AV Industry Trends to Watch in 2026 and Beyond
The audio-visual (AV) industry is entering a transformative era. As we look ahead to 2026 and beyond, several powerful trends are converging to redefine how we meet, collaborate, create, and experience content. Whether you’re an AV integrator, business leader, or technology enthusiast, here are the shifts that will shape the industry’s future.
1: Continued Growth with Strategic Momentum
Despite broader economic challenges, the professional AV market is expected to continue expanding through the decade. Industry analysts project steady increases in global revenue as organisations invest in new experiences, hybrid work solutions, and high-quality content creation.
Two forces are driving this momentum:
- Hybrid Work: Organisations continue upgrading conference rooms, meeting spaces, and remote collaboration tools.
- The Experience Economy: Immersive environments, engagement-driven installations, and experiential venues are becoming central to customer and employee expectations.
2. IP Is King — The Rise of AV-over-IP
Traditional AV architectures using HDMI, SDI, or HDBaseT are steadily giving way to IP-based systems. Analysts predict that most new AV deployments over the next decade will be network-centric.
Why AV-over-IP is becoming dominant:
- Greater scalability
- Simpler routing and distribution
- Lower infrastructure costs
- Closer alignment with IT systems
This shift ensures more unified, flexible, and manageable AV ecosystems — and it’s quickly becoming the default design approach.
3. Immersive & Extended Reality Goes Mainstream
Extended reality (XR) — including AR, VR, and mixed reality — is expanding from niche use cases into mainstream business, education, and entertainment applications.
- AR: enhances retail, training, and service environments.
- VR: delivers virtual meetings, tours, and simulations.
- MR: enables interaction between digital and physical objects, ideal for design, engineering, and advanced learning.
4. Smarter AV with Artificial Intelligence
AI is now embedded across AV workflows, elevating automation, reliability, and user experience.
Practical applications include:
- Real-time audio, video, and lighting optimisation
- Gesture and voice-controlled interfaces
- Predictive maintenance through system monitoring
- Personalized content delivery based on audience engagement
As AI becomes standard in AV ecosystems, systems will require less manual intervention while delivering more tailored experiences.
5. AV-as-a-Service (AVaaS) Accelerates
The shift from hardware-heavy capital investments to subscription-based AV-as-a-Service continues to gain momentum.
Benefits of AVaaS include:
- Lower upfront costs
- Continuous access to the latest technology
- Proactive maintenance and support
- Easier scalability as needs evolve
This model democratizes advanced AV solutions and allows organisations to stay current without major refresh cycles.
6. Sustainability and Green AV
Environmental responsibility is becoming a central consideration in AV design and manufacturing.
Key sustainability trends:
- Energy-efficient displays and amplifiers
- Longer-life, repairable, and recyclable components
- Reduced on-site service needs through remote monitoring
- Eco-friendly materials and packaging
Organisations are increasingly selecting partners and products that align with corporate sustainability goals.
7. Cybersecurity Moves to Centre Stage
As AV becomes more networked, it inherits the same vulnerabilities as IT systems. This makes cybersecurity a non-negotiable part of AV design and deployment.
Expect to see:
- Secure-by-design AV hardware and software
- Encryption-enabled signal transport
- Network monitoring and threat detection
- Compliance-ready solutions for regulated industries
With AV devices now fully integrated into corporate networks, protecting them is essential.
8. High-Resolution Displays & Visual Spectacle
Display technology continues pushing boundaries:
- 8K is gaining practicality for large venues and premium installations.
- Direct-view LED (dvLED) systems offer seamless, modular, ultra-bright visual canvases.
- Pixel density in event and sports venues is increasing dramatically, enabling more immersive large-scale experiences.
These advances require high-bandwidth distribution — another driver behind the IP-first AV ecosystem.
9. Accessibility & Inclusive Experiences
Inclusive design is becoming standard practice in AV planning.
Expect wider adoption of:
- Live captioning and transcription
- Voice recognition tools
- Sign-language interpretation technologies
- Beamforming microphones for clearer audio
These innovations improve accessibility while enhancing user experience for everyone.
10. Metadata, Personalisation & Interactive Experiences
Behind the scenes, metadata and AI-powered content engines are transforming how audiences experience media.
Future AV systems will offer:
This shift will move AV from static playback to responsive, intelligent storytelling.
Conclusion
The AV industry enters 2026 with strong momentum and rapid evolution. IP-driven infrastructure, AI-enhanced automation, sustainability priorities, immersive technologies, and heightened security are reshaping what’s possible.
For businesses and integrators, staying competitive means:
- Embracing network-native AV design
- Prioritizing smart, secure, and sustainable deployments
- Preparing for immersive and personalized experiences
- Considering flexible service-based models like AVaaS
Whether you’re building hybrid workspaces, next-generation dynamic digital signage integrations, or scalable long-term AV strategies, now is the time to align with these emerging trends — and future-proof your technology.