2026 Outlook: Lawo’s Chris Scheck on infrastructure migration delays and platform competition

Chris Scheck, head of marketing content at Lawo, anticipates a year marked by hesitant capital deployment and accelerating structural changes in media production.

While the industry approaches a decade since SMPTE ST 2110 standards were published, full IP migration remains incomplete across broadcasting operations. Meanwhile, Scheck said the competitive landscape is being reshaped by entities whose objectives extend beyond traditional broadcast mandates.

The assessment comes as broadcasters face consolidation pressures and evolving rights markets. Scheck noted that 2025 created uncertainty for both content producers and equipment vendors, with U.S. tariff policies adding to the effects of merger activity. These factors have contributed to a conservative spending environment, he said, particularly among broadcasters not directly involved in major sporting events scheduled for 2026.

Migration patterns and infrastructure decisions

Despite the time elapsed since ST2110 standards were established, Scheck said complete industry migration to IP infrastructure has not occurred. He suggested that continued reliance on SDI equipment or extended use of existing assets may result in higher costs and missed capabilities.

“Perhaps people don’t realize that the migration process can be gradual, starting with gateways to which the existing SDI devices are connected for stream transport,” Scheck said.

He described IP infrastructure as necessary for operations seeking reduced resource requirements and increased operational flexibility. According to Scheck, IP adoption enables use of processing applications in what vendors call Dynamic Media Facilities, where single hardware servers perform multiple functions previously requiring dedicated equipment.

The Dynamic Media Facility concept allows the same server hardware to handle different processing tasks simultaneously or at different times. Lawo has also been working on the Media eXchange Layer, an initiative intended to enable applications from multiple vendors to operate on shared servers connected through a shared memory layer designed to reduce latency.

Automation applications and AI integration

Scheck said automation functions are expanding beyond operational efficiency into areas affecting content delivery and audience customization. Representatives from sports organizations and broadcast engineers are exploring AI applications for production tasks, he said.

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In immersive audio production, AI is being used to reduce unwanted ambient sound from commentator and guest microphones, allowing viewers to adjust audio levels without adding background noise. Scheck also mentioned specialty chatbots designed to provide operators with project information during production work.

“Other ideas are specialty chatbots that provide operators with project-related information they can leverage instantly while working on a production,” he said.

Additional AI applications under development include systems for infrastructure configuration, quality monitoring for multi-platform distribution, and automatic content tagging and metadata insertion. Scheck said these functions will be necessary as broadcasters distribute content across multiple platforms, supplementing existing audio processing algorithms that handle tasks such as audio-follows-video and tracking-based channel leveling.

Rights markets and platform economics

Scheck identified changes in content rights acquisition as an area where change may be occurring faster than organizations anticipate. Technology companies and streaming platforms have moved beyond acquiring exclusive rights from sports federations to approaching individual clubs and teams directly, he said.

“Now, big tech and streaming platforms seem to be aiming for highly respected clubs or teams directly, to both monetize the content they provide to their platform and sell the equipment users need for an immersive experience, throwing in some perfectly targeted advertising for good measure to sell other goods as well,” Scheck said.

He noted that some leagues are pursuing similar strategies to establish consistent revenue streams. However, Scheck suggested these approaches carry risks, citing the possibility of rapid subscriber turnover and reduced interest from younger demographics.

The convergence of content monetization, hardware sales and targeted advertising represents a business model that differs from traditional broadcasting objectives, according to Scheck. He said broadcasters now compete directly with content on social media platforms, operating in an environment where entities with substantial financial resources pursue goals that may not align with informing and entertaining audiences.