National Association of Broadcasters

What National Association of Broadcasters does

The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) is a private, member-driven trade association founded in 1922 that represents U.S. radio and television broadcasters, headquartered at 1 M Street SE, Washington, D.C. NAB's primary functions are federal legislative and regulatory advocacy before Congress and the FCC, technology standards and innovation leadership, and the operation of the NAB Show — a flagship annual trade exhibition in Las Vegas that drew 58,000+ registered attendees from 146 countries and 1,100+ exhibitors in 2026, plus the regional NAB Show New York (12,000 attendees, 260 exhibitors). Technology initiatives include the PILOT innovation coalition, the NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0) rollout (77% of U.S. households reachable), and the Broadcast Positioning System (BPS), a terrestrial GPS backup built on broadcast tower infrastructure that received a $744,000 U.S. Department of Transportation contract and was spun off into Merkhet Solutions Inc. in June 2026.

NAB's revenue model is a mix of recurring annual membership dues (tiered for TV/radio stations, associate and international members, and low-power stations), event-based revenue from exhibit space, conference registration and sponsorships, and affiliate referral fees from affinity partners (UPS, rental cars, insurance, HR solutions). The organization serves multiple customer segments: local TV broadcasters and local radio broadcasters as primary, plus a growing content creator segment served through the Creator Lab and the 2026 Content Creator VIP Program, and an associate/international tier of technology vendors and global broadcasters. Additional revenue-adjacent activities include award programs (Crystal Radio Awards, Marconi Radio Awards, Service to America Awards), the NAB Leadership Foundation's professional development programs, the AirTime policy podcast launched in May 2026, and Google News Initiative AI training delivered to member stations in 2026.

NAB's business is governed by an elected board (2026 leadership includes Collin Jones as joint board chair, Nick Radziul as TV board chair, and Chris Ornelas as radio board chair) and operated by an executive team led by President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt, with Chief Legal Officer Rick Kaplan and a recent addition of SVP & Deputy General Counsel Ben Arden (ex-FCC, 15 years). The organization has 101–250 employees and no parent company or external investors; it is supported by grassroots advocacy muscle (238,797+ messages to policymakers, 820,000+ messages supporting AM radio) and federal advertising spend ($52M on ownership rule modernization in 2025).

Name

National Association of Broadcasters

Legal name

National Association of Broadcasters

Website

https://nab.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1922

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The National Association of Broadcasters is a 100-year-old U.S. trade association representing local radio and television broadcasters, delivering federal advocacy, the NAB Show exhibitions, technology initiatives including NextGen TV and the Broadcast Positioning System, and member benefit programs to its station, associate, and international members.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Broadcast Trade Association

NAICS

Media Representatives (54184), Broadcasting and Content Providers (516)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

Industry Trade Shows & Expos (MPAGAGAA)

Keywords

• Broadcast trade association
• Radio broadcasting advocacy
• Television broadcasting advocacy
• Broadcast industry events
• Broadcast technology standards

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees from TV/radio stations, associate members, and international members. Dues are based on revenue for associate members and number of stations for international members.
2. Event Revenue: Revenue from NAB Show Las Vegas, NAB Show New York, and State Leadership Conference including exhibit space sales, conference registration, and sponsorship.
3. Member Services and Benefits: Cost-saving benefit programs through affinity partners including UPS shipping discounts, rental car discounts, insurance programs, and HR solutions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) is a 501(c)(6) trade association that represents U.S. radio and television broadcasters. It sells annual memberships (TV/radio station, associate, international, and low-power tiers), operates the NAB Show and NAB Show New York trade exhibitions, runs advocacy and regulatory engagement programs before the FCC and Congress, and delivers technology initiatives such as the Broadcast Positioning System (BPS), PILOT innovation coalition, and NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0) deployment support.

