By Costa Nikols, executive team strategy advisor, media & entertainment, Telos Alliance.
The sports broadcasting landscape in 2025 consolidated many of the technological experiments of the previous five years: streaming rights battles intensified, personalisation and multiview features became mainstream priorities, and IP/cloud workflows moved from pilot projects into everyday operation. These shifts set the stage for an evolution that is audio-first as much as it is video- or data-driven – and next generation audio (NGA) is the axis of that change. How might this transform the sports production landscape in 2026?
How audio is delivered today
Today’s live sports audio is still largely built around channel-based mixes: a stereo downmix for two-speaker/headphone listening, and discrete multichannel formats such as 5.1 for a surround‑sound home experience. Broadcasters also provide auxiliary or secondary audio programming (SAP) and dedicated described-audio tracks for accessibility, but those are typically separate, channel‑mapped streams that consumers manually select. These channel-centric approaches are predictable and simple to manage, but they are inflexible: every downstream device receives a pre-mixed version and the viewer’s ability to tailor the sound is limited.
What NGA changes technically
NGA replaces rigid channel‑based outputs with object‑based and metadata‑driven audio. Instead of delivering fixed channels, producers send distinct audio ‘objects’ (commentary stems, crowd bed, referee mic, coach mic, ambience, audio-description tracks) together with descriptive metadata that tells a renderer how to position, prioritise or present each object for a listener’s device and preferences. That metadata-driven design allows a smartphone, soundbar or TV to assemble a bespoke mix locally, prioritising dialogue clarity, swapping languages, or rendering immersive spatial cues, all using a single bitstream rather than many alternate mixes.
Standards, timing and real‑world deployments
The practical roll‑out of NGA in live sport has been accelerated by converging standards. Serial ADM (S‑ADM) provides an open, standardised metadata container for object-based audio, while SMPTE ST 2110-41 enables flexible carriage of audio and its related metadata in IP production environments with the low latency and timing precision sports require. Real‑world trials during major events in recent seasons demonstrated NGA’s feasibility for live sport and proved that consumer devices already in the market can take advantage of object‑based delivery.
New creative possibilities: Contributors as content
One of the most compelling applications of NGA for sports is contributor‑level audio. Imagine viewers being able to choose the on‑court referee mic, tune into a coach’s headset, or follow a sideline reporter or alternate commentator; each identified as separate objects in the NGA stream. That capability turns intercom and talkback channels into potential content sources: intercom feeds, when captured with production‑grade quality and tagged as ‘secondary contribution audio’, become selectable objects for viewers rather than hidden operational chatter. This opens up entirely new altcast experiences and fan‑driven journeys through a game.
Production and intercom quality implications
For intercom platforms to make that leap from operational tool to content pipe, their audio quality, codec choices and metadata hygiene must improve. Producers will demand clean frequency response, consistent gain staging, and lower latency so those feeds work alongside main commentary and ambient beds without distracting artifacts. Intercom vendors will either need to offer broadcast‑grade audio paths or provide clear integration points for production consoles to ingest and process contribution stems prior to metadata tagging and object encapsulation.
Predictions for 2026
- Wider NGA adoption across major leagues and rights holders. After successful trials and growing consumer expectations for personalised experiences, more rights holders will mandate object‑based stems for any partner delivering live feeds in 2026.
- Intercoms graduate to content tools. Select events will routinely expose cleaned, mixed intercom stems as optional viewer tracks; that practice will push intercom suppliers to add production‑grade audio options and metadata support.
- New altcast formats based on contributor choice. ‘Choose your referee/coach/commentator’ altcasts will appear as monetisable packages for fans who want deeper tactical insight or premium behind‑the‑scenes access.
- Operational workflows tighten around metadata. SMPTE ST 2110 and S‑ADM will become operational requirements for stadium and remote production workflows that want NGA parity with studio production, forcing closer alignment between facility engineers and audio teams.
- Accessibility and personalisation become commercial differentiators. NGA’s advanced AD, language and dialogue enhancement features will be used marketably — not just for compliance — to attract broader and more loyal audiences.
NGA doesn’t replace compelling camera work or insightful commentary; it expands the palette producers can offer fans. In 2026, listeners will expect sound that adapts to their preferences and devices, and the industry players who deliver richly tagged, high‑quality contributor audio backed by robust metadata and IP workflows, will win the new battleground for fan attention.
