Monetize > ROI > Invest: Modernizing Live Video Projects – May 25′ Newsletter

Hello StreamGeeks!

This month, we’re diving into one of the most important evolutions happening in our industry: the financial proof behind live streaming. From content creators to college sports programs, live video is doing a better job than ever at demonstrating real value—and even generating revenue.

💸 From Streaming to Subscriptions: The Monetization Movement

Let’s talk dollars and sense. With YouTube’s Paid Memberships now widely available—alongside unlimited free live streaming—the game has changed for how live content can generate direct revenue.

A perfect case study? College athletics.

With the House vs NCAA decision paving the way for student-athletes to receive compensation, colleges are being asked to rethink how they fund sports programs—especially those that typically run at a deficit. One clear solution: monetize your live streams. YouTube’s paid memberships make it simple for fans, families, and alumni to support their favorite teams while enjoying real-time access to games and behind-the-scenes content.

If schools embrace this approach, ROI follows. And once the return on investment is clear, it’s a no-brainer to invest in better production tools, training, and systems.

🧩 The Creator Economy Joins Major Verticals

It’s not just YouTubers and Twitch streamers anymore. We’re seeing the creator economy intersect with sports, houses of worship, and more.

• Churches are setting up membership-based content platforms.
• Schools are turning students into producers.
• Even small-town sports programs are getting national attention with multi-camera productions.

This merger of traditional and new media opens doors for every vertical to professionalize, monetize, and grow.

🏭 New Opportunities in Industrial Manufacturing

Here’s something you may not expect: one of our biggest areas of growth this year is Industrial Manufacturing. It currently accounts for 10% of the U.S. GDP, and companies are turning to video to modernize operations.

From computer vision applications to automated training systems, manufacturers are discovering how AV solutions can reduce costs, enhance safety, and improve efficiency.

We’re currently looking for AV pros interested in this fast-growing space. If that’s you, reach out to paul@ptzoptics.com to explore opportunities to train and collaborate in the industrial sector.

⚖️ The Broadcast-ProAV Convergence Is Real

We’re seeing exciting shifts in how broadcast and ProAV technologies are being used across industries:

• Courtrooms are adopting NDI and multi-cam setups to streamline documentation and live feeds.
• Higher education is going all-in with high-quality, multi-camera lecture capture and streaming systems.
  

But here’s the catch: many of these institutions don’t have the staff to operate a traditional broadcast setup.

So who’s switching cameras? Who’s triggering the graphics?

The answer: automation.

Auto-tracking cameras, voice-activated switching, and cloud-based control systems like Hive are making high-quality production possible without large teams. IT and AV professionals are now able to remotely manage camera systems, automate productions, and scale their efforts like never before.

🎥 2025 NAB Show Highlights

The 101st NAB Show took place in Las Vegas with 61,000 attendees converging for one of the biggest showcases in broadcast and live streaming. Despite a slight dip from last year’s 65,000, the energy was high—especially for those focused on remote production, AI, and live-streaming innovation.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• Cloud production continues to rise
• AI tools and HDR workflows are maturing
• Connectivity solutions like NDI and Dante are evolving quickly

Both PTZOptics and Blackmagic Design won Best in Show awards for products designed to simplify and scale production workflows.

🚨 First-Timers & the Changing Show Floor

Almost half of this year’s attendees were first-timers, and it showed. The industry is shifting—what once was focused purely on “broadcast” is now expanding toward “live streaming” with creator-friendly tools. From YouTubers to mobile-first production gear, the NAB Show is adapting to meet a new generation of video pros.

We also checked out the new Content Creator Zone, a space clearly designed to bridge that broadcast-to-creator gap. While we missed the YouTuber meetup this year, it was exciting to see NAB embracing the creator economy in real time.

🐝 Hive Was All the Buzz

At NAB, PTZOptics officially launched Hive, our browser-based video production platform with cinematic PTZ controls and a powerful cloud-based workflow. It won Product of the Year and drew a lot of attention for good reason.

Church Production Magazine summed it up perfectly:

“It’s hard to imagine an environment that would not benefit from the new PTZOptics Hive cloud-based camera control solution.”

Hive lets you view, control, switch, and troubleshoot PTZ cameras from anywhere. With role-based sharing, volunteers and directors alike can jump in—whether on-site or remote.

Hive now supports 400+ PTZ cameras, and our Move SE and Move 4K cameras come pre-linked with Hive and include NDI at no additional cost.

☁️ Cloud Production Goes Mainstream

This year marked a decisive turn from hardware to software-first and cloud-native production. NDI and private 5G were major themes, with demonstrations of low-latency switching and replays from the cloud via Viz Vectar and Evertz Dreamcatcher.

The shift is clear: Cloud-based tools are no longer fringe—they’re the future. Especially in live sports, producers are ditching the broadcast truck and embracing AWS-powered, cloud-integrated workflows.

🕹 Central Control & xKeys Drop a Surprise

Central Control v4 made waves with its co-branded release with xKeys: a 124-button controller featuring a built-in Raspberry Pi running Central Control. This powerhouse device can control over 100 different systems—from TriCaster to vMix—using NDI, OSC, and more.

At $1,195, it’s one of the most flexible, future-ready tools we’ve seen.

🚀 Looking Ahead

It’s becoming crystal clear: remote production, cloud workflows, and intelligent automation are defining the next era of video. We’re exploring the creation of a certified camera operator directory and new training programs to help you thrive in this space.

More on that soon.

Until next time—stay creative, stay curious, and as always…

Stay geeky,
Paul Richards
Chief Streaming Officer, StreamGeeks
📧 paul@ptzoptics.com