ThinkAnalytics used IBC2025 to showcase ThinkMediaAI, a new unified platform that combines content discovery, recommendations, advertising and metadata enrichment in a single system.

Founder and CTO Peter Docherty said the solution responds to a key industry challenge: operators and streamers relying on multiple, siloed tools to manage engagement, editorial, and advertising.

“Disparate systems create confusion and inconsistency for viewers,” Docherty explained in a Broadband TV News video interview. “By bringing all of this intelligence into one platform, we’re offering cost efficiencies for providers while ensuring subscribers see more value for money in both paid and ad-funded services.”

ThinkAnalytics, which counts more than 500 million viewers worldwide across pay TV and streaming clients, has also placed metadata enrichment at the centre of its strategy. The company has expanded its AI-driven enrichment capabilities to support 47 languages and cover entire catalogues, not just top-tier titles.

“If you don’t understand the content, you can’t understand the viewer,” Docherty said. 

“Agentic AI enrichment allows us to go beyond keywords and tags to include moods, themes and settings—key factors in driving wider viewing and avoiding the problem of audiences being pushed towards the same narrow set of titles.”

On the advertising side, ThinkMediaAI enables contextual targeting without the use of personal data. The platform analyses audience segments linked to particular shows, helping agencies and advertisers place campaigns with greater precision while remaining privacy-safe.

“Advertisers know that if they place ads in a given show, they are reaching the audience they want,” Docherty added.

ThinkAnalytics positions the new platform to support both viewer engagement and operator KPIs, while helping broadcasters broaden discovery, reduce churn and strengthen advertising revenue.

IBC 2025 has once again highlighted the convergence of broadcast and streaming, with 5G developments and cloud-based services among the dominant themes on the show floor. Making its debut under a new identity, Big Blue Marble is positioning itself at the centre of both trends.

The company brings together the Austrian ORS Group and its Polish streaming subsidiary INSYS Video Technologies under a single brand. “This year marks a milestone for us,” said CEO Michael Wagenhofer. “We are bringing together streaming and broadcasting into one offering under the Big Blue Marble brand.”

At IBC, the group showcased its modular, cloud-based streaming platform; key components included Cloud DRM and multi-CDN services. “It’s scalable end-to-end, but you can also pick specific components,” Wagenhofer explained.

Big Blue Marble is also active in the development of 5G broadcast. As a member of the 5G Media Action Group, the company is contributing to the 3GPP standard. On display in Amsterdam is what Wagenhofer described as a “world premiere” – the combination of DVB-T2 signals with 5G broadcast emergency warning. The innovation allows broadcasters to reuse existing infrastructure for public alerts during crises.

Looking at industry trends, Wagenhofer pointed to efficiency and partnerships as the key challenges. “Everyone must do more with fewer resources, whether personnel or money. The next step is how can I leverage cloud, how can I leverage AI,” he said. At the same time, he underlined the need for collaboration: “We will have to form partnerships in order to stay relevant in Europe.”

In a Broadband TV News video interview, Comcast Technology Solution’s Peter Gibson tells Julian Clover how its Media 360 technology is providing a managed solution to platforms that run fast channel distribution, broadcast distribution and streaming platforms.

They also talk about how sports franchises have become a major focus and a new agreement with Dubai Media.

The organisers of IBC2025 say 43,858 visitors from 170 countries attended the event in Amsterdam this weekend.

It’s a fall from the 45,085 attendees in 2024, where there had been an increase of around 2,000.

“IBC2025 has delivered real business outcomes with overwhelmingly positive feedback from attendees,” said Michael Crimp, Chief Executive Officer of IBC. “What struck me most was the sense of optimism and purpose – exhibitors, visitors, speakers, and partners all came here to shape the future of our industry. We look forward to continuing the journey together next year.”

