NAB 2026 Cloud Production Summit: The Hybrid Future Is Now
Industry leaders gathered at the NAB Cloud Production Summit to discuss the practical realities of hybrid cloud production and the path to fully cloud-native broadcast operations.
Features Editor
The NAB Cloud Production Summit brought together some of the industry's most forward-thinking leaders to discuss the practical realities of cloud-based broadcast production. The consensus from the day-long event was clear: the hybrid cloud future is not something that's coming — it's already here.
Defining Hybrid
One of the most valuable discussions of the summit was around the definition of "hybrid" in the context of broadcast production. The term has been used loosely to describe everything from productions that use a single cloud service to fully integrated environments where on-premises and cloud resources are seamlessly interchangeable.
The summit's working definition — a production environment where workloads can move fluidly between on-premises and cloud infrastructure based on cost, performance, and availability requirements — reflects the practical reality of how most broadcasters are approaching cloud adoption.
Real-World Case Studies
Several broadcasters shared detailed case studies of their hybrid cloud implementations, providing the kind of practical insight that is often missing from vendor-led discussions of cloud production. The case studies highlighted both the benefits and the challenges of hybrid approaches, giving attendees a realistic picture of what to expect from their own cloud journeys.
Common themes across the case studies included the importance of network infrastructure as the foundation of any hybrid cloud strategy, the need for careful cost management to avoid unexpected cloud bills, and the value of starting with non-live workloads before moving to live production in the cloud.
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