IBC 2025 Preview: Hybrid environments define new standard

As broadcasters and media companies prepare for IBC 2025 in Amsterdam this September, industry consensus has emerged around hybrid production environments as the operational standard rather than a temporary solution. The combination of on-premises infrastructure with cloud-based workflows has moved beyond experimental phases to become the foundation for modern content production.

The International Broadcasting Convention, which runs September 12-15, will showcase how hybrid approaches address the economic realities of 24/7 broadcasting while providing the flexibility needed for scaled operations and live events.

Economic drivers reshape production models

Media companies are optimizing hybrid environments to balance cost control with operational flexibility. Traditional facilities built for peak demand often leave significant resources underutilized throughout the year.

“On premise facilities are typically built to cope with peak demand, in fact usually overbuilt to cope for that once in a year event, leaving significant resources running but unused for much of the time,” said Graham Sharp, vice president of sales and marketing at BCNEXXT. “By building a system on premises or in a private cloud to cope with the average demand, the system can be fully utilized and operated in its most efficient, lowest cost state.”

This approach allows broadcasters to scale cloud resources during demand spikes while maintaining cost-effective baseline operations on-premises.

Industry executives report that hybrid environments have evolved from stepping stones to permanent operational models. The flexibility to combine different infrastructure types based on project requirements has become essential to modern broadcast strategy.

“Hybrid production environments have become the new operational standard — not just a steppingstone — as media companies balance the economics of 24/7 broadcasting with the agility of cloud-based workflows,” said Steve Reynolds, CEO of Imagine Communications.

Several factors contribute to this standardization.

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Live events require physical presence and equipment, creating inherent hybrid characteristics even in cloud-heavy workflows.

“Hybrid is definitely the standard, especially for live,” said Ian Godfrey, CTO of TSL Products. “The simple reason is that live events happen in the real world, not in the cloud, so the cameras and other gear are on-site. There’s always a physical component.”

Workflow flexibility drives adoption

The ability to select appropriate infrastructure for specific tasks has become a competitive advantage. Broadcasters can deploy dedicated hardware for low-latency requirements while leveraging cloud resources for collaboration and scalability.

“All broadcasters producing premium content need to be able to leverage hybrid production environments to suit the economics of the production as well as their business model, and to maintain appropriate quality-levels,” said Sid Stanley, managing director at Calrec.

This flexibility extends to content type and production scale. Different workflows, budgets and creative priorities require different combinations of infrastructure resources.

“Hybrid production environments may eventually give way to fully cloud-based workflows, but for the wide range of organizations in media and entertainment, that change is unlikely to happen soon,” said Taylor Riese, vice president of strategic sales for EMEA at Signiant.

Live sports production drives hybrid demand

Sports production exemplifies the hybrid model’s advantages, combining centralized control with distributed resources.

Remote production workflows enable high-quality coverage with reduced on-site personnel while cloud resources provide overflow capacity for major events.

“Remote production workflows are enabling media companies to deliver high-quality live sports coverage with fewer on-site resources by centralizing control and operations,” said Reynolds. “At the same time, cloud-augmented workflows offer the agility to scale playout capacity for major events, allowing media companies to spin up dedicated channels without investing in permanent infrastructure.”

Global sports coverage benefits from hybrid approaches that balance local presence with cloud-based collaboration tools.

“Producers of live sports content can now cover more events more sustainably by leveraging cloud-native and remote workflows, without compromising speed or reliability,” said Dhaval Ponda, vice president and global head of media and entertainment business at Tata Communications.

Technology enablers mature

Technical advances in IP transport, orchestration and virtualization support seamless transitions between environments. Standards such as JPEG XS and ST 2110 enable low-latency collaboration across hybrid infrastructures.

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The maturation of virtual DSP resources allows broadcasters to provision processing capacity for specific productions without capital equipment investments.

“The growing acceptance of virtual DSP resources has encouraged broadcasters to spin-up cost-efficient processing for one-off productions, with no extra CapEx investment in additional hardware,” said Stanley.

Regional and compliance considerations

Different regions present varying infrastructure preferences and compliance requirements that favor hybrid approaches over single-environment solutions.

“This flexibility is particularly valuable for organizations operating in multiple regions or managing sensitive content close to acquisition points,” said Charlie Dunn, executive vice president of products at Telestream.

Content sovereignty and data residency requirements often necessitate local infrastructure combined with cloud capabilities for distribution and collaboration.

Industry perspectives indicate hybrid production environments will remain the standard as technology continues to evolve. Rather than representing a transitional phase, hybrid models provide the adaptability needed for changing content demands and production requirements.

“Rather than a temporary step toward full cloud adoption, hybrid is presented as a deliberate, future-ready model,” said Dunn.

The combination of cost optimization, workflow flexibility and technical capability positions hybrid production as the sustainable approach for media organizations across different scales and requirements.

As IBC 2025 approaches, attendees will see demonstrations of how hybrid production environments have become the operational foundation for modern broadcasting, supported by mature technologies and proven economic benefits.

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