OBS will receive the International Award for Excellence at IBC 2026

The International Award for Excellence IBC will be awarded on this occasion to Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), in recognition of decades of innovation in the production of sporting events at the highest level and its far-reaching impact on the global broadcast sector.

For decades, OBS has set the standard for innovation in live sports production, constantly pushing the boundaries of what is technically possible. Through pioneering advances in Ultra High Definition production, immersive audio, remote production workflows, artificial intelligence, cloud-based technologies and next-generation storytelling, the OBS has transformed the way audiences around the world experience the Olympic Games.

Beyond its technical achievements, OBS has played a decisive role in improving standards throughout the broadcasting sector. Innovations developed to meet the unique demands of the Olympic Games have often become catalysts for industry-wide adoption, influencing broadcasters, technology partners, manufacturers and production teams across all genres of live television.

Yiannis Exarchos, CEO of OBS, acknowledges that "we are truly honored to receive this award and we sincerely thank the IBC for this recognition. This distinction is a tribute to the passion, experience and dedication of all the staff at Olympic Broadcasting Services, whose work allows us to bring the Olympic Games to audiences around the world. It recognizes our team's commitment to innovation, excellence and service to the Olympic Movement, as we continually seek new ways to improve the coverage and audience experience of the Games. We “We are particularly proud to receive this award from the IBC, whose role in bringing together the international broadcasting community is highly regarded.”

OBS has previously received multiple industry and sports awards. At the IBC, these include the 2024 IBC Innovation Award in the Content Creation category, which OBS won, together with its technical partners, for its production of the live broadcast of the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony, which used more than 200 smartphones for video transmission, as well as a maritime 5G network for the Olympic sailing competitions in Marseille.

Best Technical Paper

On the other hand, during IBC 2026, Emma Maier, Jodie Pearton, Anna Stewart, Arina Mnatsakanyan and Jonathan Freeman, from i2 Media Research, will receive the Best Technical Article Award for their work titled Measuring and Reducing Interaction Barriers in Internet Television Systems Using an Age-Adopted Human Factors Design.

The article looks at how Internet TV can be made easier for older viewers to use so they can access everyday services with confidence. Using observational testing with adults aged 65-89 at i2 media's research lab at Goldsmiths, University of London, it identifies how design barriers – including lack of hierarchy, layered menus, unclear feedback and unfamiliar terminology – can make everyday tasks more difficult than expected. It then demonstrates how a simple, optional, age-appropriate overlay interface can reduce these barriers and support safer, more independent viewing.

Andrew Dumbreck, Chair of the IBC 2026 Technical Papers Committee, said: "Among the many excellent papers presented at this year's IBC Technical Conference, this work on making television more accessible to older viewers clearly reflects a well-conceived and executed scientific study. It is of great relevance to the current debate on how to transition to greater content distribution over the Internet, while maintaining the public service objectives of coverage and We can also expect a wide range of top quality presentations from the broadcasting sector and academia, including: BBC (UK); NHK (Japan); RAI (Italy);

The IBC 2026 Technical Paper Program brings together the media and broadcasting technical community to discuss what direction technology should take in the sector, and presents original research on solutions to real-world problems facing the international broadcasting and digital media industry. Its scope, expanded this year, includes dedicated technical policy presentations alongside traditional technical presentations, with specific sessions covering AI production, coding, trust and provenance, extended reality (XR) and multiple views, the future of television distribution, advances in dynamic media installations and AI indexing.

The IHFE and the Best Technical Paper Award will be presented at the IBC Innovation Awards ceremony, which will take place on Sunday 13 September at the RAI Center in Amsterdam.