IBC 2026 redefines its pillars to adapt to an evolving industry

Aware of the important changes that the broadcast industry is going through, which is going from looking for the latest technology to studying the implementation of that which allows producing more with fewer resources, IBC 2026 previews the news of an edition that, from September 11 to 14, will focus on translating innovation into “practical solutions, tangible results and business opportunities.”

He Amsterdam RAI will once again host an event that hopes to bring together thousands of professionals of a total of 170 countries. It will do so with its usual combination of exhibition floor, some 45,000 square meters that confirm relative post-pandemic stability, and 1,200 companies, a figure that, three months after the event, remains at 100 companies less than in the 2025 edition.

Michael Crimp, CEO of IBC, has recognized in a meeting with the press that the “industry is changing”, as well as the expectations of the fair public. “The conversation is moving away from new technology and towards value; those ideas that allow us to offer more sustainable workflows and new ways to connect.” Therefore, it anticipates some guidelines based on evolving business models and concepts like “business intelligence", euphemism to allude to the critical transformative impact of artificial intelligence in all human and business processes. “We want to turn change into an opportunity,” he stated.

Future Tech: growth from innovation

Steve Connolly, director of IBC, has stressed that the two areas of greatest growth for the fair in 2026 They are, precisely, two secondary environments that little by little are gaining weight in the broadcast ecosystem: Content Everywhere, an area focused on cross-platform delivery and monetization, and Future Tech, area of ​​innovation and startups in which, as Jo Mayer, IBC's marketing manager commented, “It marks where we are going and the next ideas that will come to life.”

In this context the new initiative is born Future Tech Ignite, which will connect more than 50 start-ups, emprendedores y tecnologías emergentes con el ecosistema M&E a través de su nueva “Start-up Zone” y el “Ignite Stage”, espacio que ofrecerá un programa de cuatro días con contenidos orientados al futuro, sesiones de desarrollo de talento y competencias, y una nueva muestra creativa. Como reflejo de la creciente importancia del intercambio de conocimientos y la colaboración, Future Tech acogerá también el Braindate Lounge, a new section of the experience IBC Exchange which will allow attendees to participate in discussions, both one-on-one and in small groups, designed to foster meaningful conversations, knowledge sharing and connections within the sector.

The change of model in the sector is evident in the profile of the companies that will debut with their own stand at IBC 2026: the Norwegian company Muybridge, which will have the largest space among all the debutants, and other companies such as Avion, Barco, Chengdu Vistelen, CREE8, Dropbox, Edgenext, Evoto, Leica, Rakuten, Scaleway, Shade, Suite y TVUP.

A conference with great weight of sport

The conference program IBC 2026, three days long, will explore areas such as transformation of sport, AI in practice, the origin of content and audience behavior. Structured around the central themes of the IBC (Evolving Business Models, Transformative Technology and People and Purpose), the program will host sessions such as “Disruption, Innovation, Creation: How to Embrace AI”, “The New Playbook for Sport: AI, Data, Fans and Rights” and “Safety, Authenticity and Provenance”.

Key speakers signed to date include Claire Enders (CEO and founder of Enders Analysis), Eline van der Velden (founder and CEO of Particle6), Guy-Laurent Epstein (UEFA executive director of marketing), Yiannis Exarchos (OBS CEO) and Marion Rathmann (Vice President of Network Content and Programming, Warner Bros. Discovery Group).