.
–End-
Grass Valley is the leading technology provider for the live media and entertainment industry market. We work with 90% of the world’s major media brands, enabling their live production centers, mobile production units, 24-hour newsrooms, and sports streaming platforms to be ever more productive with SaaS and hardware systems. Our solutions enable content owners and service providers to create and deliver compelling live content in the most profitable way.
From IP-native cameras to state-of-the-art software and hardware production and playout systems, we’re at the forefront of ground-breaking live media innovation. We continue to pioneer market-leading advances to create and move live content more efficiently and generate new revenue streams.
Headquartered in Montreal, Grass Valley has been engaged in the media technology business for over 65 years and is now part of Black Dragon Capital. Learn more at grassvalley.com.
About Arabsat
Established in 1976, Arabsat is an initiative launched by 21 Arab countries and is wholly owned by the Arab League. It is considered the first provider of satellite services in the Arab world and enjoys an advanced position among satellite operators globally.
Thanks to a fleet of 8 satellites, equipped with state-of-the-art technologies, Arabsat is adept at providing a full spectrum TV and radio broadcast, telecommunications, broadband, advanced data transmission network solutions, and a range of satellite ecosystem services as well as multi-channel communications services, in addition to Internet services for government and commercial entities around the MENA region.
Arabsat provides satellite and Internet broadcast services for more than 260 encrypted television networks and HD channels. It provides its services through advanced technologies, ensuring the highest quality to over 650 TV channels and more than 245 radio stations, reaching tens of millions of households in more than 100 countries in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and Central Asia. These channels and stations are followed by more than 300 million viewers in 21 Arab countries.
Arabsat seeks to empower itself as the world’s best satellite operator. To do so, it follows an approach based on passion, stimulating innovation, and developing partnerships with the most prestigious satellite companies worldwide. This approach enabled Arabsat to acquire Hellasat, the most prominent satellite company in Southeastern Europe. In addition, Arabsat signed agreements with value-added services integration and advanced technology companies, which paved the way to launch Badr 8, the latest seventh generation satellite in its fleet. Furthermore, Arabsat aspires to launch more satellites equipped with optical communications technologies, which represent a real addition to the Arab satellite communications ecosystem.
For more information, please contact the Public Relations team.
Arabsat
Emai: publicrelations@arabsat.com
Alternatively, visit the Arabsat website online:
https://www.arabsat.com/arabic/home