As broadcasters and media companies gear up for IBC 2025 in Amsterdam this September, a clear industry consensus has emerged: hybrid production environments are no longer a temporary fix; they're the new operational standard. The integration of on-premises infrastructure and cloud-based workflows has moved beyond experimentation, establishing itself as the bedrock of modern content creation.
The International Broadcasting Convention (IBC), running from September 12-15, will showcase how this hybrid approach tackles the financial realities of 24/7 broadcasting while delivering the adaptability needed for scaling operations and live events. Media companies are refining their hybrid setups to strike a balance between cost control and operational flexibility.
Traditional facilities, designed for peak demand, often result in underutilized resources. “On premise facilities are typically built to cope with peak demand, in fact usually overbuilt to cope for that once in a year event, leaving significant resources running but unused for much of the time,” noted Graham Sharp, vice president of sales and marketing at BCNEXXT. “By building a system on premises or in a private cloud to cope with the average demand, the system can be fully utilized and operated in its most efficient, lowest cost state.” This strategy enables broadcasters to expand cloud resources during peak times, while maintaining cost-effective, on-premises operations.
Industry leaders confirm that hybrid environments have transitioned from transitional phases to permanent operational models. The capacity to combine infrastructure types based on project needs is vital to modern broadcast strategy. “Hybrid production environments have become the new operational standard — not just a steppingstone — as media companies balance the economics of 24/7 broadcasting with the agility of cloud-based workflows,” stated Steve Reynolds, CEO of Imagine Communications.
Several factors contribute to this standardization. Live events demand physical presence and equipment, making them inherently hybrid even with cloud-heavy workflows. “Hybrid is definitely the standard, especially for live,” confirmed Ian Godfrey, CTO of TSL Products. “The simple reason is that live events happen in the real world, not in the cloud, so the cameras and other gear are on-site. There’s always a physical component.”
The ability to choose suitable infrastructure for specific tasks provides a competitive edge. Broadcasters can deploy dedicated hardware for low-latency needs while utilizing cloud resources for collaboration and scalability. “All broadcasters producing premium content need to be able to leverage hybrid production environments to suit the economics of the production as well as their business model, and to maintain appropriate quality-levels,” said Sid Stanley, managing director at Calrec.
This flexibility extends to content type and production scale. Diverse workflows, budgets, and creative goals call for various infrastructure combinations. “Hybrid production environments may eventually give way to fully cloud-based workflows, but for the wide range of organizations in media and entertainment, that change is unlikely to happen soon,” predicted Taylor Riese, vice president of strategic sales for EMEA at Signiant.
Sports production perfectly illustrates the benefits of the hybrid model, merging centralized control with distributed resources. Remote production workflows facilitate high-quality coverage with fewer on-site personnel, while cloud resources provide extra capacity during major events. “Remote production workflows are enabling media companies to deliver high-quality live sports coverage with fewer on-site resources by centralizing control and operations,” explained Reynolds. “At the same time, cloud-augmented workflows offer the agility to scale playout capacity for major events, allowing media companies to spin up dedicated channels without investing in permanent infrastructure.”
Global sports coverage benefits from hybrid approaches that balance local presence with cloud-based collaboration tools. “Producers of live sports content can now cover more events more sustainably by leveraging cloud-native and remote workflows, without compromising speed or reliability,” added Dhaval Ponda, vice president and global head of media and entertainment business at Tata Communications.
Technological advancements in IP transport, orchestration, and virtualization enable seamless transitions between environments. Standards like JPEG XS and ST 2110 allow low-latency collaboration across hybrid infrastructures. The growth of virtual DSP resources lets broadcasters allocate processing power for specific productions without substantial capital investments. “The growing acceptance of virtual DSP resources has encouraged broadcasters to spin-up cost-efficient processing for one-off productions, with no extra CapEx investment in additional hardware,” noted Stanley.
Different regions have varied infrastructure preferences and compliance needs that favor hybrid approaches over single-environment solutions. “This flexibility is particularly valuable for organizations operating in multiple regions or managing sensitive content close to acquisition points,” commented Charlie Dunn, executive vice president of products at Telestream. Content sovereignty and data residency requirements frequently necessitate local infrastructure coupled with cloud capabilities for distribution and collaboration.
Industry insights indicate that hybrid production environments will remain the standard as technology continues to evolve. Rather than being a temporary phase, hybrid models deliver the necessary adaptability for changing content demands and production requirements. “Rather than a temporary step toward full cloud adoption, hybrid is presented as a deliberate, future-ready model,” concluded Dunn. The combination of cost optimization, workflow flexibility, and technological capabilities positions hybrid production as the sustainable method for media organizations across diverse scales and needs. As IBC 2025 approaches, attendees will witness demonstrations of how hybrid production environments have become the operational cornerstone of modern broadcasting, supported by mature technologies and proven economic advantages.