From AI to IP, the cloud to virtual production, key industry executives take a look back at some of the biggest trends that impacted the media and entertainment industry in 2024
By Jenny Priestley
Published: December 23, 2024 Updated: January 2, 2025
From AI to IP, the cloud to virtual production, key industry executives take a look back at some of the biggest trends that impacted the media and entertainment industry in 2024
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin> From AI to IP, the cloud to virtual production, key industry executives take a look back at some of the biggest trends that impacted the media and entertainment industry in 2024
https://www.tvbeurope.com/business/looking-back-at-2024-the-industry-trends-that-stood-out title=Share via Email class=share-email>
As we draw to the end 2024, TVBEurope asked key industry stakeholders to share their thoughts on the big industry trends that have stood out after the last 12 months and their impact on the media and entertainment industry.
Paul Turner, director of product management, AJA Video Systems Familiar themes, SMPTE ST 2110 and HDR, drove many conversations in the M&E industry in 2024 as the technologies and talent behind these rapidly evolving pipelines advanced. SMPTE ST 2110 video emerged into the limelight, with the cost of network switches dropping and the pool of available IT video engineers growing steadily. More broadcast and production teams felt confident tapping into the IP protocol to transport uncompressed video over IP across select parts of the production chain. Experimentation primarily took place in sandbox environments, with many facilities opting for a hybrid SDI/SMPTE ST 2110 approach. A significant development, this spike in adoption speaks volumes about the growing industry demand for improved operational and cost efficiency when transporting video across facilities.
SMPTE ST 2110 is changing the game for M&E professionals because of the massive volume of uncompressed video it allows them to get across a single 25 GigE SMPTE ST 2110 cable; you can transport a couple of 4K/UltraHD or a significant number of HD signals. Its bi-directional nature is also convenient in that you can send signals back and forth between multiple destinations, all while decreasing rack space and reducing power consumption.
Colour consistency is crucial from content creation through consumption, making discussion around colour management hard to escape this past year. What became apparent is that professionals need to give more consideration to colour pipelines in pre-production. For the industry to fully capitalise on the benefits of HDR, it must be the first consideration instead of an afterthought, and many professionals have begun to recognise this. To this end, we saw more facilities and professionals dig deeper into colour management and conversion tools and educate themselves, which we anticipate we'll see more of in 2025.
Stuart Ashton, director, Blackmagic Design One of the key trends in 2024 has been the growing acceptance and integration of the cloud into workflows, with lots of testing and proofing throughout the media and entertainment industry. While budgets tighten, quality expectations remain higher than ever. Productions are under pressure to do more with less. Technology like Blackmagic Cloud is stepping into speed collaboration - allowing disparate teams to work effectively in real-time rather than relying on slower media transfer or back-and-forth workflows between post-teams or facilities.
At the same time, IP adoption is on the rise. A significant driver is the move to remote-based and decentralised workflows as the industry looks to implement more sustainable practices while achieving cost savings and efficiencies. The shift from SDI to ID, aided by standards like SMPTE 2110, is gradually transforming how content is handled in broadcast and live production. Although there are still challenges related to cost and network infrastructure, IP is gaining momentum.
These trends are leading to a more efficient and connected production environment. The shift to cloud-based workflows is flattening the traditional linear structure of post-production, making processes like editing, grading, and visual effects more collaborative. Different creative roles can work simultaneously, while production teams can start colour grading or refining visual effects before picture lock, resulting in better creative outcomes and more adaptable workflows.
There is also increased awareness of how IP can address the challenges of traditional infrastructure in live and broadcast settings. By making media transport more flexible, IP offers the scalability that modern productions need. IP-based workflows also enable more flexible and remote production setups by decoupling media transport from traditional cabling. While SDI has been the de facto standard for years, the move to IP, despite some initial concerns about cost and complexity, offers the scalability and flexibility that modern productions need.
Andy Waters, head of studios, dock10 One of the big trends we've seen emerge during 2024 is the industry's deepening interest in AI. As this new technology starts to really impact our wider lives, we've seen organisations from across the industry exploring how they can use AI to improve efficiencies. There's certainly a lot of excitement and expectation for this new technology.
A more tangible trend has been the entertainment sector adopting virtual studios. The industry has seen how successful virtual studio productions are for sports broadcasting, where they are now well established, and this has inspired more and more production companies to explore how they can translate that success into the entertainment sector. This year we've seen a lot of interest from productio
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
19/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/03/2026
How Chris Bolte Builds the Sound of PlayStation Games Chris Bolte '16 is a technical sound designer at Sucker Punch Productions, where he helps create the...
19/03/2026
Other Voices presents a legendary night of music as Foo Fighters bring their stadium anthems to St James' Church, An Daingean. The surprise performance teas...
19/03/2026
***Issued by RT on behalf of RTS Ireland Awards / Gradaim RTS 2026...
19/03/2026
It's a double feature on GFN Thursday. This week, GeForce NOW offers smoother sights in virtual reality (VR) and a sprawling new land to conquer.
