Netherlands – IBC2026 closed its doors at RAI Amsterdam after four days that brought together 41,225 professionals from 170 countries and more than 1,300 exhibitors from across the global media, entertainment and technology industries.
The 2026 edition also recorded a significant increase in new exhibitors. A total of 256 companies made their IBC debut, representing a 36% increase compared with 2025, while a number of established international brands expanded their presence on the show floor.
For Mike Crimp, CEO of IBC, the value of the event continues to lie in its ability to bring together an industry undergoing rapid technological and commercial change.
“IBC’s superpower is the power to convene our industry,” said Crimp. “Our industry has always been at its best when people come together, embrace new technology, and work through challenges to create real opportunity. That’s why IBC remains so important. We bring together all corners of the industry to demonstrate how innovation can solve practical challenges.”
Business and new opportunities across the show floor
The growing number of first-time exhibitors highlighted IBC’s role as a platform for companies looking to enter new markets and establish relationships with customers, partners and investors.
Among them was EON Media, which used the Future Tech zone for its first appearance at IBC and its European market launch.
“The Future Tech zone has been the ideal place for us to make our IBC debut and launch into Europe,” said Ashish Agrawal, Founder and CEO of EON Media. “We’ve had great customer conversations and a lot of drop-by visitors who were truly engaged.”
Established companies also reported strong engagement throughout the event. Avid expanded its footprint for this year’s show, with Kara Martin-Beijer, Vice President, Corporate Marketing at Avid, describing “a real buzz on the booth this year, with high-quality visitors and customer conversations throughout the show.”
Ross Video also pointed to immediate commercial results. Jeff Moore, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, said the company closed a sale of one of its new solutions on the first day of the exhibition.
“It’s a massive opportunity for our product teams to get a direction on where the industry wants to go and for us to share ideas with the industry and get that feedback loop going,” Moore said. “That shows you right there the value of IBC.”
Creating a bridge between emerging technology and the market
Future Tech, first introduced at IBC in 2025, continued to grow as a meeting point for emerging technologies, innovation and new industry talent.
One of the key additions for 2026 was Future Tech Ignite, which brought together more than 70 start-ups and emerging companies with investors and established organisations from the media and entertainment sector. The initiative was supported by EIT Culture & Creativity, part of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, as Innovation Partner.
Anette Schaefer, CEO of EIT Culture & Creativity, highlighted the international reach of the initiative. “There’s not another equivalent… You get the global perspective,” she said. “IBC has a great programme… It brings a lot of leaders together and it’s the exchange of ideas and thoughts.”
Microsoft also pointed to the quality of the conversations taking place throughout the event.
“The calibre of conversations and folks who have been attending here across every sub-vertical within media and entertainment has been very high value and really engaging,” said Jean Blatchford, Senior Product Marketing Manager: Global Industry, Microsoft.
IBC2026 also introduced the Braindate Lounge, available to visitors holding an IBC Exchange pass. The initiative was designed to facilitate curated one-to-one and small-group meetings, allowing participants to connect with professionals who shared specific areas of expertise, exchange experiences and discuss challenges outside the traditional conference and exhibition environment.
From experimentation to practical applications
The IBC Accelerator Media Innovation Programme provided another example of how the event is increasingly focused on turning emerging technologies into practical solutions.
For 2026, broadcasters, streamers and technology companies collaborated on nine real-world challenges covering areas such as agentic AI, immersive experiences, private 5G, accessibility, content provenance and live-event streaming.
The resulting proof-of-concepts explored how new technologies can address concrete industry requirements, helping reduce the distance between experimentation and potential deployment.
Caroline Ewerton, Senior Vice President, Content Operations & Technology at DAZN, which championed several Accelerator projects, highlighted the collaborative nature of the initiative.
“IBC creates a very unique opportunity… to be able to come together and look at where everybody’s headed,” she said.
The Conference reflects a changing industry
The three-day IBC Conference brought together executives and industry leaders from media, entertainment, technology and sport to discuss some of the most important issues shaping the sector.
Representatives from Banijay, BBC Studios, CNN, FIFA, Globo, Google, ITV, JioStar, Meta, Netflix, Snap, UEFA, Warner Bros. Discovery and YouTube took part in sessions addressing the practical impact of AI, changing business models, the economics of live sport, content discovery, security, trust and content provenance.
For UEFA, the conference also represented an opportunity to build knowledge and strengthen relationships across the industry.
“IBC is a great place to network for my team with the relevant people in the industry in order to grow their knowledge and to grow our opportunity to be better going forward,” said Guy-Laurent Epstein, Executive Director of Marketing at UEFA.
The programme also reflected how broadly the definition of media and broadcasting has expanded. Creator-led businesses, sports organisations and emerging content formats shared the stage with traditional broadcasters, streaming platforms and technology companies.
Evan Shapiro, Media Cartographer at ESHAP, pointed to the international and increasingly diverse nature of the event.
“What’s great about IBC is that it keeps evolving what the word broadcasting means,” he said. “This is a really great intersection of people from all over the planet – from Asia, Latin America, the US and Europe – all sharing best practices, sharing the challenges that we’re facing and looking for solutions together.”
Looking ahead to IBC’s 60th anniversary
With IBC approaching its 60th anniversary, the organisation says the momentum generated by the 2026 edition will provide a foundation for further business activity, partnerships and practical innovation.
The focus will remain on evolving the event as a global meeting point where the media and entertainment community can exchange knowledge, develop relationships and work collectively on the challenges created by a rapidly changing industry.
The next edition of IBC will take place at RAI Amsterdam from 10–13 September 2027.
