NAB Show 2025 in numbers
The 2025 NAB Show drew 55,000 registered attendees from 160 countries, with 26% of them coming from outside the U.S. Over half of all attendees (53%) were first-timers, a sign of the show’s growing global pull.
The exhibition space covered the equivalent of eight football fields, with nearly 1,100 exhibitors and over 550 conference sessions. Key themes this year included AI, the creator economy, and the crossover between sports, media, and tech. With over 1,000 speakers and a newly launched Creator Council, the show positioned itself as a platform for shaping how content is made, distributed, and monetized across the industry. (source NAB)
NAB show 2025 – Transitioning to Greater Efficiency and Monetization Opportunities
Attendees at NAB Show 2025 are past the peak of AI hype and are now focused on tangible, problem-solving applications. We could see AI is now being treated as a tool, not a magic fix, and media companies are targeting specific operational efficiencies and monetization opportunities. The vibe was practical and measured. Companies are experimenting and deploying AI where it directly supports real business needs, rather than chasing buzzwords or unproven use cases.
Jenny Priestley’s report confirms NAB Show 2025 showed a moment of transition. Attendees repeatedly described the broadcast industry as “transitioning”, reflecting a sector reassessing priorities. AI hype has cooled, with vendors focusing on practical, case-specific implementations instead of broad promises. Priestley notes that while innovation continues, budget constraints and the need for measurable ROI are shaping buying decisions. The industry is being cautious, not chasing trends, and leaning into tech that directly supports strategic goals.
Video Delivery Technology at NAB show 2025
At NAB Show 2025, video streaming discussions focused on optimizing workflows to address the evolving needs of broadcasters, operators, OTT platforms, and content providers. Key themes included AI integration, cloud-based solutions, and new monetization strategies. These conversations underscored the industry’s drive to harness technology for more efficient, scalable video delivery, meeting the growing demands of global audiences.
• AI Integration: Companies like Bitmovin demonstrated AI-powered tools for scene analysis and contextual ad placement to boost engagement and ad effectiveness.
At Broadpeak’s stand, the integration of broadpeak.io SSAI with Bitmovin’s VOD Encoding showcased how AI-driven scene-level data can be used to combine linear (e.g. mid-rolls) and non-linear (e.g. L-banner) ad units in a single stream. This approach sharpens monetization strategies while maintaining a consistent user experience.
• Cloud Use is Maturing: The shift away from one-size-fits-all cloud solutions is driving more customized, flexible deployments in the video delivery space. This trend is reshaping video architecture, with hybrid models and adaptable infrastructures becoming the standard. Broadpeak, along with companies like Akamai, highlighted the value of cloud-based platforms that reduce CDN costs and enhance scalability. At Broadpeak, we focused on broadpeak.io, our fully scalable, cloud-based service that enables seamless video streaming personalization with just a few lines of code.
As an advanced API platform for video delivery and monetization, broadpeak.io offers a comprehensive solution, available as an all-in-one platform and as a service.
• Monetization Strategies: Video monetization at NAB 2025 focused on flexibility, precision, and performance at scale. Broadpeak showcased an expanded SSAI offering, now available as a hybrid deployment— on-premise and as-a-service. This setup guarantees dynamic ad insertion capacity even during peak traffic, helping operators scale without sacrificing ad fill rates or revenue.
New ad formats also took the spotlight, like Broadpeak’s Click2®, which enables real engagement by letting viewers interact directly with ads in-stream. Instead of passive impressions, advertisers can now pay based on actual clicks, tracked through mobile notifications. The L-banner format allows continuous video playback while displaying branded messages or interactive content, combining visibility with a better viewer experience.
Targeted monetization extended into live and as-live streams too. With Spot2Spot, content providers can replace individual ad spots in a break, supporting addressable TV and delivering detailed tracking across both replaced and standard ad slots.
Broadpeak at NAB Show 2025
We’re committed to continuous innovation and high performance, so it was rewarding to see such strong market validation once again. The response confirmed that our solutions align closely with current needs. From AI integration for improved efficiency, to cloud-based services tailored to customer requirements, and advanced capabilities supporting the latest in video streaming and advertising – our booth showcased it all.
1. EdgePeak™
One demo particularly drew significant attention. EdgePeak™ is Broadpeak’s high-performance caching and edge computing software for secure and scalable video streaming. It lets you build your own CDN using open APIs, so you can cut streaming costs, reduce hardware investment, and fight video piracy. It can deliver over 1 Tbps per server on off-the-shelf hardware, giving you top-tier performance without needing proprietary gear.
Built-in security features detect and stop DDoS attacks, token sharing, content scraping, and other forms of piracy in real time, no extra firewalls or load balancers required. EdgePeak also supports edge computing with low CPU usage and native C/C++ compatibility, making it easier to deploy custom features and applications.
It works with any existing CDN and fits into virtualized or bare metal environments, helping you scale delivery and protect revenues while keeping operating costs and carbon footprint low.
2. From Broadcast to OTT with Broadpeak
Held just before NAB show, Devoncroft offered a clear snapshot of the video tech industry’s direction, from production to delivery. Their latest insights show a sharp rise in cloud and AI adoption, while traditional workflows and margins decline.
Broadpeak aligns with this shift, simplifying broadcasters’ move to OTT with scalable, cloud-based streaming as a service, eliminating CAPEX and supporting peak traffic, monetization, and seamless viewing across devices.
Broadpeak’s Highlights: Built Together
One of the standout moments for Broadpeak at NAB Show 2025 was celebrating Setplex’s win of the PRODU Tecnología Award for OTT Development of the Year. The award recognized the success of Copa América 2024 streaming on Televen Stream, a project that brought together several partners, including Broadpeak.
Powered by broadpeak.io’s SSAI technology, the platform delivered seamless ad monetization throughout the tournament, supporting over 43 million impressions and 1.3 million app installs. The result was a benchmark-setting OTT experience in the region—proof of what smart integration and collaboration can achieve.
NAB Show 2025 also marked the start of our 15th anniversary celebrations. Broadpeak was founded in 2010 by Jacques Le Mancq, our current CEO, along with Fabrice Bellanger, Dominique Colombel, Pierre-Jean Guery, Pierre Parioleau, and Ronan Riou. They came together with a shared goal: build a company focused on delivering innovative video distribution solutions.
Fifteen years later, Broadpeak has grown from that idea into a global business with its own headquarters and customers in over 90 countries. We’ve built high-performance solutions, yes – but just as important, we’ve built a team that people trust. Transparent. Reliable. Easy to work with. That mindset has helped us form lasting partnerships across the industry.
So at NAB Show 2025, we raised a glass with the people who helped make that possible—and toasted to the next 15 years.
Conclusion: cost-efficiency and monetization strategies with cautious optimism to navigate current challenges
The 2025 NAB Show reflected a media industry grappling with economic pressures. Exhibitors focused on cost-efficiency, streamlined operations, and monetization strategies. While the mood was pragmatic, there was cautious optimism about leveraging technology to navigate current challenges. As the industry moves forward, the future looks set to be shaped by smart, measured innovations that focus on real business needs.
