Australia & New Zealand: AV Flourishes in the Lands Down Under

By Adrian Pennington in APAC, AV Magazine (Print Edition), Territories August 21, 2025 0

Their geographic isolation breeds robust and self-reliant markets in the antipodes. Adrian Pennington goes walkabout.

^{Australian creative arts school, JMC Academy recently installed a Genelec Smart IP networked loudspeaker system to provide background music to the common areas of the facility.}

There’s a misleading perception that the entire Antipodean market is small but it is, in fact, mature and structured. The AV industry culture is characterised by an unusually strong sense of community and knowledge sharing, partly born from the geographic isolation that has historically required local professionals to be more self-reliant.

“The sector maintains active professional networks through organisations, where competitors regularly collaborate on industry standards and share expertise,” says Adam Duncombe, General Manager, Oceania for Ross Video. “This collaborative spirit extends to how Australian AV companies approach complex projects – there’s a cultural willingness to partner with competitors when it serves the client’s best interests, reflecting the broader Australian values of fairness and practical problem-solving.”

Marshall POV cameras deliver esports coverage for live streamed events at Fortress Melbourne’s Alienware Arena.

ANZ have well-established distribution

Sennheiser’s sales director for business communications, Jason Grbevski says sales and distribution channels in ANZ are well-established and businesses are highly adept at logistics. “Companies have developed a strong understanding of procurement lines and managing pipelines. This makes the region a great place for global organisations to test their strategies before expanding into broader markets. It offers valuable insight into how to scale efficiently and effectively.”

He dubs ANZ’s pro AV climate as “buoyant”; Jonathan Mangnall of Utelogy says the region is “on a positive growth trajectory”; Jordan Thomas at QuickLink describes the industry as “thriving” and David Claringbold, d&b’s strategic marketing consultant characterises both markets as “mature, well-defined with strong growth potential.”

He adds: “The economy is stable and there are healthy levels of ongoing investment in infrastructure for arts, culture, and sports as well as a robust touring market. As with every market there are local nuances, but we see opportunities for growth and diversification in line with the increasing investment in high quality sound across most market segments.”

QuickLink activated a video production workflow for AFL team West Coast Eagles based in Perth, Western Australia.

Solid business investment

Riedel Communications’ reports solid business in ANZ in both broadcast and broadcast AV segments. “While there’s lots of technology change permeating through the market, end-users clearly expect high performing and capable AV solutions, and our customer base is looking to provide that with continual investment in infrastructure,” says Chris Johnson, the firm’s Oceania director.

He expects further growth in software solutions and infrastructure “that support flexible spaces and dynamic staffing” as venues look to host a wider variety of customer events.

“While Australia is a small market on a global scale, we see it as punching above its weight and being a leader when it comes to imaging how technology can drive AV experiences forward,” says Johnson.

The Australian pro AV market – valued at USD90.3 million in 2024 – is projected to reach USD132.3 million by 2033 with a 3.96 per cent CAGR, though some analysts predict growth rates up to 7.3 per cent. It is driven by hybrid work adoption, and digital transformation initiatives, according to David Hyde, Netgear’s enterprise sales manager.

“AV culture here emphasises innovation and user experience. It’s evolving toward greater AI, IoT, and cloud integration while prioritising sustainability and energy efficiency. There’s increasing expectation for seamless, immersive experiences across all environments.”

SynthTemple founder, Tony Osmond moved the region’s largest collection of synthesisers into a spacious new facility in Melbourne suburb, Kew which doubles as a recording studio. Studio Connections designed two networked audio spaces: the 200m² Synth Hall and a dedicated Atmos control room with Genelec loudspeakers. Vintage synths in the collection include the EMS model used on ‘Dark Side of the Moon’.

Government spend in Australia

Growth seems to be propelled in part by government spend. Deborah Sloss, director at Genelec distributor Studio Connections, reports experienced increased demand in museums, education and government bodies in response to the demand for immersive experiences and the necessity for increased education around evolving technologies.

“The difficult economic landscape continues to be somewhat veiled because of Government spending, which you could argue is the major driver of an otherwise flatish market,” she says.

Brad Morton, sales director at distributor Corsair Solutions, also signals a more challenging environment. “We’ve been experiencing sluggish economic growth, while also facing challenges from high inflation and a recent recession. Business spending has been cautious, which has impacted many pro AV sectors, such as education and corporate.”

Following multiple state and federal elections, “much more funding is now flowing through to significant projects that were previously delayed, which gives businesses more confidence to invest,” says Morton.

For instance, Health and Justice departments around Australia saw significant investment post-pandemic and are undertaking major deployments of new technology to improve services. “Both have taken long cycles of product evaluation and customisation before those relevant bodies have adopted new standard equipment,” adds Morton.

The Drama Theatre at Sydney Opera House is used for spoken word, dance and musicals, with some concerts and occasional talks, seating 544 people on one level. A complete audio upgrade saw the old system replaced by d&b E8 loudspeakers, J-INFRA subwoofers for low frequency reinforcement, and d&b R1 control software.

Hybrid and remote work models

There’s ongoing adoption of hybrid and remote work models and demand for immersive experiences in live performances, interactive museum exhibits, retail spaces and innovative workspaces.

“Australians have historically been enthusiastic consumers of technology, and this culture continues with rising interest in AI, AR/VR and AV over IP,” says Sloss. “However, challenges related to local content investment and infrastructure remain.”

Duncombe highlights the Australian financial sector as a major growth driver for premium AV, driven by investor confidence and operational security. “Financial institutions are recognising that their communication quality directly impacts market perception and regulatory compliance.

