Events Post-show Report
NAB Show 2019 report: Post-show demographics & trends
It’s a wrap! Now that NAB Show is over, it is time to wrap up one of the most important trade shows for media, entertainment and technology


It’s a wrap! Now that NAB Show is over, it is time to wrap up one of the most important trade shows for media, entertainment and technology
This short NAB Show 2019 report provides an overview of the key demographics and details the latest trends. If you’re thinking of exhibiting in 2020 contact us to see how we can help you make the show more profitable!
NAB show is the world’s largest annual show for media, entertainment and technology companies. This event is the North American version of IBC (International Broadcasting Convention) and is noteworthy because it covers: broadcast TV, radio, production, post-production, news gathering, streaming, cable TV, satellite TV, film restoration, data storage, data management, connected media and much more.
At the time of writing, the official figures for 2019 were not released, but we know that in 2018, NAB Show had:
Briefly, our top 4 take-aways from NAB 2019 were:
Recurring themes of OTT & streaming video with direct-to-consumer launches from Disney, NBCUniversal and WarnerMedia were hot topics at NAB 2019. The way in which people consume content has shifted dramatically over the last few years & both streamers & traditional content providers are looking for new ways to monetise content online. Consumers are increasingly bombarded with choice and providers must ensure their business models are sustainable.
ATSC 3.0 (Next-Gen TV standards) redefines how television signals are broadcast and interpreted. As a result, it is a major overhaul for antenna-based TV broadcasting. Since ATSC 3.0 was deployed in South Korea in preparation for the 2018 Winter Olympics, the US has started to prepare for the new standards & allow voluntary trials. Much speculation surrounds the role of ATSC 3.0 & how it can fit into the 5G ecosystem.
eSports is a fast-growing industry, with global revenues estimated to top $1 billion by the end of 2019. Producers are therefore looking for ways to innovate and find cost effective ways to monitise eSports and live gaming to tap into this relatively new money stream.
Future technological advances within the scope of 5G (of course!), AI and VR were discussed. The technological advances rolled out over the last year are interesting to see.
We noticed the industries of broadcasting and telecommunications are increasingly overlapping. Indeed, different innovative technologies now collide around discussions of 5G. There was a number of dedicated 5G sessions, panels and keynote speeches, with suggested use case ranging from 5G home broadband bundling, 5G for video contribution and backhaul where fibre/satellite links aren’t possible or cost-prohibitive, and VR services with 5G providing the necessary bandwidth.
AI and its possible uses will continue to be a hot topic for years to come as broadcasters start to utilise the new technology in everyday use (for example Sky News deployed an AI solution to identify guests at Prince Harry & Meghan Markle’s wedding last year).
In conclusion, looking forward to 2020, DEVEO will again be sharing our knowledge and expertise with our clients, setting appointments with qualified leads and attending NAB 2020 to keep our knowledge of the show current. NAB 2020 will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, with exhibits open from 19 – 22 April 2020.