Has the number of visitors to IBC peaked?

The high price of accommodation in Amsterdam as well as flights, together with the boom that Integrated Systems Europe (in an environment of broadcast-ProAV convergence)) is achieving in Barcelona, ​​with excellent quality and hotel capacity, could be behind the stagnation in the number of visitors who come to IBC.

After the rebound in the 2023 and 2024 editions after the break due to COVID, this 2025 has been a setback for the sector's great fair. While the 2022 edition (first after the pandemic) reached 37,071 visitors, growing in 2023 to 43,065 and in 2024 to 45,085, This year the visits have reached 43,858, a figure very far from the record reached in 2019 with 56,398 visitors.

In any case, the exhibitors highlight the quality of the professionals who have come with the desire to complete projects. Michael Crimp, executive director of IBC. highlights that the fair "has generated real commercial results and has received very positive feedback from attendees. What caught my attention the most was the optimism and determination: exhibitors, visitors, speakers and partners came here with the goal of shaping the future of our sector. We look forward to continuing this journey together next year."

Con visitors from 170 countries, IBC2 025 reafirmó su papel como el evento de medios y entretenimiento más internacional del mundo. Desde broadcasters globales y propietarios de contenidos hasta proveedores de tecnología consolidados, pasando por ágiles empresas emergentes y disruptores en rápida expansión, todo el ecosistema de los medios y el entretenimiento (M&E) se dio cita en el RAI de Ámsterdam durante los cuatro días que duró el evento.

Carlos Octavio Queiroz, Director of Data/AI, Partnerships and Architecture at Globo, recognizes that "IBC 2025 continues to be the essential meeting place for media professionals from around the world. This year we have brought a large delegation because we know how important IBC is to drive innovation, exchange ideas and connect with our most important partners and suppliers. Receiving the IBC2025 Special Award during our centenary made it even more significant."

A highlight of IBC 2025 was the debut of Future Tech in Hall 14, a dynamic new center for emerging technologies and collaborative projects. Visitors were able to explore live demonstrations of generative and agential AI, immersive and interactive media, cloud-native workflows, private 5G networks and sustainable innovation.

“This year's IBC was brimming with energy, innovation and real momentum, especially in Future Tech,” he says. Skander Ben Attia, technical director of France Télévisions. "Our 5G-enabled aircraft attracted a lot of attention and sparked fantastic conversations about the future of connected media. We are proud to be part of the IBC Accelerator project, which explores the deployment of private 5G networks in the air. The launch of our C2PA initiative at IBC was also an important milestone and an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to content authenticity and public trust in journalism."

As for the training and idea-sharing sessions, gave delegates insight into the sector's most critical issues, from the rise of artificial intelligence and new business models to sustainability and storytelling. Sessions with speakers from ITV, Netflix, Warner Bros. Discovery and other leading industry players and thought leaders attracted a packed house. Icons such as Thelma Schoonmaker, the multi-Oscar-winning film editor who worked with Martin Scorsese, and director Bernard MacMahon of the Becoming Led Zeppelin documentary team, provided creative inspiration, while IBC white papers once again offered a rigorous vision of practical innovation.

Roller blind gold dust, global director of sports partnerships at TikTok and speaker at the conference, highlights "it was an incredible way to learn new things, especially about topics I hadn't even thought about going to hear, and I found them fascinating. From TikTok's perspective, we really want to shape the future of sports, and the IBC allows us to meet the creators who can help us do that. It's a joy that we are all in the same place."

Access to the IBC 2025 SPECIAL in Panorama