“What’s particularly compelling is the ROI justification – a single technical failure during an earnings announcement or regulatory hearing can cost millions in market cap,” he says. “This has shifted the conversation from cost consideration to risk mitigation, making premium AV infrastructure a business necessity rather than a luxury investment.”

High-rise rigging specialists in Sydney use Riedel Bolero intercom for entertainment projects.

Investment in arts, retail, hospitality, sports and business

Claringbold reports government investment is revitalising city nighttime economies and the development of more integrated precinct planning. “Governments are aware of the role culture plays in defining a location and bringing people into the city for arts, retail, hospitality, sports and corporate purposes. All market segments with strong experiential elements to them are seeing good levels of investment.”

Hyde thinks the “willingness and necessity for public-private collaboration” in Australia is remarkable and suggests that the vast size of the country and distance between conurbations is a reason for this. “The large distances will continue to be an extra driver

behind video collaboration systems in the commercial and education space,” he says. “The biggest growth opportunity lies in higher education.”

Universities are rapidly adopting AVoIP technology, large-format monitors and wireless presentation systems to support remote learning capabilities. Notable projects using Netgear switchers include the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and Edith Cowan University in Western Australia.

Utelogy have been successful with the adoption of its technology for courtroom management across an (unnamed) Australian state and sees ample room for growth in that sector.

The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) tasked AV consultancy, Auditoria to revamp the audio across the venue to all 100,000 seats, restaurants, bars, atria, concourses, gate entry and exit points, as well as broadcast facilities. A particular issue is the acoustically poor seats in the 57 under-balcony bays. Auditoria brought in installer, Rutledge AV and distributor, NAS to equip a variety of d&b systems across the venue. This included custom paging – which allows the MCC to tailor its messaging to zones – and upgrading each under-balcony with d&b system for consistent sound.

“Our most recent project we landed in Sydney for a top-tier global financial institution (with its HQ in Australia), proving the client’s faith in our platform both from a productivity, security and ROI perspective,” says Mangnall. “We’ve also provided technology to SIs as part of their local white label service management offering.”

Corporate headquarters educational institutions, and major venues are concentrated in the main cities – Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane – driving digital signage and command centre investments.

Hyde suggests international sports events, hotel refurbishments, and museum interactive exhibits will generate significant AV demand in these cities over the next three years.

For QuickLink, sports is one of the standout verticals in ANZ, not only thanks to the popularity of pro leagues and major international events, but also because of the growing demand for high-quality, multi-platform content at every level. “From elite teams to community clubs, this demand is being further driven by audiences expecting more immersive, interactive and on-demand experiences,” says Thomas.

Sydney’s City Recital Hall is a world-class performance venue used by the Australian Chamber Orchestra and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. d&b Soundscape-enabled 360° sound – to audience members in all three seating tiers.

NZ: Smaller and sharper

Clearly a smaller market in terms of size and revenue, New Zealand is no less important than Australia. “In terms of route-to-market New Zealanders are proudly patriotic and prefer to do business with New Zealanders, who represent the best in AV technology globally,” observes Shane Bailey, managing director of local distributor NAS Solutions. “Having a local presence and a local team on the ground is vital for reaching the market, but customers’ expectations are just as high as in any other market.”

Johnson advises that NZ has a tougher time accessing certain products and services than Australia due to more limited in-country representation. “While the route to market might be tougher, the innovative and resilient technology culture is very similar so for those vendors who make the effort, there are great projects to be done.”

“Despite macroeconomic challenges, New Zealand has maintained a strong market,” confirms Grbevski. “There’s continued investment in technology as companies realise its value in staying relevant and attracting talent. The market is more distributed, the population spread across a larger landmass, making businesses in New Zealand very resourceful. Despite the smaller market size, there’s a strong emphasis on producing high- quality AV solutions. Clients expect reliable, high-quality products and services, even in a more competitive environment.”

Morton thinks New Zealand is even more competitive than Australia and significantly more constrained by budget. “New Zealanders are far more used to sourcing from anywhere in the world so every deal has to be sharp. The route to market is similar to Australia but for the most part things will be down spec’ed to meet a lower price point.”

In Mangnall’s experience the main difference in the NZ market is that new projects aren’t awarded “via builders but primarily through telco, IT and print providers” he says, “which suits our model perfectly. While the projects aren’t as large by users, rooms or devices, the NZ market is actually faster to get adoption.”

Tight-knit collaboration

As ever, trusted local partnerships are key for some vendors, especially those offering deep technical knowledge, strong customer relationships and a commitment to long-term value.

In that regard, QuickLink works with Techtel in Australia and Gencom in New Zealand – “two of the most respected technology resellers and systems integrators in the region,” says Thomas. “Their technical expertise, deep understanding of local customer needs and longstanding industry presence have been instrumental in growing awareness and adoption of our solutions.”

With specialised technical expertise often concentrated in major cities and businesses spread across vast distances, there’s demand for solutions that combine technical excellence with comprehensive support, according to Duncombe.

“Companies are willing to invest in premium AV solutions not just for brand consistency, but because they understand that in markets where expert technical support may be hours away, the reputational and operational risks of equipment failure are magnified.”

Morton describes AV culture down under as one “deeply rooted” in embracing new technologies, and a “tight-knit collaboration” between integrators, manufacturers and end-users.

“We’re also seeing a shift more towards hybrid and remote integration that has been fuelled by changes brought about by the pandemic, some of which has made permanent changes to the working landscape, especially around meeting room technology, esports and streaming video production.”

The most important piece of advice: be patient, honest and accountable.