The four-day event brought together global broadcasters, content owners and tech vendors. New for 2025 was the Future Tech hall, a new hub for emerging technologies and collaborative projects. Visitors explored live demonstrations of generative and agentic AI, immersive and interactive media, cloud-native workflows, private 5G networks, and sustainable innovation.

“This year’s IBC was buzzing with energy, innovation and real momentum, especially in Future Tech” said Skander Ben Attia, CTO, France Télévisions. “Our 5G-enabled light aircraft drew huge attention, sparking fantastic conversations about what’s next in connected media. We were proud to be part of the IBC Accelerator project exploring the deployment of private 5G networks in the air. Introducing our C2PA initiative at IBC was also a major milestone, and an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to content authenticity and public trust in journalism.”

The IBC2025 Conference presented delegates with an overview of significant industry topics, including the development of AI, business model evolution, sustainability, and storytelling. Sessions featured speakers from organisations such as ITV, Netflix, Warner Bros. Discovery, and other industry professionals. Presenters included Thelma Schoonmaker, an award-winning film editor known for her work with Martin Scorsese, and director Bernard MacMahon from the Becoming Led Zeppelin documentary team. The conference also included the IBC Technical Papers, which addressed current topics related to practical innovation.

Jon Roberts, Chief Technology Officer at ITN, said: “You could really feel this year how the IBC community is expanding, with younger voices adding fresh energy to more established leading voices, all with a shared appetite for collaboration and innovation. IBC2025 felt more dynamic, inclusive and forward-looking, exactly what our industry needs to thrive and move confidently into the future.”

IBC 2026 will take place between 11 to 14 September.

CTOs from two major broadcasters have been detailing how they are using AI in their company’s output.

In an IBC2025 panel Warner Bros. Discovery’s Avi Saxena explained that streaming platforms open up many more opportunities to use metadata. “Legacy media had only one way to discover the content but with streaming there are dozens of different ways,” he said, showing how AI can create data tags across a narrative theme, the context, advertising categories and a rich scene description.

The AI model can identify the characters and describe the scene.

Saxena believes voice to text AI is now mature, making it possible to caption in more languages faster, opening up more markets. Dubbing is also advancing, but at the moment while a single-voice documentary is straightforward, an action scene with people talking over each other is much more complicated.

AI can also be used for Drop-In Moments – the scene you might see when scrolling through the top 10 shows on a streaming service, which Saxena described as “It’s pretty nascent”. “We’re creating six to eight candidates… there’s then a human who then scores them and picks the final moment.”

In sport, Metronome captures audience excitement levels that is then combined with data of what’s happening on the pitch. The excitement levels makes it possible to identify which shots off target are worth including in a highlights package, among other features.

ITV’s Simon Farnsworth said that digital advertising platform Planet V was the best investment his company had ever made. “You can get super granular… you can say you want to target males living in affluent areas who are interested in SUVs and build a campaign around that.” Key is that the UK commercial broadcaster is taking on Big Tech, owning all the data, that might otherwise involve the likes of Google or Meta.

“The competition is a big guys. We have to generate more data. What we do with that data is really important, so we’ve also developed this proper lantern which essentially is an an outcome measurement tool. We’re ingesting data from things like Tesco Clubcard so when people buy campaigns on ITV, we can now actually prove that is what is what that is doing to consumer behaviour.”

As a public broadcaster, ITV is obliged to provide 23 separate regional news services. Farnsworth said that 140 people were previously needed to subtitle the bulletins. The job was now done by AI and the money saved invested in news gathering.

The streaming market in the Netherlands shows signs of consolidation. High levels of digital viewership are evident, with 87% of households accessing online content. Young adults aged 16–24 are the primary consumers, with a 96% engagement rate. However, high penetration doesn’t imply uniformity. Viewing decisions are shaped by age, device, and available content types.

In the EMEA region, Free with Ads models dominate (69%). In contrast, the Netherlands, alongside Norway, prefers subscription-based platforms. About 81% of households opt for this model. Up to 4Q2024, they spend on average 10 hours weekly engaging with content on subscription platforms.

