NAB Show Preview: After C-band and the rebuilding of broadcast distribution infrastructure

The broadcast industry is heading into the second major reallocation of C-band satellite spectrum in less than a decade, and this time the outcome is expected to look fundamentally different.

Where the first repack was largely managed within the satellite ecosystem, the second is pushing broadcasters toward a more permanent reckoning with how they distribute programming – and the IP networks, hybrid architectures and transport tools on display at NAB Show 2026 are central to how that transition gets resolved.

The Federal Communications Commission voted last November to advance a notice of proposed rulemaking that would clear between 100 and 180 MHz in the 3.98 to 4.2 GHz range for auction by July 4, 2027, as mandated by Congress. Final rules are expected this summer. The first C-band repack, completed in 2023, cleared spectrum from 3.7 to 3.98 GHz. This time, the math does not work the same way. The consensus among broadcasters and vendors is that even at the 100 MHz minimum, there will not be enough spectrum remaining to sustain current distribution loads — meaning some broadcasters will need to move off C-band entirely rather than simply repack into a smaller slice of it.

C-band deadline pushes broadcasters toward IP-based distribution systems

The data is starting to reflect that reality.

Broadcasters are rebuilding live operations around IP delivery and cloud-based workflows as reliance on satellite and dedicated fiber declines, according to a report from Caretta Research produced in conjunction with Zixi. The report found that IP delivery over internet and cloud infrastructure is providing more flexibility and allowing operators to scale workflows across multiple live events in ways that satellite and private fiber circuits, which required long-term capacity commitments and high operational costs, could not.

“IP delivery is fundamentally changing the economics and flexibility of live video distribution,” said Robert Ambrose, chief executive and co-founder of Caretta Research. “Broadcasters are moving away from fixed satellite and fiber infrastructure toward software-defined workflows that allow them to scale production, reach new distribution partners and respond much more quickly to changing audience demand.”

What is different this time

The first C-band repack was financially and technically manageable. The auction, completed in early 2021, raised $81.17 billion from wireless carriers including Verizon and AT&T. Part of that windfall funded $3 billion in relocation costs for programmers and incumbent earth station operators, covering new encoders and integrated receiver/decoders, as well as filters to eliminate interference from 5G signals. An additional $9.3 billion in accelerated relocation payments to satellite operators — SES and Intelsat, which have since merged — is widely credited with completing the spectrum-clearing process more than two years ahead of its original December 2025 deadline.

Broadcasters managed that transition by replacing legacy MPEG-4 encoders with more efficient HEVC gear, adopting advanced modulation technology and compressing more programming into less spectrum. The capital expenditure was reimbursable. The second transition does not offer the same path.

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No amount of encoding efficiency will sustain current distribution loads if the upper end of the auction range is realized. Some broadcasters will have to move off the C-band entirely, and the financial model will shift with them. Where the first transition was largely a capital investment, new hardware with a defined, reimbursable cost, the second involves ongoing operational expenses for managed IP delivery services, occasional Ku-band capacity and wireless backup links. Reimbursement for operating expenses is expected to be more complicated and harder to obtain than the hardware reimbursements that covered the first transition.

The urgency is sharpening decision-making that might otherwise move slowly.

“The well-known satellite distribution method using C-band frequencies simply won’t be a viable long-term option, and 2026 is the year when broadcasters need to shift to alternative models,” said Roger Franklin, chief strategy officer at LTN.

“The FCC’s upcoming C-band decisions will intensify pressure to simplify distribution architectures and accelerate the shift toward end-to-end IP workflows,” said Alan Young, vice president of strategic business development at Zixi. “The opportunity is to rebuild distribution around systems that deliver reliability, transparency, and scalability without adding complexity.”

Hybrid as the working answer

No major broadcaster is currently planning a clean switch from C-band to a single replacement. The working model is hybrid: combining two or more delivery paths to replicate the reliability that C-band has historically provided.

Ku-band satellite is the most direct substitute, sharing the same basic infrastructure and operational familiarity.

NBC is currently the only major broadcast network using Ku-band as its primary distribution path, maintaining C-band as a backup, a real-world data point for an approach other networks are now evaluating. But Ku-band is susceptible to rain fade, signal loss in heavy weather, which limits its viability as a standalone replacement for mission-critical distribution. Cross-strapping technology, which allows a satellite to receive a C-band uplink and retransmit it as a Ku-band downlink, offers a practical bridge for broadcasters who want to avoid modifying their existing uplink facilities. SES has new satellites with that capability in development.

One capability that IP has not fully replicated is what broadcasters call deterministic switching — the ability for a network to simultaneously cue hundreds of affiliates to cut to local programming at the exact same moment. It is a specific operational requirement for live network television that C-band satellite handles reliably and that any replacement architecture needs to account for.

IP terrestrial delivery has been gaining ground as the costs of managed networks have declined and real-world deployments have addressed reliability concerns.

Several major networks, such as the Tennis Channel, TelevisaUnivision, MSG Networks and Scripps, have already transitioned primary linear feeds to managed IP distribution in advance of the spectrum transition. The challenge is not performance in major markets but reaching every affiliate a network needs to serve, including those in smaller markets with limited or non-diverse internet connectivity.

Physical path diversity is a related concern.

Most stations are served by a single fiber duct regardless of how many internet service providers they use, meaning a severed cable can take down multiple redundant IP paths simultaneously. A wireless backup, Ku-band, 5G or low earth orbit satellite, provides the physical separation that purely terrestrial IP cannot. The emerging consensus is that full reliability for primary program distribution requires at least two delivery technologies, providing both network and physical diversity.

