London, 22 January 2026 – IBC today announces that the call for Technical Papers is now open for the IBC2026 Conference, inviting innovators from across the global media, entertainment, and technology community to share original research and practical breakthroughs shaping the future of the industry. The deadline is Friday, 20 February.

For more than 50 years, IBC’s Technical Papers have set the benchmark for engineering excellence, showcasing the ideas, prototypes, and deployments that move media forward. From AI-driven workflows and trusted news systems to immersive formats, cloud production, 5G infrastructure, and sustainable media practices, the programme provides insight that goes well beyond headline trends.

Mike Crimp, CEO of IBC, said: “IBC is world-renowned for the quality, timeliness, and innovative subject matter of its Technical Papers. They are where genuine technological progress meets real-world application, and where the industry’s brightest minds share knowledge that benefits the entire media ecosystem. We encourage researchers, engineers, and practitioners from every discipline to take part in IBC2026 and help shape the next chapter of our industry.”

Open to the whole media technology community:

The programme welcomes entries from all sectors of the broadcast, communications, electronic media, and entertainment landscape. Submissions may come from any discipline – whether the author is a professional or a professor, part of an R&D team, working independently or within a global organisation.

IBC Technical Papers present unpublished technical disclosures of original, novel research and innovation focused on real-world challenges. At this initial stage, entrants are invited to submit a 300-word synopsis outlining the key topic, what is unique and novel about the work, and its practical relevance to the industry.

All submissions are rigorously reviewed by a panel of professional experts. Papers accepted for presentation at the IBC2026 Conference will be eligible for the Best Conference Paper Award, presented at the IBC2026 Awards.

Building on an exceptional 2025 programme:

The 2025 edition demonstrated the extraordinary breadth of technologies influencing media. Topics ranged from facial recognition and machine learning in news to generative AI for targeted advertising, large-scale streaming to tens of millions of concurrent viewers, XR and neural radiance fields, advances in video coding, 5G field trials, and sustainability.

The coveted Best Technical Paper Award 2025 was presented to a Swiss-led team from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and HEIG-VD for their work “EBU NEO – A sophisticated multilingual chatbot for a trusted news ecosystem exploration”.

Selected alongside 22 other papers from 337 submissions, the winning paper was chosen by IBC’s international peer review panel of 20 experts. It highlighted both the promise and current limitations of AI in public-facing journalism, underlining the real-world impact that Technical Papers deliver.

Key information:

• Submission requirement: 300-word synopsis
• Deadline for submissions: Friday 20 February 2026
• Submit entries at: IBC Technical Papers | IBC2026 Show 11-14 Sep 2026

ENDS

 

About IBC

Delivering innovation and empowering people, IBC is where the future of the global Media and Entertainment industry is defined and actioned. Energising the market, enabling content everywhere and inspiring new conversations, IBC brings the creative, technology and business communities together to collaborate, learn and unlock new opportunities.

At IBC2026, exhibitors and speakers from around the globe will showcase game-changing innovations and tackle the media sector’s most pressing trends and issues – changing perceptions and meeting the needs of the world-leading broadcasters, content owners, rightsholders, service providers, and others attending the four-day conference and trade show.

With a focus on inclusivity, IBC propels change – driving thought leadership, sparking discussion, shifting expectations, accelerating creativity, and enabling real business outcomes. IBC’s mission is to empower our 250,000-strong global community to explore new opportunities, build knowledge, and play an active role in the technological transformation and broader change sweeping the industry worldwide.

For further information, please visit: https://show.ibc.org/ 

Media Relations:

Platform Communications for IBC
Nick Field / Reece Hainesborough / Molly Cole

ibcprteam@platformcomms.com

+44 (0) 20 3832 3690