This reflects a willingness to pay for uninterrupted experiences. Notably, 56% of households prefer paying higher prices to avoid ads.

Around 90% of the streaming catalogue in The Netherlands comes from abroad. The USA leads with over 25K titles, followed by the U.K. (+6K) and France (+4K). Local content accounts for just 5% of offerings on platforms like Netflix, Apple TV and Prime Video.

This aligns with audience behavior. The Netherlands is one of EMEA’s markets with the least preference for local content. This trend is likely tied to its limited availability.

Videoland stands out as the only Dutch platform in the top 5, with 26% penetration. Despite a smaller catalog (+2,7K titles compared to Netflix’s 9,5K) and a 22% higher price (USD 12.90 vs. USD 10.56), it remains competitive likely because of its localized catalogue including reality TV titles that continue to be popular between Dutch audiences.

Users aged 25–34 use an average of 6 platforms, while those over 55 uses only 3. The number of platforms decreases with age, with older users accessing half as many services.
Platform preferences vary by age:
• 16–24 years: Prefer Prime Video.
• 25–34 years and 44+: Choose Netflix.
• 35–44 years: Favor YouTube.
Device usage also correlates with age. While 70% of households access content on Smart TVs, younger users (16–24) prefer smartphones (58%).

Platforms vary in origin and size but share dominant genres: drama and comedy. However, nuances exist:
• Disney+ leads in family content (+230 titles).
• Prime Video and Netflix dominate in romance (+620 and +590 titles, respectively).
• Videoland is competitive in romance and family content (+340 titles).\\

Crime is the favourite genre among Dutch viewers (56%). Prime Video (+2,4K titles) and Apple TV (+2K) lead in this category. Popular crime series in Q2 2025 included Dope Thief (2025, Apple TV Original), Patience (2025), and The Breakthrough (2025, Netflix Original).

There are 181 different titles announced to be launched in streaming services in The Netherlands before the end of the year. The titles announced are divided between 5 platforms. Netflix has the lead in this field with 51% of the titles announced. Then Disney+ (18%), Prime Video (16%), Apple TV+ (12%) and last is HBO Max (3%). Most of the series announced will have an “all at once” release while some will bet on a weekly episode format. Among the most important releases are Lilo & Stitch (Disney+), Gen V season 2 (Prime Video) and Wednesday season 2 (Netflix).

Designed to help broadcasters, streamers, and service providers accelerate innovation and unlock new business models, the Player combines unrivaled scalability and reliability with immersive user experiences and breakthrough monetization opportunities.

The Tiledmedia Player stands out as a fully self-contained solution, built on a single codebase that supports every device platform, from iOS and Android to browsers and XR headsets. This unified approach enables operators to roll out new features faster, streamline integration with back-end systems, and dramatically reduce development and maintenance costs. It also eliminates the inefficiencies of platform-dependent players, lowering rebuffering rates, reducing startup times, and improving overall quality of experience.

While Tiledmedia first gained recognition in 2024 for its industry-leading Multiview capabilities, the company is using IBC 2025 to highlight the much broader value of its Player. Multiview is in the DNA of the solution: viewers can arrange and resize multiple synchronised live camera feeds in real time, creating a deeply personalised experience for sports fans and event audiences. The Player’s inherent tiled-streaming architecture ensures seamless, responsive performance and efficient bandwidth use, benefitting both end users and operators.

Equally important, the Tiledmedia Player is redefining how streaming platforms monetise their services. With support for innovative overlay and Multiview advertising formats—such as picture-in-picture or side-by-side ads—the Player allows operators to introduce new revenue models without disrupting the viewer experience. These advertising options not only enable more personalisation but also improve ad acceptance by reducing intrusiveness. At IBC, Tiledmedia will also feature on the AWS booth (5.C90), demonstrating how its overlay ad technology integrates with server-guided ad insertion for next-generation ad delivery.

