A New Aspect for Pro AV

A corporate town hall wraps up just before noon. By the time employees return to their desks, highlights from the CEO's keynote are already appearing on LinkedIn. A 45-second clip is headed to Instagram Reels, another version has been formatted for YouTube Shorts, and the full presentation is archived for on-demand viewing. The same event may also feed digital signage throughout the building and become part of future recruiting and marketing campaigns.

None of those versions required any additional production. And increasingly, this is becoming the norm.

For decades, Pro AV projects were designed around a single destination, such as a broadcast feed, presentation screen, or perhaps recording for later playback. Today, organizations expect a single production to reach audiences across multiple platforms, many of them consumed on smartphones that are held vertically.

That shift is transforming far more than aspect ratios. According to the 2026 Media Stats report from Iconik by Backlight, vertical publishing grew by 120%, concluding that mobile-first is no longer an "extra" strategy but the priority. While 16:9 remains the dominant format for broadcast, presentations, and large displays, 9:16 has become an increasingly important companion format as organizations recognize that audiences are discovering and consuming more content on mobile devices.

Changing the Conversation

For systems integrators, the conversation has evolved from whether customers should create vertical content to how they can do it more efficiently. "It's a business requirement driven by audience behavior," said Craig Frankenstein, VP of broadcast and connected experiences at FORTÉ. "We have to design solutions that align with how end users consume content."

That observation captures what may be the biggest shift taking place in Pro AV today. The story isn't really about vertical video. It's about changing audience behavior and the production workflows now required to meet those audiences wherever they choose to watch.

Rather than thinking about 9:16 video—and picturing social media influencers creating content for TikTok or Instagram—the industry is facing a much broader reality. Sports organizations, corporations, universities, and houses of worship are all embracing vertical content, because that's where an increasing percentage of their audiences spend their time.

"I don't think the question anymore is whether 9:16 is a trend," said Satoshi Kanemura, president and COO of FOR-A America. "It has already become the primary way many viewers, especially younger audiences, consume video on mobile devices."

The challenge, he said, is that production workflows haven't evolved as quickly as audience expectations. Corporate communications now extend well beyond conference rooms. Executive messages, recruiting videos, product launches, employee communications, and thought leadership content are increasingly expected to perform equally well on widescreen displays and mobile devices.

In addition, sports organizations need highlight clips almost immediately after key plays. Universities rely on vertical content for student recruitment and engagement, while houses of worship use short-form video to connect with younger audiences and extend their reach beyond the sanctuary.

"The common theme is finding your audience," Frankenstein offered. "They're on their phones. The format should be 9:16 to start."

One Production, Multiple Destinations

The most significant change isn't the aspect ratio itself, it's the number of destinations each production now serves. A single event may feed an in-room presentation, livestream, television broadcast, digital signage network, corporate intranet, YouTube channel, Instagram Reels, LinkedIn, TikTok, and on-demand archive.

Five years ago, many organizations treated those as separate projects. Now, they're expected outcomes of a single production. "Today, every venue is effectively expected to produce multiple versions of the same event," Kanemura observed.

Rather than creating separate productions, organizations increasingly want workflows capable of generating both traditional widescreen and vertical content simultaneously. Matt McClain, VP of marketing at Key Code Media, sees that strategy reflected in his own company's content production. Each livestream podcast is repurposed into both traditional 16:9 videos and 9:16 shorts, allowing viewers to discover a topic through short-form content before diving into longer educational discussions.

The approach is paying off. During an internal comparison of NAB Show coverage, the company's 9:16 shorts generated approximately 120% more views than comparable 16:9 videos while producing nearly three times as many monthly impressions.

McClain doesn't view the two formats as competitors. Instead, he describes 9:16 as the top of the content funnel, a discovery platform that leads audiences toward deeper engagement through long-form content.

“A viewer may not have time to watch a five or 10-minute interview clip,” he explained. “However, they may be willing to spend 30-60 seconds learning about a new product or industry trend. That’s why the 16:9 and 9:16 videos are linked to one another, so someone who discovers a topic through a 9:16 short can move into the longer-form 16:9 video using YouTube’s related-video features.”

A Different Role

This evolution is clearly changing the role of the systems integrator. But in what ways? Customers rarely begin conversations by asking for a particular switcher, camera, or graphics platform. Instead, they describe the outcome they want to achieve. "They want the ability to walk into a studio, record once, and publish to multiple destinations," Frankenstein said.

Meeting that expectation requires considerably more planning than simply rotating a camera or adding another output. Room dimensions, camera placement, lighting design, graphics packages, set layouts, display orientation, storage, replay systems, and production workflows all need to accommodate multiple aspect ratios from the very beginning of a project.

Social media teams, once brought into the process after an event had concluded, are increasingly participating in production planning before cameras are ever positioned. "The conversation shifted from 'Should we make 9:16 content?' to 'How do we make vertical content efficiently?'" Frankenstein said.

That question increasingly drives system design. Rather than optimizing for a single output, integrators are designing production environments flexible enough to support traditional broadcast, in-room presentations, streaming platforms, mobile-first content, and future distribution requirements without duplicating equipment or staffing.

Designing Flexibility

The industry's response has been to move vertical production further upstream. Historically, creating 9:16 content was primarily a post-production task. Editors manually reframed shots, repositioned graphics, and exported multiple versions after an event had concluded. Today, those capabilities are increasingly being built directly into professional production systems.

Production switchers, replay systems, graphics platforms, and AI-assisted tools now support simultaneous horizontal and vertical workflows during live production. FOR-A's AiDi system, for example, uses AI to recognize speakers, track movement, and automatically generate natural-looking vertical compositions in real time, rather than simply cropping the center of the frame.

Peter Fitton, senior solutions architect of Ross Video, has also seen customer interest evolve. At InfoComm 2026, he noticed that vertical production was no longer just part of a broader discussion. Instead, it had actually become the discussion.

“It was the first time where I had somebody specifically ask about 9:16 content,” said Fitton. “It was the actual conversation starter. It was what they wanted to come and find out.”

He believes successful projects begin with understanding how customers intend to use their content rather than focusing on individual hardware components. Once those goals are established, cameras, switchers, graphics systems, processors, and displays can be selected as part of a unified workflow.

Different Audiences, Different Formats

Despite the growing momentum behind 9:16, it’s not expected to replace 16:9. Instead, it’s seen as two formats serving different audiences.

Traditional widescreen remains ideal for broadcast, conference rooms, auditoriums, and large-format displays. Vertical excels on smartphones, where audiences increasingly discover, consume, and share content.

"The organizations that are succeeding today aren't choosing one over the other," Frankenstein noted. "They're building workflows, facilities, and technology systems that support both. The future isn’t horizontal or vertical—it’s content and storytelling where the audience determines the delivery format.”