NAB always brings plenty of noise, big ideas, and confident predictions about the future of media tech. With the Sphere looming over Vegas like a modern-day crystal ball, it feels like the right backdrop for a few predictions of our own. So here are Blue Lucy’s Top 3 for NAB 2026.
Agree? Disagree? Let’s see where things land after a few days in Vegas.
- AI – the excitement is still there, but governance is taking centre stage
AI will dominate, as expected. But we think the tone has shifted. This year, the real conversation won’t be about what AI can do, it’ll be about how it’s controlled in real-world environments. Because once AI moves from pilot to production, governance stops being optional. It becomes the difference between scalable value and unmanaged risk.
Our bet: the most interesting conversations won’t be about models, but about boundaries.
- Hybrid isn’t a strategy anymore -it’s just how things are done
We’re past the point of debating cloud vs on-prem. Most organisations are already operating across both – in fact the recent DPP European Media Trends report indicates that nearly 80% of media organisations are operating a hybrid infrastructure. So if hybrid has quietly become the default reality, which systems genuinely support that, or are businesses still stitching environments together and calling it flexibility?
Our view: the platforms that win here will be the ones that were built to orchestrate workflows in hybrid deployments from day one, not adapted to it later.
- Value is under pressure – and patience is running out
Across both media organisations and large corporates, the message is consistent: prove value, and prove it quickly. Long roadmaps and abstract transformation stories are losing ground to immediate, measurable impact. It’s no longer enough for technology to be powerful. It has to be useful fast. We think this will quietly be one of the most important themes at the show, even if it doesn’t always make the biggest headlines.
Reducing costs is the hottest topic, which means value shapes every conversation.
Let’s check back after NAB
These are our predictions going in – but NAB has a habit of proving (or disproving) them pretty quickly. Let’s revisit once the dust settles and see what actually dominated the conversation. If you’re there, come and find us at Booth W2318 – or let us know what you’re seeing.