“With our Player, service providers don’t just gain technical agility—they gain a path to profitability and stronger viewer loyalty,” said Rob Koenen, Co-founder and Chief Business Officer at Tiledmedia. “We’re thrilled to welcome the industry to our first-ever dedicated IBC stand and to show how the Tiledmedia Player helps operators reimagine streaming success.”

Evergent has announced the launch of an expanded platform designed for retention and multi-service growth in streaming, direct-to-consumer sports, and pay-TV services.

On show at IBC2025, Evergent is behind the onboarding over 950 million subscribers in 180 countries for clients such as Sky, Sony Pictures, BritBox, DIRECTV, and the NBA.

The Sunnyvale company says streamers require efficient systems that address subscriber engagement, customer support, payment processes, and churn reduction, while enabling the launch of bundled services. Evergent’s new product suite addresses these challenges by providing tools for service growth, subscriber experience improvement, and revenue management.

“Streaming companies need real-time insights from subscriber behavior to scale their businesses and improve experiences,” said Vijay Sajja, Founder & CEO of Evergent. “Our latest launches are intended to help transform subscriber management and billing and use AI for value creation.”

Evergent’s new solutions will be demonstrated at IBC2025 and are currently available via its modular, cloud-native SaaS platform.

Accedo Humans Not Robots (HNR) have renewed their collaboration on the ECOFLOW (Energy-Conserving Optimization for Future-ready, Low-impact Online Workflows) initiative as part of this year’s IBC Accelerator Program.

Building on last year’s debut, the second phase of the project seeks to establish standardised methodologies and models for measuring the energy consumption of streaming technologies and to identify opportunities for energy efficiency throughout the supply chain.

The initial phase provided proof-of-concept optimisations. In its second phase, with leadership from ITV, Channel 4, EBU, the IET, and BT Media & Broadcast, the project aims to develop actionable business cases and promote strategic alignment, embedding sustainability as a central industry objective. Accedo and HNR continue their involvement as key contributors, now joined by Bouygues Telecom, Quanteec, Greening of Streaming, and Bitmovin.

This year’s focus includes the development of a digital twin to simulate and optimize streaming workflows, thereby enabling data-driven decision-making even when real-world data is incomplete. The project will also engage with platform product teams to evaluate challenges and incentives related to implementing energy-saving practices.

François Polarczyk, Sustainability Director at Accedo, said: “When we initiated the Ecoflow project last year, our aim was not only to help the industry understand the environmental impact of video streaming but also to support efforts toward reducing its carbon footprint. While last year’s findings, particularly regarding end-user devices, served as a proof of concept – especially on the distribution side – this year marks significant progress towards achieving our objectives.”

Kristan Bullett, CEO and Co-Founder of HNR, added: “With the groundwork laid by last year’s Ecoflow project, we are dedicated to advancing this important initiative alongside Accedo and our industry partners. Our ongoing mission is to assist businesses in adopting sustainable and cost-effective practices. This next phase will transform prior achievements into practical solutions that benefit both enterprises and the environment.”

IBC 2025 runs from 12 to 15 September at RAI Amsterdam.

Cloud solutions, hybrid models, and transformation in content, social, and sustainability initiatives are featured in this year’s IBC Innovation Awards.

The Awards acknowledge collaborative efforts addressing real-world challenges and innovation across media, entertainment, and technology sectors. Five key categories are covered: Content Creation, Content Distribution, Content Everywhere, Social Impact, and Environment & Sustainability, recognising exceptional achievements in both technical advancement and social progress.

Fergal Ringrose, Chair of the 2025 Innovation Awards Jury, commented, “We are extremely appreciative of our esteemed panel of judges for their wisdom and discernment in selecting the shortlists, given the consistently high standard of global entries this year. Innovation is relentless, and the evolution observed this year notably shifts from rapid technological adaptations prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic toward more sophisticated innovations throughout the electronic media content creation, distribution, and consumption ecosystem, often driven by advances in AI, hybrid workflows, and cloud technologies.”