Product overview

The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) operates as a trade association offering events, technology initiatives, advocacy programs, education services, and awards. The core offerings include NAB Show and NAB Show New York (major trade events), the Broadcast Positioning System (BPS) technology for GPS backup, PILOT innovation programs, Google News Initiative AI training, the AirTime policy podcast, and various awards programs (Crystal Radio Awards, Marconi Radio Awards). NAB also advocates for broadcasters on regulatory issues and provides member resources through the Broadcast Resource Hub.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NAB Show: Premier global event for media, entertainment and technology professionals held annually in Las Vegas
• NAB Show New York
• PILOT
• AirTime
• NAB Leadership Foundation
• Crystal Radio Awards
• Marconi Radio Awards
• Service to America Awards
• We Are Broadcasters

Products and services

• NAB Show (Las Vegas)

Quantifiable outcome

• Broadcast stations generate $1.19 trillion in economic activity and provide 2.46 million jobs
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Google News InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 July 2026Free AI training program for NAB member stations through live virtual sessions covering journalism workflows, content creation, verification, and research skills. Six sessions running July-September 2026, designed for news, content, and digital teams with practical hands-on instruction.
• DeluxeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 October 2025Partnership with AudioShake (2024 PILOT Innovation Challenge winner) to offer stem separation technology to Deluxe's broadcast clients for content localization and catalog reservice.
• Dominion EnergycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025Field testing partnership for Broadcast Positioning System (BPS) technology development. Dominion Energy providing real-world testing environment for GPS backup system using broadcast TV infrastructure.
• U.S. Department of TransportationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025$744,000 contract awarded to NAB for Broadcast Positioning System development, supporting national infrastructure protection through GPS backup technology.
• State Broadcasters AssociationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAll 50 state broadcasters associations collaborating with NAB on advocacy efforts including sports broadcasting preservation, ownership rules modernization, and AM radio protection.
• Congressional Broadcasters CaucuscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBipartisan congressional caucus educating policymakers about broadcast issues. Co-chaired by Reps. Mark Alford, Brendan Boyle, Mike Flood, and Darren Soto.
• NAB Leadership FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNAB's nonprofit arm working to build a diverse, innovative future for broadcasting through leadership training, Broadcast Leadership Training Program (25 years), and Broadcast Career Link.

Scale indicators18 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Consumer Technology Association: Trade association that runs CES, the world's largest tech trade show, with a comparable membership and large-scale event business model. Both organizations monetize membership dues plus flagship exhibitions and pursue policy advocacy on behalf of member industries.
• National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA): Cable and broadband industry trade association that performs federal advocacy, regulatory engagement, and policy work on behalf of member distributors — directly comparable to NAB's role representing broadcasters before the FCC and Congress.
• Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA): Trade association serving broadcast and digital journalists with advocacy, ethics standards, and professional development. Closely overlaps NAB's newsroom-facing training, awards, and journalism initiatives such as the NextGen TV News Tech Lab.
• Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE): Professional society for broadcast engineers that provides certification, education, and frequency-coordination services. Comparable to NAB on the engineering/technology side of broadcasting, including shared interest in ATSC 3.0 and BPS technical standards.
• North American Broadcasters Association (NABA): International broadcasting association coordinating on technology, content, and policy across North American broadcasters. Closely mirrors NAB's combination of international membership and standards-setting activity, particularly around NextGen TV and HD Radio.

Broad incumbents

• Motion Picture Association (MPA): Trade body representing major film and streaming studios with federal advocacy and anti-piracy focus. Operates in the broader media/ecosystem alongside NAB and is a co-participant in the NO FAKES Act coalition, but represents content owners rather than distribution broadcasters.
• Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB): Digital advertising trade association setting standards and providing advocacy for the online ad ecosystem. Comparable trade-association structure but focused on digital ad tech rather than over-the-air broadcasting, putting it in adjacent competition for ad spend.

Emerging players

• Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC): Standards body that defines ATSC 3.0/NextGen TV specifications which NAB promotes. Operates as a technology-focused counterpart to NAB's broader advocacy mission and is a direct ecosystem partner on NextGen TV rollout.

Others

• Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA): Music industry trade association that co-advocates with NAB on issues like the NO FAKES Act. Not a direct competitor but a parallel trade-association structure for an adjacent content industry facing similar streaming-era pressures.
• American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A's): Trade association representing US advertising agencies with a comparable membership + advocacy + industry-events model. Adjacent rather than direct, as its members are ad agencies that buy inventory from NAB's broadcast station members.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nabtweets
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/19638
• Facebookfacebook.com/Broadcasters

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about National Association of Broadcasters