IBC2026 Awards Finalists

How Collective Newsroom powers BBC India — Building a unified, multilingual production operation from scratch against a fixed deadline. Working with the BBC and nxtedition, supported by Adobe, Blackmagic Design, Calrec, Ideal Systems and Ross Video.

Media eXchange Layer (MXL) — The Media eXchange Layer (MXL) project is an open-source initiative established by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in collaboration with the North American Broadcasters Association (NABA), supported by the Linux Foundation. It forms a core component of the broader Dynamic Media Facility (DMF) vision incubated by the EBU and is now a recognised direction for the industry.

Formula E Strategy Agent — Formula E and Google Cloud co-developed the autonomous Strategy Agent AI architecture to process and contextualise a sub-millisecond, multi-feed torrent of racing car telemetry, video and audio data within a compressed 50-minute window to predict and simplify complex racing strategies for the viewer. The system utilises Gemini-enriched workflows to deliver operational gains by streamlining deep analytical data pools within seconds during live broadcasts. Technical support: Aurora Media Worldwide.

Capacity that follows the live news story — Reuters, together with TVU Networks and partners, has rebuilt how global live news is distributed, replacing fixed-capacity infrastructure with cloud-native media workflows -- where capacity follows editorial demand, not the other way around. Built on TVU MediaMesh, enabling event-driven, API-orchestrated news distribution, the architecture eliminates the fixed channel model and includes integration with Elecard, InSync, Kinetiq, TAG Video Systems and Sony.

Transforming broadcast distribution in Malaysia — Technical Content Delivery (TCODE) is a centralised digital contribution and workflow orchestration platform for Radio Televisyen Malaysia, developed with Ideal Systems. Technical supporters: Blue Lucy Media, Emotion Systems, and Fortinet.

Server-guided ad insertion at scale — RTBF Belgium migrated from CSAI/SSAI to standards-based SGAI. Launched for FIFA World Cup, with Bitmovin’s Player, AIP’s AdBlendr, HLS interstitials and SVTA2053. Technical support: Dotscreen, Red Bee Media, and Régie Média Belge.

Implementation of DTV+ in Brazil — Through DTV+, Globo has combined the reach of free-to-air television with the personalisation and measurability of digital media. By integrating broadcast and broadband, it reconnects mass audiences with digital capabilities. The project involved collaboration across government, broadcasters and industry.

The connected fan experience — Premier League Companion by Copilot delivers a connected fan experience across devices and channels. Built with Microsoft, the Premier League’s official cloud and AI partner, it gives 1.8 billion fans in 189 countries personalised, real-time access to match insights, stories and history, with context-aware prompts and agentic AI analysis. Technical partner: Beyond Sport.

Tilly Norwood (and the Tillyverse) — Created by Particle 6, with its talent studio Xicoia, the AI-generated performer has reached an estimated 80 million people globally with approximately 500 million cumulative impressions.

AI for Good — Established by the International Telecommunication Union, the platform convenes governments, start-ups, researchers, UN agencies, industry leaders, civil society and youth from over 180 countries, with the mission of unlocking AI's potential to serve humanity.

IOC Cyber Abuse Protection Service (CAPS) — This system protects athletes, teams, coaches and officials from online abuse at the Olympic Games. Technical supporter: Signify AI.

Closing the sign language gap: AI-powered sign language for live and on-demand streaming — G&L Systemhaus, an integrator for streaming infrastructure, initiated a project to remove a structural barrier in public broadcasting, public communication and education. German Sign Language (DGS) interpretation can’t currently be delivered at scale; the volume of digital content requiring sign language far exceeds what human interpreters alone can cover. G&L brought together AI company Signapse, software company Norsk/id3as and CDN provider Akamai to build a broadcast-grade, AI-powered sign language solution for live and on-demand streaming.