These are the finalists for the 2018 IBC Innovation Awards

Ten finalists from at least a dozen countries make these Innovation Awards, organized by IBC, one of the most global editions in the history of these awards.

The organization of IBC has announced the finalists to its IBC Innovation Awards 2018. The awards recognize innovation in the media, entertainment and technology industries and this year celebrate excellence in sport and news, multilingual production, multinational distribution, new ways of engaging audiences and new business models to maximize revenue. The three categories range from content creation to distribution.

The three finalists of Content Creation are the Chinese television network CCTV for its live 4k Ultra HD coverage of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics; Euronews and the world's first “glocal” news service; and Discovery y Eurosport by the Eurosport Cube, a live virtual reality studio that allowed experts to demonstrate different techniques during the Winter Olympic Games.

Four finalists compete in the content distribution category. Econet Media has developed a remarkable ubiquitous television platform for Africa; Discovery y Eurosport have worked with NEP to develop its Mediabank solution to manage assets and files for coverage of the Winter Olympics; Vodafone has a new cloud-based multinational television distribution system that it is deploying from Europe to New Zealand; and Medialaan in Belgium now offers subscribers the ability to watch programs from the beginning, with advertising automatically adjusting to ensure the right messages are seen as the viewer gradually catches up to the live broadcast.

Michael Lumley, president of the international jury of the IBC Awards, highlights that "this year's finalists are truly remarkable. We have live coverage from the cars of a rally, a fantastic new way to immerse the public in the excitement of winter sports, a very productive way to create news in multiple languages ​​and cultures, a new initiative to bring OTT and mobile television to sub-Saharan Africa...".

In the Michael Lumley category, Content Everywhere Three finalists will compete for prizes: the Irish chain RTÉ, with Saorview Connect, an advanced, connected and free television platform; the global sports media specialist ESPN, with Shortstop Live, a great way for journalists to go on air from their phones with the shortest latencies; and WRC, the World Rally Championship, which now offers everyone the chance to ride on board with their favorite drivers, regardless of the length of the stage.

The IBC organization selects finalists based on projects that have solved a real creative, operational or commercial problem in the industry. The delivery ceremony will take place on Sunday, September 16 at 6:30 p.m. The ceremony, which also includes other awards such as the International Honor for Excellence, the highest award given by the IBC, is free for all IBC visitors.