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“Broadcasters want to reduce tech debt and operate hybrid infrastructure with far more predictability, which makes software-defined, verifiable IP delivery increasingly attractive,” Young said.

The final countdown: Why C-band auctions are accelerating the IP shift in U.S. broadcasting

Format requirements and the operational case for IP

The transition away from C-band coincides with growing demand for higher-quality distribution formats. IP-based infrastructure offers capacity advantages over satellite multiplexes that are relevant to broadcasters planning for next-generation feeds.

“Broadcasters will be required to distribute different versions of individual channels, with the most popular being 1080p60 HDR — offering twice as many video frames per second as HD, and significantly better color gradients and contrast,” Franklin said. “These will be distributed to affiliates, especially virtual pay-TV services like YouTube TV and Hulu, using terrestrial, broadcast-grade IP that supports a far higher capacity than satellite.”

The transition also creates an opportunity to shed infrastructure complexity that has accumulated over decades of satellite-based distribution.

“Part of the simplification will be moving to IP — using transport stream over internet protocol technologies, and shedding complicated legacy ground infrastructure, such as satellite antennas, outdoor cabling, power, heaters, snow clearance procedures, physical real estate, muxes, conditional access systems and amplifiers,” Franklin said.

“Broadcasters are moving beyond simply replacing satellite circuits with IP transport,” said Marc Aldrich, chief executive of Zixi. “They are rebuilding live operations around flexible, cloud-based workflows that allow them to scale events, reach new distribution partners and maintain broadcast-grade reliability across global networks.”

IP delivery and the protocol layer

It is worth drawing a clear distinction between IP terrestrial delivery as a distribution model and the transport protocols that make it viable. They are related but not the same thing.

IP terrestrial delivery, whether over managed networks or the public internet, is what is replacing C-band as a distribution infrastructure. The protocols SRT and Reliable Internet Stream Transport (RIST) sit underneath that infrastructure. They define how video moves reliably over IP networks, addressing the packet loss, latency and security problems that historically made the public internet unsuitable for broadcast-grade contribution and distribution. They are not themselves distribution platforms, they are the technical foundation that makes IP delivery reliable enough to use as one.

“IP technology is enabling broadcasters to manage remote production and live events more efficiently and cost effectively. The RIST protocol is one of several protocols in use across the industry for transporting video content, but unlike other transport protocols, RIST is an open-source specification so any vendor can implement it in their equipment and innovate freely. As such, the number of RIST-enabled products is constantly expanding and now covers each part of the contribution and distribution workflow,” said Ciro Noronha, president of the RIST Forum.

For supplementary wireless paths, newer approaches are emerging that use 5G and low earth orbit satellite alongside public internet delivery rather than as standalone alternatives.

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“While packet loss and latency have historically been a major challenge when using the public internet for remote and distributed production, new technology is becoming available that enables broadcasters to get the best of both worlds — the flexibility and cost savings of public internet and the low latency that remote production needs — by leveraging supplementary networks such as 5G or satellite,” said Kieran Kunhya, founder and chief executive officer at Open Broadcast Systems.

Interoperability and the format challenge

Even where connectivity is resolved, the operational complexity of IP distribution introduces its own set of challenges. Broadcasters managing distribution to hundreds of affiliates and cable headends are dealing with varying levels of IP readiness, different codec environments and multiple vendor ecosystems that need to function together without manual intervention at each endpoint.

“Remote production pipelines have matured considerably in the last few years, but today, complexity, security, and latency remain core challenges. Teams are juggling more cameras and equipment, and working with so many different video resolutions, frame rates, codecs, and transport protocols. IP interoperability and conversion are likely to drive conversations at NAB Show, as professionals look for solutions that make it easier to integrate diverse sources across a production and push them out in the appropriate delivery formats,” said Mike Boucke, senior product manager at AJA Video Systems.

The codec transition adds another layer of complexity.

Many smaller cable programmers are still distributing in MPEG-4 AVC while major broadcast networks have largely moved to HEVC. Upgrading to HEVC offers a path to repacking into whatever C-band capacity remains while simultaneously preparing headends for a transition to IP delivery — but it requires new integrated receiver/decoders across the distribution chain, a coordination challenge involving multiple vendors, operators and facilities.

What comes after

The transition timeline, once the FCC issues final rules, will be measured in years. Once the auction concludes in mid-2027, significant migration activity is expected to extend through 2028 and into 2029. That means NAB Show 2026 arrives at an early but critical point in the process, one where options are being evaluated, proof-of-concept testing is underway and early movers are already committed.

Chris Pulis, chief technology officer at Globecast, framed the window plainly.

“Companies that wait for a clean, predictable migration window will find themselves playing catch-up in a world where delivery expectations, quality standards, and business models evolve in near real time,” Pulis said. “The defining challenge in 2026 will be navigating the final stages of the shift from legacy C-band satellite-driven distribution models to a fully networked, cloud-first future. Companies that have already mastered cloud and IP delivery will be in the driver’s seat.”

The longer-term direction, broadly shared across the industry, is that IP terrestrial delivery becomes the primary distribution method for most broadcasters, with satellite retained as backup. How quickly that shift happens depends on connectivity reaching every affiliate that needs it and on a reimbursement framework that makes the move from capital to operational expenditure financially manageable.

The protocols, conversion tools and hybrid delivery architectures on the NAB Show 2026 floor will reflect an industry that has largely accepted that direction and is now working through the practical details of getting there.

NAB Show 2026 opens April 18, with exhibits running April 19-22 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Make sure to check out the latest NAB Show News in our dedicated section or visit the NAB Show website to register for the show.