IBC2025: Future Tech to showcase very best of innovation in Hall 14

“Shaping the future of media and entertainment (M&E) worldwide is more than our theme – it’s our mission,” said Michael Crimp, IBC’s CEO. “IBC2025 is where the brightest minds from the international M&E community explore the ideas and technologies reshaping our industry. Future Tech brings that innovation into focus – from AI-powered personalisation and cloud-native workflows to content provenance and private 5G networks, visitors can see the future being defined and built in real time.”

IBC2025 is poised to lead the global conversation on M&E innovation when it brings the industry’s creative, technology, and business communities to the RAI Amsterdam on 12-15 September. Industry players from 170 countries will converge on this year’s show to connect, collaborate and unlock business opportunities – with a sharpened focus on transformative technology and real-world application.

Future Tech: Keeping innovation at the heart of IBC2025

Pioneering advances in areas such as AI, virtual production, interactive media, sustainable technology, and immersive experiences will drive visitors’ show journeys throughout IBC2025, but these technologies take centre stage in Future Tech.

Those exploring Hall 14 will see how AI is moving from the conceptual to the practical, spanning live production automation, generative content tools, and new uses just being introduced. They will also get the opportunity to delve into the virtual world of LED backdrops, augmented reality and real-time VFX, with exhibitors including Microsoft, Mo-Sys, 3Play, CaptionHub, Deepdub, Files.com, Monks (formerly Media Monks), Tata Communications, Veritone, and Ultra HD Forum.

Offering a curated blend of visionary showcases, hands-on demos, and thought leadership, Future Tech will also feature:

• Accelerator Innovation Zone: Where nine cutting-edge Proof of Concept (PoC) projects fast-track solutions to some of the industry’s toughest practical challenges through media owner and tech vendor collaboration.

• Future Tech Stage: Packed with keynotes, panels and live demos – including the Accelerator PoCs – and sponsored by Microsoft, this stage will feature industry pioneers previewing the technologies set to transform content creation and delivery.

• IBC Hackfest x Google Cloud: A high-intensity, two-day hackathon with digital innovators, tech entrepreneurs, software developers, creatives and engineers tackling real M&E challenges using Gemini AI and more.

• Google AI Penalty Challenge: This immersive interactive football-fan experience employs more than 15 integrated technologies to showcase AI-driven decision-making in sports performance.

• 100 Years of Television: Celebrating a century of innovation since the first TV picture was demonstrated by John Logie Baird at Strathclyde University in 1925, this exhibit not only looks back but offers a glimpse into what the next 100 years might bring.

• Networking Hub: From stand-up breakfasts and informal lunches to curated meetups and evening DJ sets, this buzzing hub offers a relaxed space for media and tech professionals to connect.

Future Tech also plays host to the growing IBC Talent Programme, supported by partners such as Rise, Rise Academy, Host Broadcasting Services (HBS), Gals N Gear, and Media Entertainment Talent Manifesto. Running on Friday 12 September, the programme presents a wide range of sessions and speakers covering everything from mentoring and career pathways to practical skills, diversity and inclusion.

Exhibitor innovation everywhere

Innovation is by no means restricted to Hall 14. Groundbreaking advances in everything from production and transmission to cameras and lighting to streaming and cloud services will be spotlighted on stands across the show – including exhibitor-driven presentations, demos and panels on the two Content Everywhere stages and the Showcase Theatre.

Companies returning to the show to meet, collaborate and showcase innovations include Adobe, Amazon Web Services, Ateliere, Avid, Blackmagic, Canon, EVS, Grass Valley, Panasonic, Riedel, Ross Video, Samsung, Sony and Zattoo. New exhibitors include Baron Weather, Cachefly, Files.com, Momento, NewBlue, OTT Solutions, Plain X, Raysync, and Remotly. The amount of space booked by exhibitors for IBC2025 has now passed 44,000 square metres, with over 1,100 exhibitors booked so far.

Steve Connolly, Director at IBC, notes: “IBC2025 is set to be our most transformative edition yet – a show where innovation is embedded across the entire experience. From world-first product launches to pioneering conference insights, we’re bringing together the technologies, people, and ideas that are redefining what’s possible in M&E.”

Deep dive at the IBC Conference

This year’s IBC Conference, the exclusive knowledge and networking experience, is running from 12-14 September. It brings together a broad mix of industry leaders and innovators to address topics such as: the business of TV and the search for sustainable growth across new platforms; live sports and real-time experiences; personalised advertising and the future of commercial models; and discovery and prominence – how to ensure content is surfaced in a crowded landscape.

This year’s conference will once again deliver visionary speakers who will cover business-critical challenges around technology and advertising models. AI also features heavily across the programme, examining not just its creative potential but how it can drive efficiency, enhance personalisation, and support real-world editorial workflows.

Newly announced speakers include Elke Walthelm, COO at Sky Deutschland, Rollo Goldstaub, Global Head of Sports Partnerships at TikTok, and Thomas Gruber, Co-CEO, ProsiebenSat 1 PULS 4 – joining others from organisations that include ITV, YouTube, Sling TV, and Warner Bros. Discovery, taking a deep dive into the issues, challenges and opportunities transforming media, entertainment and technology.

Another key element of the Conference is IBC’s world-renowned Technical Papers Programme, returning to the Conference with peer-reviewed research on emerging topics. Elsewhere, the Conference Delegate Lounge offers a place for quiet business conversations as well as networking breakfasts, VIP talks, and roundtables.