The International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) is once again serving as a global meeting point for the industry, bringing together the creative, technology and business communities to turn ideas into action, connections into partnerships and innovation into real-world business outcomes.
The world’s leading broadcasters, content owners, rights holders and solution providers are converging in Amsterdam from 11 – 14 September 2026 for focused conversations, active collaboration and deal-making.
IBC2026 will bring together more than 44,000 attendees from over 170 countries to explore innovations from more than 1,200 exhibitors across 14 halls, with more than 600 speakers delivering insights across the conference programme.
IBC is owned and run by six professional organisations, two of which I have been a member and volunteer of for many years: the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) and the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society.
Through the IET Media Technical Network and IEEE-BTS, both organisations have been involved in producing owner programmes at IBC that are free to attend for any category of registered attendees.
Indeed, IBC2026 is featuring a broad range of concurrent programmes across its four days, including the Technical Papers Programme, Accelerator Innovation Programme and free-to-attend show-floor sessions. Some sessions are open to all registered attendees while others, including technical papers and main conference sessions, require a delegate pass.
Across the Content Everywhere stages, the Future Tech Stage, the Owner & Partner Programme, and the IBC Showcase Theatre, attendees can hear from industry pioneers and innovators exploring the trends, technologies and ideas shaping the future of media and entertainment (M&E).
The M&E industry is being reshaped in real time, from AI-driven creativity and evolving audience behaviour to new commercial models and the growing importance of trust.
From expert insights and thought leadership to real-world case studies, technology showcases and the latest industry developments, there are sessions to inform and inspire attendees across every area of interest.
The IBC Conference brings together industry leaders from across media, entertainment and technology, with a programme focused on what is happening now and what’s coming next. From AI-powered creativity and the future of sports rights to trust, authenticity and the changing relationship between brands, platforms and audiences, the conference is designed to reflect the realities of today’s market and the opportunities shaping tomorrow.
This year’s programme brings together senior personalities from across the global media ecosystem to examine the forces actively redefining how the industry operates:
- AI in practice — from creative workflows to real-world deployment;
- Audience behaviour — navigating choice, personalisation and platform complexity;
- Sports transformation — where data, fandom and media rights collide;
- Trust and provenance — protecting content in an era of deepfakes and misinformation; and
- New commercial models — where brands, creators and media converge.
These are not future trends but current trends redefining how the industry operates.
Another important strand of IBC2026 is the Technical Papers Programme, which has formed the backbone of the conference for many years. Peer-reviewed and world-renowned, the programme brings together the technical media and broadcast community to address a central question: what direction should technology take for the industry?
IBC2026 has expanded the programme’s scope to include papers dedicated to technical policy alongside more traditional technical papers. Featured sessions will span AI Production, Coding, Trust and Provenance, XR and Multi-view, the Future of TV Distribution, Dynamic Media Facility developments, AI Indexing, and more.
This year’s Best Technical Paper award goes to Emma Maier, Jodie Pearton, Anna Stewart, Arina Mnatsakanyan and Jonathan Freeman, of i2 media research, for their work entitled “Measuring & Reducing Interaction Barriers in Internet-Delivered TV Systems through Age-Informed Human Factors Design.”
The paper examines how internet-delivered TV can be made more accessible for older viewers, enabling them to access everyday services with confidence. It demonstrates how a simple, optional age-informed overlay interface can reduce interaction barriers and support more independent viewing.
The IBC Accelerator Media Innovation Programme sits at the heart of Future Tech, uniting the global media and technology community to develop practical solutions to the industry’s most pressing challenges and opportunities.
IBC2026 is also featuring nine Accelerator Projects, bringing together organisations from across broadcast, streaming, live production, and media technology to explore emerging innovations transforming content creation, distribution and audience experiences.
Following the 2026 Accelerator Kickstart Day, leading media organisations, including BBC, NBCUniversal, DAZN, ITV, Channel 4, Associated Press, Sky and Al Jazeera, are now collaborating with technology partners on a new generation of industry-led innovation projects.
IBC is run by the industry, for the industry. Six leading international bodies representing both exhibitors and visitors are the organisations behind the convention, and their insights ensure that IBC remains relevant, comprehensive, timely, and continues to serve as the leading international forum for everyone involved in content creation, management and delivery.
