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title: Navigating the Distribution Transition | Hive Group
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## **Navigating the Distribution Transition**

## Distribution is changing, *are you ready?*

The shift to IP and terrestrial delivery is accelerating. We track which broadcasters are moving, which technologies are winning traction, and where the money goes next, from infrastructure to managed services. 

Here you will find everything you need to know about the changes and how we can support you.

- C‑Band reallocation is reshaping delivery
- 2030 DTT switch-off is mounting pressure across the industry
- Hybrid delivery models will replace single-path satelites

#### WHAT WE TRACK

### Five shifts deciding who wins the transitions

The changes in distribution isn't one event, it's a chain of spectrum, regulatory and commercial moves. Here's where we focus our intelligence so you can act before the market reprices.

##### 1. C‑Band reallocation

The reallocation of C‑Band spectrum and its immediate implications for broadcast delivery. Who loses capacity, who gains, and what it costs.

##### 3. NA vs European dynamics

Why North American and European markets are moving at different speeds, and what that means for vendors selling across both.

##### 5. Hybrid delivery landscape

The emerging hybrid model (satellite, IP and terrestrial combined) and the managed-services opportunities it opens up.

##### 2. DTT timeline pressure

Digital terrestrial switch-off timelines tightening across Europe, and the delivery decisions broadcasters can no longer postpone.

##### 4. Ku‑band transition

How the Ku‑band transition is playing out in practice, and where capacity, cost and reliability trade-offs are landing.

##### Want the full picture?

Our on demand resources and events will support you in transition, keeping you ahead of the curve, and your competitors.

#### WHY IT MATTERS

### Act on insight, not instinct

Sector intelligence isn't a report, it's in depth thinking and exploration that shapes strategy while the market is still forming. For the changes in distribution, the window to position is open now and closing fast as spectrum decisions become irreversible.

We turn fragmented signals, regulatory filings, vendor moves and broadcaster pilots into clear content so you know exactly where the commercial opportunity sits.

#### EVENTS

### Where we're discussing this

Our events provide you with a unique platform to learn about one of the biggest industry shifts and connect with likeminded professionals from around the globe.

![ISE 2027 save the date](https://wearehivegroup.com/hs-fs/hubfs/ISE%202027/ISE%202027%20save%20the%20date.jpg?width=945&height=945&name=ISE%202027%20save%20the%20date.jpg "ISE 2027 save the date")

## Resources

Go deeper on changing distribution model. Our resource library includes reports, articles, videos, and templates.

 Resource type

Report Article Video Template Whitepaper

[Watch The Event](https://wearehivegroup.com/hubfs/Techex%20Affiliate%20Distribution%20Application%20Note.pdf?hsLang=en)

![Techex Application Note Oct 2026](https://wearehivegroup.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Resources/Techex%20Application%20Note%20Oct%202026.jpg?width=960&height=540&name=Techex%20Application%20Note%20Oct%202026.jpg)

### Techex application note

As C-band capacity shrinks and affiliates expect feeds tailored to them, satellite’s one-to-all model is giving way to targeted IP delivery. This Techex application note explains how broadcasters can match satellite-grade reliability over IP while adding personalisation through seamless regional switching, format matching at the edge, SCTE-35 adaptation for monetisation, and layered content protection, all at scale across hundreds of endpoints. 

[Watch The Event](https://wearehivegroup.com/broadcasters-road-to-c-band-replacement?hsLang=en)

![Broadcasters Road To C-Band](https://wearehivegroup.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Resources/Broadcasters%20Road%20To%20C-Band.jpg?width=1920&height=1080&name=Broadcasters%20Road%20To%20C-Band.jpg)

### Broadcasters' Road To C-Band

In July 2026, the FCC finally answered the question the industry has been circling since the Lower C-band auction closed: what happens to the rest of the band? With the FCC roadmap in place, we brought the conversation to New York to unpack what the order actually means in practice: the transition timeline, the framework for incumbent satellite operators, and the aviation safeguards built in for radio altimeters and what all of it means for anyone still planning around C-band capacity.

[Read The Report](https://wearehivegroup.com/hubfs/IBC%20Satellite%20Event/IBC%202026%20Post-Show%20Report%20October%2026.pdf?hsLang=en)

![IBC post event report 2026](https://wearehivegroup.com/hs-fs/hubfs/IBC%20Satellite%20Event/IBC%20post%20event%20report%202026.jpg?width=960&height=540&name=IBC%20post%20event%20report%202026.jpg)

### Post-event report: Where Does the Signal go Next?

On Friday, September 11, 2026, just before the doors of IBC opened, The Hive Group brought broadcasters, technology providers and distribution leaders together at The Traveller in Amsterdam for Where Does the Signal Go Next? Navigating the Distribution Transition. This report draws on the morning discussions and on written contributions from our sponsors.

