With the 2026 NAB Show approaching, we’re providing a series of previews asking exhibitors about their plans and expectations.
Matt Collison is brand and marketing lead at Broadcast Bionics.
Radio World: What is Broadcast Bionics and what kind of solutions does it provide?
Matt Collison: Broadcast Bionics is the name behind the leading audience engagement software, BionicStudio, which handles on-air calls, messages, social media and visualization. With 30 years of broadcast software innovation behind it, Bionics continues to lead the industry through constantly changing landscapes with innovative, forward-thinking solutions.
While audience engagement remains central to what it does, Bionics work increasingly spans wider studio workflow and technology integration, helping broadcasters streamline software, broadcast infrastructure and workflows to create cohesive and efficient production environments.
Through careful design and consideration, Bionics has introduced Augmented Intelligence (Bionics’ take on AI) tools into BionicStudio that automate transcription, summarization and topic detection. The aim is not to replace talent, but to support it, handling routine production tasks while freeing human teams to focus on the content. These tools are designed with security in mind, ensuring any data processed remains protected.
RW: What do you feel is the most significant technology trend in your part of the broadcast supplier industry?
Collison: Leveraging the hyperscale computing methods that drive AI and data centers will change how broadcast facilities are built and operated. The move toward software-defined facilities shifts the focus away from discrete hardware boxes that each perform a single function, toward centralized infrastructure running containerized products.
This allows broadcasters to scale rapidly, launch new services, operate from anywhere and build resilience into their systems, while reducing long-term costs and dependency on fixed hardware.
Alongside the adoption of AI, this transition represents one of the most significant shifts the broadcast industry will experience over the next decade, changing not just the technology stack but the way broadcasters think about infrastructure, agility and growth.
RW: What will be your most important product news?
Collison: Reflecting the wider shift toward software-defined infrastructure, BionicStudio will soon be available within VirtualRack (adding to the library of products from various manufacturers). This will enable BionicStudio to be hosted on scalable, centralized infrastructure and further expands the role of VirtualRack within modern broadcast facilities.
Bionics is also adding WhatsApp support to CallerOne, its affordable call screening solution. The integration enables broadcasters to receive and make WhatsApp audio calls directly within CallerOne, eliminating clunky desktop applications and workarounds.
Stations using BionicStudio can already add WhatsApp voice calls alongside other call types. Adding WhatsApp to CallerOne allows smaller or standalone operations to benefit from the same convenience and high quality from this popular platform.
RW: How is your product different from what’s available on the market?
Collison: While generic server environments or public cloud platforms may be able to host some broadcast software, this typically requires significant engineering expertise to deploy and manage. VirtualRack is purpose-built for low-latency broadcast audio and supports products from multiple manufacturers, delivering scalable deployment and flexibility without requiring deep Linux knowledge.
WhatsApp integration in CallerOne replaces improvised studio setups, such as cell phones connected via wired cables or Bluetooth, with a native broadcast workflow. Calls and messages are handled within a unified interface, reducing clutter and complexity and providing a more reliable, simplified workflow.
RW: What brings you back to the spring show each year?
Collison: NAB has been instrumental in establishing some of Bionics’ most strategic partnerships, both with customers and suppliers. It brings together existing relationships and new opportunities in a way few other events can.
For Bionics, NAB is more than a product showcase. It is a place to listen, learn and contribute to meaningful discussions, while drawing energy from the ideas shaping the future of broadcast technology.
NAB Show Booth: C3016
[For more coverage of the convention see our NAB Show page.]
