Exploring the three core pillars of IBC2026 – shifting business models, transformative tech, and people and purpose – this year's free-to-attend showfloor content programme will address the biggest issues impacting the global media and entertainment community.
Attendees will be able to hear from more than 600 speakers across the showfloor stages, including on the Showcase Theatre, which returns to Hall 3, and as part of the IBC Owner & Partners Programme, which will cover everything from the latest industry standards to strategies for business transformation.
AI is set to feature heavily in the Showcase Theatre programme. On 11 September 2026, Gorka Llort, Director of Digital Business at MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group, and Just Hut, Lead, Media Experience, KPN, will discuss how AI is reshaping media operations, from content creation to monetisation. In addition, a panel of media and technology leaders will consider how AI agents are changing media, where agentic AI is already making a difference, and which workflows are ready for change.
The next day will see a discussion on multimodal generative AI, with Blake Bassett, Senior Vice President (SVP) of Product, Platform, and Monetisation at Tubi, taking part in a session exploring how it is being used to reason across text, image, audio, and video to revolutionise viewer engagement.
In addition, Jo Plaete, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Brahma AI, will look at how M&E is leveraging generative AI and AI agents, before Kenna Hilburn, Chief Product Officer (CPO) at Avid Technology, and Kevin Lingley, Executive Vice President (EVP) of AI at Fremantle, will turn the focus to the role of these tools in enhancing production management.
Finally, Tyler Bell, Senior Vice President (SVP) of Product at Gracenote, will lead a session of executives as they reveal their companies’ AI journeys. The conversation will centre around how they’re approaching adoption, key lessons learned, and what they believe is ultimately possible using the technology.
Furthermore, the IBC Owner & Partners Programme kicks off on Friday with an update on MovieLabs' 2030 Vision, before the focus shifts to the issue of sustainability. First up, the Media Tech Sustainability Series will use two examples to highlight what sustainable production looks like when reliability, scale, and performance cannot be compromised. This is followed by the Greening of Streaming (GoS) hour, where the latest news and findings from GoS measurement work will be shared before a keynote and panel discussion on where measurement-led sustainable streaming practices are heading next.
The second day of the programme begins with the Future Media Townhall, which will focus on the latest developments and implementation of connected media applications, including both the technology and commercial perspectives. Speakers include: Jason Cloud, Senior Staff Researcher of Experience Delivery at Dolby; Jordi J. Gimenez, Head of Technology at 5G-MAG; Julien Lemotheux, Senior Standardisation Manager at Orange; and Saba Ahsan, Principal Research Lead at Nokia.
The afternoon includes a look at the hot topic of DMF MXL, with Felix Poulin, Director of Global Collaborations | Innovation Hub at CBC, and Willem Vermost, Senior Media Technology Architect at the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). The day of sessions will end with “The innovation flywheel: How open source and standards reinforce each other”, led by Thomas Bause Mason, Director of Standards Development at SMPTE.
The final day of the programme begins with an interactive two-hour workshop designed to help women communicate with confidence, presence, and impact, presented by Rise in association with Sony Europe.
This is followed by a look at how 5G non-terrestrial networks are becoming part of the global mobile ecosystem, enabling new services such as direct-to-device connectivity and seamless roaming between terrestrial and satellite networks. Three executives: Jennifer Barber, Senior Director of Product Management at 5G NTN Solutions, Kratos; Michel Dothey, Chief Commercial Operator (CCO) and Co-Founder of neXat; and Mohamed Al Sayed, Acting Vice President of Commercial, Es'hailSat, will gather to share their insights.
Finally, the European Digital Cinema Forum (EDCF) will return to IBC to host its Global Cinema Seminar, one of the industry's most authoritative annual forums on cinema technology and its future.
View the full IBC2026 Content Agenda here and register for IBC2026.
Showcase Theatre sponsors:
Accenture
Evergent
Globant
Google Cloud
Google LLC
Gracenote
North Telecom
Oracle
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