The winners of the IBC2025 Innovation Awards will be revealed on Sunday, 14 September, at 18:00 CET during the main stage ceremony at the IBC Conference, RAI Amsterdam.

2025 Finalists

Content Creation:

• MBC, Pixtree, and SK Telecom for AI-assisted remastering: Commercialisation of a generalised AI-based video remastering system for Korean broadcaster MBC, in partnership with Pixtree and SK Telecom.
• IP-based multiviewer editorial workflow for Paris 2024: NBC Olympics’ gymnastics coverage featured over 60 live sources using a mosaic-based editorial workflow, delivered with Avid, EVS, and NEP.
• Deep Ocean: Kingdom of the Coelacanth: Produced by NHK Japan, co-produced with ZDF/ARTE and OceanX, and in collaboration with CMMAI, this project captured the world’s first group video footage of coelacanths in 8K and 22.2 sound, technically supported by GOTO Aquatics, SGO, and Restar.

Content Distribution:

• Crunchyroll Anime Awards localisation and distribution: The Tokyo event was streamed globally to anime fans, leveraging dubbing studios and scalable live streaming, in partnership with Amagi, AWS, Bridge Digital, and Pixelogic.
• Sky’s MediaMesh transformation: Sky Group collaborated with European broadcasters to develop an API-driven, cloud-native, modular platform, working alongside AWS, SDVI, Telestream, and TMT Insights.
• OBS hybrid streaming delivery for Paris 2024: Olympic Broadcasting Services, with Alibaba Cloud, revolutionised live sports streaming by integrating traditional pipelines with direct, cloud-based delivery from venue to viewer.

Content Everywhere:

• Claro tv+ and Omni Devices unify football passion: A remote control button featuring users’ favourite team crests offers instant access to live games across all channels or apps, with technical support from Gracenote and Teleidea Middleware.
• SVT-AV1: Alliance for Open Media, Intel, and Meta enhanced video streaming efficiency for low-end mobile devices and limited bandwidth networks through the development of a decoding-aware SVT-AV1 software encoder mode.
• Pilipinas Live Shorts’ vertical infinite-scroll with UGC: Developed by Cignal and powered by Quickplay Shorts and Twelve Labs, this feature employs AI to identify, clip, and reformat content, incorporating user-generated material into the feed.

Social Impact:

• Neurodiversity mentoring programme: Led by Media Talent Manifesto, this initiative supports neurodivergent media professionals, backed by Deluxe, Molinare, and Vizrt.
• Amplifying riverside voices in the Amazon: SOUV, from SNEWS, provides newsrooms with real-time contributions from underserved regions via mobile, in partnership with Rede Amazônica.
• Empowering citizen advocacy through technology: The Mobile Justice app, developed with the American Civil Liberties Union, enables real-time documentation of law enforcement encounters, supported by Jotto, Quadrant2, and Wowza.
• France Télévisions pioneers transparency and trust: In partnership with Dalet, France Télévisions became the industry’s first broadcaster to implement C2PA-enabled content authentication in its daily newsroom workflow.

Environment & Sustainability:

• Evoke 5000B: Nanlux presents advanced film and TV lighting delivering equivalent output to a 20,000W tungsten light from a 5,000W LED, reducing energy usage by approximately 75% and prioritising sustainable production methods.
• Energy-Efficient UHD Upscaling with NPU Acceleration: SK Telecom and Pixtree integrated an NPU-based live UHD upscaler into SK Broadband’s IPTV service, achieving significant energy reductions and preventing substantial CO₂ emissions.
• Green Film Shooting: This German independent initiative disseminates information about innovative practices aimed at boosting energy efficiency, saving resources, and reducing carbon emissions within the film and media industries.