Mid-market insurance

Insurance for audio-visual and broadcast equipment companies

Reviewed by the Apex broking team · Last reviewed 2026-11-06

Audio-visual and broadcast equipment company insurance is the commercial programme for firms that make, integrate, hire out or distribute AV, pro audio and broadcast systems. It matters because the same business can face a falling speaker array, a stolen flight case and an off-air claim in a single season.

Part of: IT and technology business insurance

In short

AV and broadcast equipment businesses usually need products and public liability that covers installation work at client sites, cover for high-value kit in stock, in transit, at events and out on hire, and professional indemnity where they design systems. Integrators fixing screens, speakers and rigging to buildings face work at height and lifting risks, while broadcast and live event integrators can face financial loss claims when a system fails during a transmission or show. Underwriters want a clear split between manufacture, distribution, installation, hire and event services, with values and controls for each.

What insurance does an AV or broadcast equipment company need?

Most firms in this sector combine more than one activity: they may manufacture or import equipment, sell it through dealers, design and install systems in boardrooms, venues and studios, hire kit out for events, and send technicians to operate it. Each activity carries a different exposure, and the programme needs to describe all of them accurately.

For product makers and distributors, products liability is central: an amplifier that overheats, a mounting bracket that fails, or a speaker cabinet that falls. For integrators, public liability for work on client premises and professional indemnity for system design take the lead. For hire and rental businesses, the main question is how kit is covered while it is away from your control. Across all of them, high-value equipment moving between sites means goods in transit or stock throughput cover deserves close attention.

Main exposures and the cover that usually responds

Exposure	Cover that usually responds
Speaker, screen or bracket falls and injures someone at a venue	Products or public liability, depending on whether the cause was the product or the installation
Damage to a client's building during installation, such as a drilled pipe or cable	Public liability, subject to any heat or hazardous work conditions
Integrated system fails during a live broadcast or event, client claims lost revenue	Professional indemnity for design or specification errors; liability policies usually exclude pure financial loss
Stock and demonstration kit damaged or stolen from premises	Property and business interruption
Flight cases stolen from a vehicle or lost in transit	Goods in transit or stock throughput, subject to vehicle security conditions
Kit out on hire damaged, lost or not returned	All risks equipment cover extended to hired-out equipment, with conditions on hire contracts
Technician injured while rigging or working at height	Employers' liability, minimum £5 million
Networked AV system used as a route into a client's network	Cyber and PI, depending on the wording
Exports and equipment shipped to overseas shows	Marine cargo and liability with worldwide territorial scope

Employers' liability is compulsory under the Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Regulations 1998, which set a minimum of £5 million for any one occurrence.

Rules and standards that matter in this sector

Product liability. Under section 2 of the Consumer Protection Act 1987, liability for damage caused by a defective product can fall on the producer, on a business that brands a product as its own, and on the importer into the United Kingdom. Distributors bringing in pro audio or broadcast gear under their own label should plan on that basis.
Lifting and rigging. Hanging screens, line arrays and lighting trusses involves lifting equipment and operations, so the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 are usually relevant to how the work is planned and the equipment examined. Underwriters often ask how rigging is controlled.
Radio equipment and spectrum. Wireless microphones, in-ear systems and camera links are radio equipment. The Radio Equipment Regulations 2017 cover safety, electromagnetic compatibility and efficient use of spectrum for products placed on the GB market, and Ofcom says a PMSE licence is required by law for wireless microphones and talkback directly associated with a performance or event.
Client contracts. Venue, broadcaster and corporate contracts commonly set public liability limits, require indemnities and ask for evidence of design PI. Read them alongside the policy, not after an incident.

Illustrative examples

Illustrative example 1: a line array at a conference venue

An integrator installs a flown speaker system in a conference hall. A shackle is fitted incorrectly and part of the array drops during a rehearsal, damaging seating and narrowly missing staff. Public liability is likely to respond to the property damage, subject to the policy terms, and the investigation will focus on rigging records and inspections.

Illustrative example 2: off air during a live programme

A systems integrator designs a new routing and playout setup for a broadcaster. A configuration error takes a channel off air for an hour and the client claims lost advertising revenue and penalty costs. This is a pure financial loss, so professional indemnity rather than liability cover is the policy most likely to be relevant.

Illustrative example 3: kit not returned from hire

A hire customer fails to return a set of cameras and lenses after a production. Whether the loss is covered depends on the hired-out equipment extension, any exclusion for dishonesty by hirers, and the checks you carried out before releasing the kit. See film equipment and kit insurance.

What underwriters usually want to see

Turnover split by activity: manufacture, distribution, design and installation, hire, and live event services.
Types of sites you work at, such as offices, stadiums, places of worship, studios and outdoor events, and the largest single jobs.
Rigging and work at height procedures, competence and training records, and inspection regimes for lifting equipment.
Hire terms and conditions, customer vetting, deposits and tracking for high-value kit.
Stock and equipment values by location, vehicle security, and how kit is stored overnight on tour.
Design responsibilities you accept in contracts, including performance specifications and acceptance testing.
Export and overseas event activity, with territories.

Common mistakes

Describing the business as a distributor when it also installs and rigs, so the liability policy may not match the work actually done.
Assuming liability cover will pay a client's lost revenue when a system fails. That is usually a PI question.
Leaving hired-out equipment, or kit at overseas shows, outside the equipment policy.
Underinsuring transit by using average load values instead of the highest value vehicle on tour.
Overlooking business interruption for a hire fleet, where losing kit can mean turning work away for months.

When to review your programme

You start installing or rigging, rather than only supplying equipment.
You win broadcast, stadium or large venue contracts with higher liability limits or design obligations. See live music venue insurance for the client side of those contracts.
Your hire fleet grows or you begin touring abroad. Events cover and transit terms should be revisited.
You add networked or IP-based systems with remote support, which raises cyber and PI questions, and possibly the need for excess layers for tech PI and cyber.
You begin designing or manufacturing your own products. Our electronics manufacturers page covers that exposure.

The IT and technology business insurance hub covers the wider sector, and an insurance programme review looks at liability, equipment and PI together.

Apex arranges liability, equipment and PI programmes for AV and broadcast businesses; a broker reads every enquiry.

Sources

Frequently asked

What insurance does an AV installation company need?

Usually public and products liability that clearly covers installation work at client premises, employers' liability, cover for tools, stock and equipment in transit, and professional indemnity if you design systems or specify equipment. Firms that hire kit out also need cover for equipment while it is with customers, subject to the policy terms.

Is a broadcast outage covered by public liability?

Usually not. Public liability responds to injury and physical damage. A client's lost revenue or penalties from an outage, with no physical damage, is a pure financial loss, which is more commonly a professional indemnity matter where the outage arises from a design or specification error.

How is equipment out on hire insured?

Commonly through an all risks equipment policy extended to cover hired-out kit, with conditions about hire contracts, customer checks and security. Some policies exclude theft by the hirer or non-return. It is worth checking these terms, and your hire contract, before releasing high-value equipment.

Do wireless microphones need a licence in the UK?

Ofcom says a programme making and special events (PMSE) licence is needed for wireless microphones and talkback that are directly associated with a performance or event. Licensing is separate from insurance, but underwriters and venues may ask whether your operation is compliant.

Mid-sized business? Have your programme reviewed

Send us your current schedules or renewal pack and we will review the whole programme and tell you plainly what to keep and what to change. No fee and no obligation. Or call 0117 325 0027.

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Apex Insurance Brokers Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales, company number 07014570. This page is general information, not advice on your individual circumstances, and it does not guarantee that cover will be available or on what terms.