Content Everywhere at IBC2025: Agentic AI plays out

So what were some of the key themes under discussion in Halls 4 and 5? Last year, AI really came to the fore, and this year there was a lot more discussion about the practical applications of generative and agentic AI. This was particularly evident on the AWS stand in Hall 5, where a third of the demos by partner companies were agentic AI-driven.

Below, companies from the Content Everywhere ecosystem highlight what they see as some of the most promising industry developments at the show, while calling out areas where they think the industry has room for improvement, including, as before, how AI is being handled and deployed.

AI: the good, and the not so good

Views on AI in the streaming and video industry are still highly variable, reflecting the fact that applications of the technology are still at an early stage.

On the positive side, for example, Igor Oreper, Chief Architect at Bitmovin, observes that IBC showcased how AI “has moved past the theoretical towards actual practical applications, with many vendors showcasing how AI can help create and make money from content”.

Jan Frelek, Chief Commercial Officer at Backscreen, also says there was evidence of more practical use of AI in broadcasting. “Metadata extraction, smarter content tagging, and workflow automation are becoming tangible tools rather than just concepts,” he says.

In addition, André Rosado, Head of Product at Agile TV, cites one of the biggest highlights as “seeing how AI has moved from technology adoption plans to real-world impact around key media use cases. At this year’s IBC, operators and content owners were showing practical AI tools that speed up editorial tasks, improve metadata and discovery and make it easier to repurpose content from social-first short form right up to the big screen”.

He adds: “Combined with the strong interest in new, snackable content formats, it’s clear the industry is embracing these tools to work faster, cut costs and deliver more personalised, engaging experiences to audiences.”

For Ajey Anand, CEO and co-founder at Norigin Media, the Future Tech hub in Hall 14 was also a clear standout, “showcasing strong proof-of-concepts around AI-driven personalisation and private 5G”

On the other hand, Rosado feels there is still lack of visibility of tangible applications using agentic AI. “There’s a lot of conceptual work and experimentation happening, particularly at the user interface and interaction model, but I believe we’re only just beginning to see where the real value will emerge,” he says.

That said, he adds, “the direction is clear, and the foundations being laid now suggest that the next wave of deployments could be genuinely transformative for media operations, content creation and user experiences”.

Anand also comments that there is an ongoing lack of real, tangible AI deployments. “Much like in 2024, the bigger vendors mostly showcased incremental workflow tweaks rather than bold, transformative use cases. It’s clear that scaling AI takes time, but IBC still felt too heavy on talk and too light on demonstration.”

Bart Lozia, CEO of Spyrosoft BSG, notes that while AI was one of the most dominant themes of the show, “most of the conversations stayed at the level of vision and potential”.

“We were hoping to see more tangible, fully developed applications, solutions that are already being deployed and generating measurable results. Instead, much of what we encountered felt more like hype: ambitious roadmaps, interesting prototypes, but very few concrete answers to the ‘how’ and ‘when’,” Lozia says.

He adds: “While the industry clearly recognises AI’s importance, the gap between the big promises and actual implementation remains wide. For companies like ours, who are focused on delivering practical value to clients, this was a little frustrating. We left with the impression that AI still has a lot of proving to do before it becomes a real game-changer for media and entertainment.”

Gatis Gailis, CEO and founder of Veset, says there was at least “patently less hype around AI than last year when everything was all about AI. While there’s still interest in AI, it’s now about the practical applications where it’s already making a difference rather than what it could potentially do”.

Cloud migration: positives, and negatives

In terms of other themes, cloud always gets a mention, but opinions on progress certainly vary. Frelek bundles it in with other areas where he feels there are “some familiar gaps” despite the progress that has been made.

“Many conversations around AI, cloud-native deployments, and monetisation still leaned heavily on vision rather than proven ROI. Large-scale, production-ready examples were harder to find, which gives the impression of stagnation even amid exciting disruption,” he remarks.

Another noticeable gap, he says, “was the lack of concrete demonstrations of how platforms are actively adapting UX across generations. This is where the real breakthrough will come — moving beyond talk of disruption toward delivering experiences that work seamlessly for every audience, with Gen Z setting the direction.”

Oreper observes that there was a “noticeable slowdown in the shift to the cloud” and says many companies at IBC were “frustrated with the slow progress and surprised by the high and unpredictable costs of cloud services”.

“This is making it harder for companies to move their operations to the cloud, even though there’s a lot of interest in doing so. As a result, many are sticking with a mix of on-premise and limited cloud services experimentation at this point. There is not enough focus on FinOps as a core part of buyers’ business process or objectives,” he says.

