AV News Roundup: August 2026

Even during the dog days of August, the industry’s news cycle didn't slow down, with residential suppliers turning their attention toward the largest CEDIA show ever kicking off in Denver today. The month also brought news across the broader Pro AV market, including ongoing M&A activity and a new technology leadership role at Diversified, as well as published industry research. Here are some of the top headlines for the month:

Exhibitor participation at CEDIA Expo 2026 continued to grow, with more than 300 exhibitors confirmed, including over 65 new to the show and more than 50 lighting exhibitors alone. Show management attributed the growth to a wave of new and emerging brands entering the space, alongside rising demand for live system demonstrations and hands-on learning experiences. The Expo’s education program emphasizes AI, lighting and shading, cybersecurity, wellness, and design-build collaboration, reflecting where residential and custom integration is heading, as it increasingly intersects with broader technology categories. Read more.

Outdoor spaces are no longer an afterthought; they're now one of the fastest-growing lines of business for residential AV integrators, reflected in the expanded 22,000-square-foot Destination Outdoors area at this year's CEDIA Expo. Nearly half of integrators reported higher outdoor installation sales over the past year, according to CE Pro's 2026 Outdoor Technology Deep Dive. Patios and backyards are now designed with the same care as interior rooms, with a median outdoor cost in 2025 of about $8,750, and high-end installations running into the tens of thousands. Read more.

In case you missed it, our own July Pro-AV Business Index showed steady but slower growth than a year ago, with macroeconomic friction weighing on the sector and rising inflation slowing seasonal builds in education. The global AV Sales Index (AVI-S) leveled out at 52.7, down from 57.1 last year. International markets outpaced North America with the non-North American AVI-S rising three points to 56.7, driven by strong demand for live events, digital signage, LED displays, and workplace collaboration tech. At the same time, the North American AVI-S held steady at 56.2, with the global AV Employment Index (AVI-E) registering at 51.8 and international employment contracting to 51.2, as the industry's workforce stretched thin due to hiring freezes at some firms and difficulty finding talent at others. Read more.

In an interview as part of Commercial Integrator's new AVoIP Deep Dive, Andy Herron of AVPro laid out where AV-over-IP technology is headed next, stating that IP shouldn't be treated as just a pipe for moving audio and video, but as the backbone of AV infrastructure itself, with systems built to run video, audio, and control dynamically across a company's IT network. For integrators, the shift means AVoIP now covers more than signal distribution, extending into networking, control, security, and monitoring as core parts of the installation, not add-ons. Read more. 

A new Trends Report from Broadsign, based on customer data from 2025 and Q1 2026, signals that programmatic digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising has moved beyond early adoption into broader, more diversified maturity. Food & Drink topped advertising spend at 18.5%, with Shopping, Personal Finance, and Technology close behind, with outdoor placements capturing nearly half of all spend, ahead of Retail, Transit, and Entertainment. The report suggests that as buying habits, formats, and advertiser categories become more established, DOOH is behaving like a mature advertising medium. Read more.

NSCA, Commercial Integrator, and Security Sales & Integration have teamed up for an on-demand webinar examining how integrators can remain relevant as technologies converge and customer expectations change. The session examines the growing Master Systems Integrator (MSI) model and whether integrators are best served by broadening their capabilities or focusing on a specialized niche. It also examines what’s driving integrators past traditional roles and the risks of overextending capabilities. Read more and sign up.

Diversified appointed Pete Emminger as global chief technology officer, responsible for the company's go-to-market technology strategy and technical direction. Emminger will focus on connecting new technologies with client requirements, shaping strategic partnerships and helping develop future solutions. His appointment reflects the strategic role of technology leadership inside large AV integrators as projects combine AV, IT, broadcast, digital signage and experiential technology. Read more.

The merger between D-Tools and Portal.io brings together two widely used software platforms serving residential and commercial integrators, audio/video, and security professionals. The new entity combines D-Tools’ strength in sales, system design, engineering, project management and procurement platform with Portal.io’s focus on helping dealers sell and manage their workflows. Read more.

Bose Professional has acquired Fulcrum Acoustic, pairing its scale and distribution network with Fulcrum's expertise in performance and immersive audio. The deal broadens Bose Professional's portfolio in performance audio, immersive audio, and active acoustics, strengthening its offerings for performance and commercial environments while extending its reach into new markets worldwide. Fulcrum will continue operating under its own brand, with its products, customer support, service, and partner relationships unchanged. Read more.

August brought steady news across the industry, with CEDIA growing its exhibitor base and outdoor living emerging as a bigger focus for the show. Our own Pro-AV Business Index showed domestic growth slowing during the month of July, while a Broadsign report pointed to continued growth in DOOH. M&A activity stayed active, with moves including the D-Tools and Portal.io merger and Bose Professional's acquisition of Fulcrum Acoustic, while Diversified named a new global CTO.