Each year, the IBC owners and partners deliver a wealth of free-to-attend sessions covering a wide range of topics, from the latest industry standards and strategies for business transformation to defining future networks and building sustainable broadcast infrastructures.
Running across the show, these sessions offer attendees the opportunity to hear from leading industry bodies on the challenges currently facing media and broadcast, and the role that new technologies and practices will play in addressing them.
Attendees can also meet the professional organisations behind IBC – IEEE-BTS, IET, SMPTE, SCTE, IAMT, and RTS – at the IBC Owner Pavilion, where representatives from each owner are available to engage, arrange meetings and share their latest initiatives.
The IEEE-Broadcast Technology Society has designed and organised a series of sessions under the banner “Future Media Townhall”, focusing on the latest developments and implementation of connected media applications from both technology and commercial perspectives. The event will combine presentations and a roundtable discussion, bringing together industry experts to share insights on the current status, opportunities and challenges in this field.
Following an introduction and welcome by Samina Husain, President of IEEE BTS, four sessions featuring more than 20 speakers and moderators will cover the following areas:
Session 1: Media Delivery — Scaling media services and next steps in media delivery.
Session 2: New Technology — AI, networks and media towards autonomous workflows.
— Session Break: Paper and demo pitches at IBC —
Session 3: Video Codecs — Next-generation video codecs towards 2030.
Session 4: Panel discussion.
The IET Media Technical Network (MTN), led by Chair Ian Nock and the executive committee, has designed and organised several sessions across three days under the theme “The Future of TV”.
Television has evolved beyond traditional linear broadcast delivery and is now moving beyond over-the-top (OTT) on-demand services. The industry is transitioning towards a world of Internet-delivered Television.
Markets around the world are at various points in this transition, whether they recognise it or not. The central question is over what timescale television will move to full internet delivery and whether that transition will ever be complete, or whether a combination of broadcast and streaming will endure, as some in the industry believe.
The UK has identified a transition timeline of either 2034 or 2044, depending on the outcomes of the Government Green Paper entitled ‘Watch this Space’. As a public service broadcaster-led transition, the UK is a first mover, though other markets have taken different approaches depending on the availability of alternative distribution mechanisms such as pay-TV cable.
The Society of Broadband Engineers (SCTE) and the IET are collaborating to address multiple aspects of the Future of TV at IBC2026 through the Owners Programme, which is accessible to all registered attendees.
On Friday, a two-hour session under the sub-theme “The Network Dimension” will cover five areas: the present and future of television distribution; networks for television delivery in 2026; the impact of total internet TV; the challenge of video in the last 10 metres; and a roundup Q&A.
Also on Day 1, Sept 11 (Friday), a one-hour session under the sub-theme “Navigating the Shift from Regional Broadcast to a Borderless Television Future” will address two topics: when the internet becomes the main channel, and the multi-platform programme. A further one-hour session, “The Battle for Visibility in an Age of Infinite Choice”, will cover home screen wars and how to cut through the noise.
On Saturday, a one-hour session under the sub-theme “Designing for Everyone: Accessibility, Engagement, and Audience Safeguards” will address the problem surface and the evolution of user experience, including where the remote control fits in an increasingly complex viewing environment.
On Sunday, a two-hour session under the sub-theme “Powering the Next Generation of Entertainment Architecture” will cover five areas: technology on the edge; rewiring the backbone through hybrid IP and broadcast delivery architecture; AI at the core, from encoding intelligence to hyper-personalisation; targeted advertising and the NextGen TV standards race; and, the environmental cost of streaming and reducing its carbon footprint.
In October, APB+ will provide a full analysis of the key insights and developments from IBC2026. Watch this space!
By Dr Amal Punchihewa
Member of the Executive Committee of Media Technical Network
Distinguished Lecturer of IEEE-Broadcast Technology Society
This article, written by me (Amal), was originally published on 10 September 2026 in APB+ (Asia-Pacific Broadcasting).
https://apb-news.com/ibc2026-what-to-expect-in-amsterdam-from-ai-and-trust-to-the-future-of-tv/
