Admittedly, tech giant Microsoft (MSFT) is not who we think of most often in the broadcast space. Microsoft takes some of the blame for that shortfall accordingly, noting that it is “…not…the most vocal…” about engagement in the space. But Microsoft has plans to turn that around with a trip to the NAB 2026 show, the trade show of the National Association of Broadcasters. Investors were on board, and gave Microsoft a fractional boost in share prices in Friday’s trading.
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Microsoft does not have a cable channel to speak of, nor does it really have a streaming platform. But it does have a range of partnerships with more “pure-play” tech companies, offering ways to rethink production workflows and the like. Microsoft is also a pretty big, if somewhat behind-the-scenes, player in the sports broadcast space. It has partnerships with the NBA, the NFL, and several other sports leagues.
So what will it bring to NAB 2026? Not surprisingly, Copilot will be a very big part of what Microsoft has at the show. Microsoft’s worldwide media and entertainment director Simon Crownshaw noted that agentic AI systems like Copilot allow broadcasters to “…build custom copies…,” as well as “…start to replace commodity hardware or other processes with Copilot.”
A “Discovery Multiplier”
The global director of ID @ Xbox, Guy Richards, recently noted something that will probably seem obvious in retrospect: Xbox Game Pass is a “discovery multiplier.” By that, Richards means that more people find the game by launching into Xbox Game Pass than they might have otherwise. Though even Microsoft is starting to get concerned about the costs of it, it still represents a good way to get seen.
This is likely true, as it serves a function once held by video stores, giving people a way to play a game without having to commit to the full buy. But now that games are mostly digital distribution any more, the need to rent, or borrow, a disc is largely off the table. Thus, new discovery mechanics are necessary, and Xbox Game Pass—and services like it—might be just what is needed.
Is Microsoft a Buy, Hold or Sell?
Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Strong Buy consensus rating on MSFT stock based on 35 Buys and three Holds assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After an 14.27% rally in its share price over the past year, the average MSFT price target of $571.29 per share implies 34.72% upside potential.