At the same time, Gailis says one of the standout highlights for his company this year was “seeing how much the attitude towards cloud use has changed”.

“There’s less scepticism now, and instead, cloud is seen as a proven technology, thanks in part to the high-profile cloud-only live sports broadcast use cases in the US recently. Broadcasters now are typically using a mix of technologies, with both on-prem hardware and cloud solutions working together in tandem,” he says.

He notes that Veset saw a lot of interest in how cloud playout can be used to supplement and enhance existing broadcast operations, through applications such as disaster recovery in the cloud, launching FAST channels, and using cloud playout for broadcasting of short events that only last a few days. “With cloud playout, these kinds of functions can be quickly activated and deactivated, all without the kind of investment that would be required with on-prem infrastructure, so the benefits are clear.”

Gailis adds: “From the vendor perspective, there finally seems to be an understanding that you can’t just take your on-prem solutions and put them in the cloud (aka virtualisation) because this just doesn’t give the best outcome. Instead, solutions need to be built in the cloud from the ground up, using microservices and a modular approach. This realisation and shift in vendor mindset was really noticeable this year, much more so than in previous years.”

And more besides…

Lozia provided an overall positive assessment of the mood at IBC, observing that what stood out most was “how pragmatic the industry has become”.

“There was less noise and hype and more focus on practical solutions that deliver real value. The companies we spoke to came with a clear idea of what they want to achieve and their priorities were straightforward: they’re looking for solutions that work, that can be implemented quickly and that are cost-effective. Instead of chasing shiny trends, the conversations were about efficiency, measurable outcomes and building technology that makes sense for the business. That shift towards clarity and realism felt like the strongest signal from this year’s show,” he says.

Oliver Lietz, CEO of nanocosmos, adds that “for us, the biggest highlight at IBC 2025 was the genuine momentum around Media over QUIC (MOQ). We expected some scepticism and a lot of questions, but instead we were met with curiosity and strong engagement. The conversations confirmed that the industry is ready to explore new approaches for interactive real-time streaming”.

Frelek notes that discussions around user experience are gaining real momentum. “Cross-generational UX is no longer a side topic. It’s clear that Gen Z’s demand for immediacy, personalisation, and intuitive design is already shaping expectations across all age groups.”

Estibaliz Rodero, Regional Strategy Director at Evergent, says her biggest highlight was “seeing how the vendor landscape is finally shifting toward what companies actually need. Broadcasters and streamers don’t need ‘all-in-one’ providers – they need partners that solve real problems, improve productivity day-to-day, and tackle the complex but non-core tasks so their teams can focus on the business. That’s why partnerships have become such a strong trend: specialised providers working together, aligning roadmaps, and rowing in the same direction.”

For Rodero, a less positive aspect was “hearing from companies that are suffering major revenue losses because of poor vendor choices. Some are locked into long contracts with partners developing products without considering client needs. This kind of vendor lock-in is the silent killer of revenue in our industry. It slows down innovation, eats into margins, and limits agility at a time when flexibility is everything.”

Meanwhile, Tom Dvorak, co-founder and chief commercial officer at XroadMedia, says that despite some challenges across the entire industry, a noticeable shift occurred in content discovery compared to previous years.

“The conversations are now more specific on what KPIs personalisation can drive results for. We are seeing more innovation as TV service providers search for engagement and revenue, such as video shorts and micro dramas. There has been a realisation that personalisation is a key differentiator, not only to keep users entertained but for survival within a crowded market. This is obviously helped by the adoption of AI, not only with aiding editorial, product and marketing teams with the approach to enhance UIs but also going beyond with monetization strategies that are future-proof,” he says.

Michael Lantz, CEO of Accedo Group, also remarks that it was “very interesting to see that the industry has embraced efficiency as an important customer value. It’s a clear sign of maturity and will give customers value as the short term macro-economic prospect for media is still unclear”.

Lantz adds that he would have expected more news about M&A. “The industry is in a transition, and it is likely that we will see new alliances and new acquisitions happening. While we have seen some recent transactions, like Deltatre/Endeavor Streaming and Brightcove/Bending Spoons, it’s been considerably less than I had anticipated.”

Overall, Anand says Hall 5 was a pretty vibrant place to be during IBC2025, with companies presenting new case studies and partnerships. “These reflected the industry’s growing shift toward ROI-focused strategies and best-of-breed technologies,” he says.

“That said, the real highlight for me was the quality of networking, especially the presence of startups and niche technology players who brought fresh perspectives and energy to the event,” he concludes.