IBC2026 Conference tackles AI in action, live sport, creator disruption and trust in content
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- Opening keynote features Particle 6 Founder and CEO Eline van der Velden and AI actor Tilly Norwood in a session exploring AI’s impact on creativity
- Speakers from Banijay, BBC Studios, CNN, FIFA, Globo, Google, ITV, JioStar, Meta, Netflix, OBS, Snap, UEFA, Vinted, Warner Bros. Discovery and YouTube join other global industry leaders to debate media’s future
London, Tuesday 14 July 2026 – IBC2026 has unveiled a powerful Conference programme bringing together global media leaders, technology innovators, creators, sports organisations, broadcasters, platforms and brands to explore the forces reshaping media and entertainment (M&E). Running from 11–13 September at the RAI Amsterdam, the three-day IBC2026 Conference is built around IBC’s core themes of Shifting Business Models, Transformative Tech and People & Purpose – looking not only at what is changing in M&E, but how media companies can adapt, compete and create new opportunities.
“The IBC2026 Conference reflects an industry that is no longer asking what advances are coming, but how to put them to work,” said Sally Watts, Content Manager at IBC. “Across AI, sport, the creator economy, advertising, news, trust in content, audience behaviour and monetisation, this year’s programme brings together the people defining M&E’s future and inspires debate around the questions the industry needs to address now.”
AI moving from promise to real-world delivery
AI will be a defining thread, opening with ‘Disrupt, Innovate, Create: How to Embrace AI’, featuring Eline van der Velden, Founder and CEO of Particle 6 and the creator of AI actor Tilly Norwood, who will appear virtually alongside her. The keynote explores AI’s growing influence on how content is written, produced and brought to life, while examining what generative tools mean for originality, authorship and the role of human imagination.
“IBC is a cornerstone event in the media and entertainment calendar, and its ability to bring leading creatives and technology experts from around the world together for knowledge exchange and collaboration makes it truly unmissable,” van der Velden said.
The Conference will move beyond the hype around AI to assess its real-world impact across the media value chain. Other sessions include ‘CTO Perspectives: How AI is Reshaping the Business of Media?’, with senior technology leaders from Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) and Canal+; ‘Keynote: Innovating to Deliver the News of Tomorrow’, led by Alex Charalambides, SVP and CTO of CNN; and ‘Case studies: Applying AI: Predictive, generative or agentic?’, featuring speakers from Respeecher, Bertelsmann and ITN.
Another keynote will look at how distribution and viewer engagement are changing, with YouTube Regional Director of Product Partnerships Mahesh Bhalerao discussing how broadcasters and digital platforms can collaborate to reach audiences and unlock growth.
The programme will also address how production is evolving for the streaming era, with Netflix VP Production Anna Mallett exploring the impact of international collaboration, virtual production, cloud-based postproduction and AI-assisted workflows.
Live sport, creators and brands transforming the media market
Live sport is another major focus of this year’s Conference, reflecting its role as one of the most demanding and innovative areas of media. Sessions featuring speakers from FIFA, Liga Portugal, OBS, UEFA and Women’s Super League (WSL) will discuss how live sports production, AI, data, fan engagement, rights and distribution are evolving as audiences expect more personalised, seamless and real-time experiences across platforms.
OBS CEO Yiannis Exarchos, taking part in the ’Live Sports at Scale: Redefining the Art of the Possible’ panel, said: “The discussions at IBC help to connect strategic trends with practical execution and to turn emerging ideas into industry-wide progress, ultimately creating better experiences for billions of sports fans around the world.”
The programme will also examine how the creator economy, social platforms and brands are becoming central to media’s future. Media Cartographer Evan Shapiro will set out ‘The Creator Economy Rules’ before moderating a panel featuring BBC Studios Digital Brands, Snap, Tubi, Sidemen Entertainment and Meta. The panel will address the impact on mainstream media and whether creators are becoming the new media elite.
A separate session, ‘Brands as Media: Reinventing the Relationship between Content and Advertising’, will bring together speakers from Banijay, Vice Media Group, Vinted and M&C Saatchi Sport and Entertainment Europe to examine how brands are reshaping content, advertising, culture and audience communities.
The programme will also include ‘Too Big to Compete? Media Consolidation in 2026’, a keynote from Claire Enders CBE, CEO and Founder of Enders Analysis, on how media companies are using consolidation, partnerships, acquisitions and divestments to compete.
“AI, social platforms and the fragmentation of audiences are shaking the foundations of premium entertainment and raising questions about its future – yet the broadcast ecosystem has repeatedly demonstrated its resilience and ingenuity in the face of technological change,” Enders noted. “This global event is happening at a pivotal moment for our industries.”
Trust, discovery and the future media stack
IBC2026 will also address the pressing strategic and technical questions facing media companies. Sessions include ‘Television’s Great Rewiring: Strategy, Policy and Audience Enjoyment in the All-IP Era’ and ‘Choice, Curation and Context? What do Audiences Want, from Where and How?’, which features speakers from Samsung TV Plus, ITV and Warner Bros. Discovery discussing how to improve discovery, curation and engagement.
On Sunday, ‘Security, Authenticity and Provenance: How Can We Trust the Content We Have Now and in the Future?’ will bring together speakers from LaLiga, Globo and Google, while ‘Technology Fit for The New Era of Broadcasting’ will feature panellists from EBU, JioStar and Crunchyroll.
The Conference will also feature the IBC Technical Papers Programme, showcasing peer-reviewed research with its scope expanded this year to include technical policy. Sessions will cover AI production, coding, trust and provenance, XR and multiview, the future of TV distribution, dynamic media facility developments, AI indexing and more.
To register for the IBC2026 Conference, visit: https://show.ibc.org/ibc-pass-types
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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/
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