 

[Read The Report](https://wearehivegroup.com/hubfs/Resources/Cerberus%20Tech%20-%20Beyond%20Replacement.pdf?hsLang=en)

![cerberus\_article\_Sept\_2026](https://wearehivegroup.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Resources/cerberus_article_Sept_2026.jpg?width=1920&height=1080&name=cerberus_article_Sept_2026.jpg)

### Beyond Replacement: Orchestrating the Distribution Transition

On both sides of the Atlantic, the infrastructure broadcasters have relied on for decades is undergoing significant change. In North America, the FCC's upper C-band auction is removing most of the satellite spectrum used for network distribution. In the UK and Europe, broadcasters facing new technical and commercial challenges are looking to IP as an answer.

 

[Watch The Event](https://wearehivegroup.com/where-does-the-signal-go-next?hsLang=en)

![Where\_Does\_the\_signal\_go\_next](https://wearehivegroup.com/hs-fs/hubfs/IBC%20Landing%20Page/Where_Does_the_signal_go_next.jpg?width=1920&height=1080&name=Where_Does_the_signal_go_next.jpg)

### Where Does The Signal Go Next - Navigating The Distribution Transition

This breakfast at IBC brought broadcasters, industry leaders and technologists together for a candid, working conversation on the technical and commercial realities of this transition, and the opportunities it opens for those who move first. 

 

[Read the report](https://wearehivegroup.com/hubfs/Resources/Satellite%20Replacement/Broadcast%20Distribution%20Beyond%20Infrastructure.pdf?hsLang=en)

![Amagi\_article\_Aug\_2026](https://wearehivegroup.com/hs-fs/hubfs/IBC%20Landing%20Page/Amagi_article_Aug_2026.jpg?width=1920&height=1080&name=Amagi_article_Aug_2026.jpg)

### Unified Distribution in the Post-C-Band Era

The FCC’s upper C-band mandate has made a long-running industry shift impossible to ignore. Broadcast distribution can no longer be designed around the assumption that spectrum will remain stable. Whether the final clearing plan affects 100 MHz, 160 MHz, or more, broadcasters that rely on C-band are facing a structural transition. The signal still has to reach every destination reliably. But the business around that signal has changed.

 

[Read the report](https://wearehivegroup.com/hubfs/Satellite%20Event/No%20Safe%20Harbor%20whitepaper.pdf?hsLang=en)

![No\_safe\_harbour\_resource\_image](https://wearehivegroup.com/hs-fs/hubfs/IBC%20Landing%20Page/No_safe_harbour_resource_image.jpg?width=1920&height=1080&name=No_safe_harbour_resource_image.jpg)

### No Safe Harbour

 Broadcasters have relied on C-band for 40 years. Now it's being auctioned off, with no single replacement. Drawing on senior leaders from Disney, Fox, Paramount, AWS and more, this report maps what satellite replacement actually looks like, and how long you have. 

[Watch The Event](https://wearehivegroup.com/future-of-satellite-replacement?hsLang=en)

![satellite\_resource\_image](https://wearehivegroup.com/hs-fs/hubfs/IBC%20Landing%20Page/satellite_resource_image.jpg?width=1920&height=1080&name=satellite_resource_image.jpg)

### Future of Satellite Replacement

In response to growing industry interest in C-band replacement, this focused breakfast event during NAB Show examined the realities of satellite replacement and the practical pathways forward. 

[Read Article](https://wearehivegroup.com/hubfs/DOC-423286A1.pdf?hsLang=en)

![FCC\_release\_resource\_image](https://wearehivegroup.com/hs-fs/hubfs/IBC%20Landing%20Page/FCC_release_resource_image.jpg?width=1920&height=1080&name=FCC_release_resource_image.jpg)

### FCC adopts place for c-band auction

The Federal Communications Commission has set America up to lead the world in next-gen connectivity by adopting rules to auction 160 megahertz of spectrum in the  
Upper C-Band (3.98-4.14 GHz) by July 2027.

[Read the report](https://wearehivegroup.com/hubfs/Resources/Satellite%20Replacement/Signal%20Lost%20report.pdf?hsLang=en)

![Signal\_lost\_resource\_image](https://wearehivegroup.com/hs-fs/hubfs/IBC%20Landing%20Page/Signal_lost_resource_image.jpg?width=1920&height=1080&name=Signal_lost_resource_image.jpg)

### Signal lost

The FCC is auctioning off the C-band spectrum US broadcasters have relied on for 40 years. There's no single replacement, the future is hybrid. Drawing on senior leaders from Disney, Fox, Paramount, AWS and more, this report maps what satellite replacement actually looks like, and how long you have. 

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