Broadcast industry under pressure amid AI shift and consolidation concerns, 2026 NCS survey finds

Broadcast and media organizations are entering 2026 under increasing pressure, facing structural challenges that extend beyond technology and into staffing, sustainability and the future of broadcast news itself.

Respondents said they are expected to produce more content, modernize workflows and prepare for artificial intelligence, often with fewer people and limited margin for error. At the same time, six in 10 said the broadcast news industry is in decline, underscoring growing concern about the long-term health of the sector.

That tension defines the results of our annual industry sentiment survey, which found near-universal agreement that AI will shape operations and workflows in the year ahead, even as most respondents said their organizations are not yet ready to implement it at scale.

Rather than prioritizing new formats or delivery standards, respondents pointed to rebuilding aging infrastructure and fixing workflows as their most urgent needs.

Taken together, the survey data points to an industry that expects change and acknowledges decline in traditional models, while remaining realistic about the difficulty of transforming under sustained pressure.

AI is coming faster than readiness

Is 2026 the year agentic AI moves from theory to operations in media production?

Few findings in the 2026 survey are as clear as the industry’s view of artificial intelligence.

More than 94% of respondents said AI will have the biggest operational impact in 2026, far exceeding every other technology category. Automation ranked second, followed by remote production, cybersecurity and cloud workflows.

Readiness, however, lagged behind expectations.

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Only 14.6% of respondents said their organizations are fully prepared to implement or expand AI-driven workflows. Nearly 42% said they are not yet exploring AI (a surprise given the current hype around AI with broadcast vendors), while others described their efforts as still in progress or in early stages.

The gap between expectation and preparedness suggests AI is no longer viewed as optional but remains operationally unresolved.

That divide has sharpened since last year’s survey.

In 2025, respondents cited early AI adoption alongside concerns about long-term implications. In 2026, AI is expected to be “transformative,” yet many organizations remain unsure how to integrate it without adding complexity or risk.

Why workflow matters more than formats right now

The survey data found a clear hierarchy in how broadcast professionals prioritize investment.

When asked about their top technology priorities for the next 12 months, respondents cited a cluster of interrelated pressures rather than a single dominant focus. Updating aging infrastructure and producing more content were the most frequently cited priorities, each selected by 58.3% of respondents, followed closely by rebuilding workflows at 50.5%.

The same pattern appeared when respondents were asked about their biggest challenges today. Budget constraints at 37.9% and staffing challenges at 23.3% led the list, followed by the implementation of cloud workflows and the transition to IP.

Taken together, the results suggest organizations are prioritizing flexibility, resilience and efficiency over headline technologies.

The immediate concern is not what comes next, but whether existing systems can support current demands. While workflow challenges appeared in last year’s survey as well, the 2026 data presents that pressure more clearly.

Budgets remain flat while strain remains

Despite the pressure, budget sentiment is not uniformly pessimistic.

Nearly 45% of respondents said they expect broadcast or production technology budgets to increase in 2026, compared with 29% who anticipate decreases. The remaining respondents said budgets are likely to remain stable.

This represents a modest shift from the prior year, when most respondents described budgets as largely unchanged. 

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However, new spending has not translated into reduced strain. More than two-thirds of respondents said they feel pressure to produce more content with fewer resources, underscoring that investment alone is not resolving staffing shortages, workflow complexity or integration challenges.

The data suggests that while organizations may be spending on new workflows, expectations around output and efficiency are rising just as quickly.

Consolidation shapes sentiment, but not paralysis

Concerns about consolidation and the long-term health of broadcast news are central to industry sentiment.

More than 56% of respondents said they are very or somewhat concerned about continued mergers and acquisitions across the media and technology sectors. Only 19.4% said they are not concerned, while nearly a quarter described their view as neutral.

When asked about the long-term impact of consolidation, respondents expressed clear skepticism. Nearly 55% said consolidation will mostly harm innovation, compared with 23% who believe it will mostly benefit innovation. The remaining respondents said its impact would be neutral.

Those concerns extend beyond ownership structures to broader perceptions of the industry’s trajectory. Six in 10 respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the broadcast news industry is in decline, making it one of the strongest consensus views in the survey.

At the same time, outlook for the broader broadcast and media industry was more measured. Neutral responses dominated when respondents were asked about industry outlook for 2026, suggesting uncertainty rather than resignation.

Taken together, the results point to an industry that sees real structural challenges ahead, particularly for broadcast news, and remains wary of consolidation’s impact on innovation. Yet the same respondents continue to prioritize workflow modernization, infrastructure investment and preparation for new technology, indicating a focus on adaptation even amid concern.

Adapting without illusion

The 2026 survey does not suggest complacency about the industry’s future.

Instead, it reflects a clear-eyed assessment of decline in traditional broadcast news models, anxiety about consolidation and sustained pressure on people and systems.

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At the same time, organizations are still investing, rebuilding workflows and preparing for technologies they view as unavoidable. The industry may be under no illusions about the challenges ahead, but it is not standing still as it confronts them.

National and cable broadcast organizations, including broadcast networks and cable channels, accounted for 23% of respondents. Local broadcast affiliates represented the largest single segment at 29%.

Nontraditional and emerging media organizations, including streaming services, corporate and enterprise video operations and education or higher education, made up 23% of the sample. Consultants accounted for 10%, while equipment suppliers and dealers represented 7%.

The remaining respondents came from a mix of motion picture organizations, houses of worship, agencies, production and post-production studios and government or military organizations.

Respondents’ job titles reflected a wide range of technical, creative and leadership roles, including broadcast engineers, technical directors, producers, creative services directors, graphics specialists, editors, news directors and C-suite executives, including CEOs, COOs, CIOs and CTOs.

The survey was conducted online between November and December 2025. Results reflect responses from 309 NCS (NewscastStudio) readers who opted to participate. The self-selected sample is not representative and may not reflect the views of the entire broadcast industry.