Streaming...
18/03/2026
Newly named chief product officer (CPO), Larissa G rner Meeus will return to Net Insight on May 4.
Larissa G rner Meeus will become CPO of Net Insight on May 4...
18/03/2026
SVG Europe's The Football Summit 2026 explored how the sports broadcasting i...
18/03/2026
The 2026 NAB Show kicks off one month from today and SVG is once again set to cover the show from every angle. SVG's SportsTech@NAB Show Blog is now live - ...
18/03/2026
(L-R) The cast and crew of Dead Lover at The Ray Theater for its premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. (Photo by Robin Marshall/Shutterstock for Sundan...
18/03/2026
Yamaha C7 captured in Nashville
Wiltone Productions have announced the release of Music Row Piano, a deeply sampled Yamaha C7 piano library that's been ...
18/03/2026
Bass-enhancement plug-in upgraded
Along with a steady stream of new releases, Techivation have recently been revisiting some of the older plug-ins in their ...
18/03/2026
Mix-reference plug-in overhauled
iZotope's powerful mix-referencing plug-in has just reached its third major version, and now boasts a new capture proce...
18/03/2026
Latest EZKeys 2 expansion arrives
Toontrack's staggering collection of EZKeys 2 expansions has grown once again, and the latest instalment delivers a on...
18/03/2026
Jess Ho explores the politics of food in new SBS Audio podcast For The Culture
18 March, 2026
Media releases
New SBS Audio podcast For The Culture, hosted ...
18/03/2026
Future-ready broadcasts with ATSC 3.0 and enhanced services from Rohde & Schwarz...
18/03/2026
London Calling - When The Industry Convened to Help Streaming Find its MoJo In this blog, Laura Rognoni reflects on key discussions from the Connected TV World...
18/03/2026
SMPTE Unveils 2026 NAB Show Educational Presentations
Brie Clayton March 18, 2026
0 Comments
SMPTE , the home of media professionals, technologists, a...
18/03/2026
Auditel Ad Campaign Shot on Blackmagic PYXIS 12K
Brie Clayton March 18, 2026
0 Comments
LED wall virtual production blends 12K open gate acquisition w...
18/03/2026
Brainstorm transforms productivity and sustainability with Suite 7 at NAB Show 2...
18/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/03/2026
SMPTE , the home of media professionals, technologists, and engineers, today unveiled its educational presentations for the 2026 NAB Show. This year SMPTE will ...
18/03/2026
Maxon, maker of powerful, approachable software solutions for creators working in 2D and 3D design, motion graphics, visual effects, gaming, and more, today ann...
18/03/2026
Digital Alert Systems
Preview
2026 NAB Show
April 19 - 22
Booth C3452
At the 2026 NAB Show, Digital Alert Systems will showcase Version 6.0 of its DASDEC ...
18/03/2026
Setplex today announced that it will showcase its complete, fully integrated Zapflex platform for the first time at the 2026 NAB Show, introducing powerful new ...
18/03/2026
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT RELATES TO THE DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION THAT QUALIFIED OR MAY HAVE QUALIFIED AS INSIDE INFORMATION WITHIN THE MEANING OF ARTICLE 7(1) OF THE ...
18/03/2026
COW Jobs: Seeking DP for Low Budget Dramedy - Chicago
Brie Clayton March 17, 2026
0 Comments
Seeking Director of Photography for Low Budget Dramedy Fe...
18/03/2026
COW Jobs: Seeking Gaffer for Low Budget Dramedy - Chicago
Brie Clayton March 17, 2026
0 Comments
Seeking Gaffer for Low Budget Dramedy Feature Film- I...
18/03/2026
COW Jobs: Seeking Location, Sound for Low Budget Dramedy - Chicago
Brie Clayton March 17, 2026
0 Comments
Seeking Location/Sound for Low Budget Dramed...
18/03/2026
COW Jobs: Seeking Child Wrangler for Low Budget Film - Chicago
Brie Clayton March 17, 2026
0 Comments
Seeking Child Wrangler for Low Budget Dramedy Fe...
18/03/2026
Calrec Redefines Broadcast Workflows at NAB 2026 with its Most Powerful Hardware...
18/03/2026
Oscar Nominated Two People Exchanging Saliva Posted with DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton March 17, 2026
0 Comments
DaVinci Resolve Studio handle...
18/03/2026
Boston Conservatory Presents Celebrated Musical Satire Urinetown Performances for this Center Stage production will take place at Boston Conservatory Theater ...
18/03/2026
Charlie Puth Joins Switched on Pop at Berklee NYC The Berklee alum spoke with host and Berklee NYC professor Charlie Harding for a live taping, answering audi...
18/03/2026
X-Rite Pantone Demonstrates Advanced Color Management Solutions to Support Smart...
From AI to IP, the cloud to virtual production, key industry executives take a look back at some of the biggest trends that impacted the media and entertainment industry in 2024
