Broadcast Industry Looks Nervously Towards Amsterdam
IBC takes place in Amsterdam this week and is a critical show for the broadcast industry following a disappointing NAB in April.
While NAB had its moments, on the whole it was a letdown. It was hoped to be a celebration of the full-on return to the post-Covid trade show cycle, however people still stayed away. A weak economy, ongoing ripples from the 2023 Hollywood labour strikes, and a retrenching amongst the streamers meant only 61,000 people attended the show in Las Vegas, down 6% on the previous year.
All eyes will therefore be on the IBC attendance as companies look to justify the costs of exhibiting. You would hope that IBC would be able to hold its own with its core European audience. However the mood music leading up to the show has not been wholly positive. These are tough times.
Encouragingly, the inbox has been awash with pre-IBC news (some of which is under embargo). It feels that companies are keen to get releases and key messages out to avoid them getting lost in the week of the event. Interestingly, there is a clear interest and desire to push the boundaries in cameras to empower content creators and producers alike to embrace unique and more immersive storytelling.
My themes for the show cover:
The Impact of AI
A Coming Out Party for MAUD?
The Quest For Low Latency and Efficiency
Cloud Native the Next Bandwagon?
Connectivity and 5G in the Real World
And more…