Editor’s Note: This article featuring Panasonic’s Chris Merrill and his 2026 predictions is part of Commercial Integrator’s series running throughout the month of January. In this series, we spotlight forward-looking insights from some of the pro AV industry’s most notable luminaries.
As we look ahead to 2026, the pro AV industry stands at the cusp of exciting opportunities and transformative trends. To explore what lies ahead, Commercial Integrator turned to Chris Merrill, director, product management and engineering at Panasonic Projector & Display Americas, for his expert predictions on the technologies and strategies that will shape the future of pro AV.
Chris Merrill 2026 Predictions
Commercial Integrator: Which emerging AV technologies do you think are overplayed? Which ones do you think will truly transform the practice of integration in the coming years?
Merrill: The term “Broadcast AV” has gained traction, but I worry it is steering organizations toward unnecessary complexity. While the demand for high-quality video production has absolutely expanded beyond traditional broadcasters — into corporate, worship, education and live events — the label implies that broadcast workflows are required to achieve broadcast quality. Most of these organizations don’t have, and won’t have, the specialized broadcast engineering talent that traditional workflows demand. Our own 2025 customer surveys consistently cite lack of qualified broadcast and AV professionals as a top concern, and the data backs this up: the U.S. will need 5,100 broadcast engineers over the next decade while 6,200 are projected to retire. Meanwhile, 72% of AV integrators report talent shortages as their biggest challenge. Adopting legacy broadcast production models in this environment locks organizations into labor-intensive processes they can’t sustainably staff.
The technologies that will truly transform integration are those that deliver professional results without requiring scarce, specialized expertise. Remote operation and software-based production platforms replacing purpose-built hardware and IP-based infrastructure are leading this shift. These approaches align with where the talent pool is actually growing: CompTIA projects the tech workforce will expand twice as fast as the overall U.S. workforce over the next decade, with IT occupations growing “much faster than average” and generating over 300,000 job openings annually. Organizations can leverage existing or more readily available IT skills rather than competing for a shrinking pool of traditional broadcast engineers.
Ultimately, the most transformative technologies will be those that democratize high-quality production — making it accessible to organizations that need broadcast-caliber output but operate with enterprise IT resources, not broadcast operations teams. The future is about achieving the high-quality outcomes through fundamentally different, more sustainable approaches.
Commercial Integrator: What’s getting better about the pro AV industry these days? What seems to be getting worse?
Merrill: The pro AV industry is experiencing large growth, with revenue projected to reach $402B by 2030, according to AVIXA Research. As the industry transitions to AV-over-IP, the focus is shifting towards software and service growth, which increases the need for intelligent technologies like AI and automation. Take color management in PTZ cameras, for example. While color correction has long been part of professional production, recent software advancements and IP-based workflows are making automated color matching and consistent image precision more accessible for multi-camera environments. By embedding AI and automation into software workflows, the pro AV industry is lowering operational complexity while delivering faster setup, greater accuracy, and more reliable multi-camera productions.
With any change to new technologies there is a learning curve. Currently that is being compound by the fact that teams are being asked to manage more IP-based systems, data and devices with the same (or fewer) resources. While technology is advancing quickly, training and operational readiness haven’t always kept pace, creating friction for teams responsible for increasingly complex AV environments. Working in tandem with technology providers or including larger service packages as part of the project can simplify adoption.
Read Next: Taka Uchida, CEO, Panasonic Projector & Display Americas: 2026 Predictions
Commercial Integrator: What’s liable to catch some pro AV industry integrators and installers off guard in the coming year?
Merrill: Building on the statements above, integrators and installers are likely to be caught off guard by how quickly new skill sets are required. As AVoIP, software-defined systems and AI-driven tools shift from optional to expected, projects increasingly demand expertise in networking, cybersecurity, software configuration and lifecycle management, alongside traditional AV skillsets.
Those who adapt by embracing automation, standardized workflows and software-driven platforms will be better positioned to scale efficiently and deliver consistent, high-quality outcomes. Those who don’t may find even routine projects becoming harder to deploy, support and sustain.
Commercial Integrator: What’s the single most pressing challenge that professionals in the pro AV industry must tackle right now? And how would you suggest tackling it?
Merrill: Scaling infrastructure for hybrid, multi-platform environments. As demand for professional-grade experiences grow across complex hybrid environments, pro AV professionals are being asked to support for formats and workflows often on the same underlying infrastructure. Traditional, hardware-centric approaches don’t always scale efficiently in these environments, increasing risks and operational complexity.
Overcoming this challenge requires a shift to software-defined, IP-based architectures designed to scale from the outset. By standardizing workflows, leveraging automation for configuration and monitoring, and integrating AI tools that help manage consistency and performance, AV professionals can reduce manual overhead while maintaining reliability and quality across platforms. Flexibility will continue to critical as teams adopt technologies that can evolve with changing demands.
Commercial Integrator: Finish this sentence: 2026 will be remembered as the year that the pro AV industry…
Merrill: Democratized high-quality video production.
Stay tuned with Commercial Integrator as we gather year-end insights and 2026 pro AV predictions from the brightest minds in the industry. If you’d like to be featured, contact our editorial team (Alyssa Borelli, Amala Reddie and Dan Ferrisi).
