In September, the media and entertainment industry will once again be heading to the RAI Amsterdam for the annual IBC event. The Content Everywhere zone remains at the heart of IBC’s coverage of the ever-expanding OTT and streaming scene, and this year spans Halls 4 and 5. The monthly Content Everywhere newsletter tracks companies in the streaming sector throughout the year, offering insights into latest trends and developments. As in previous years, the August issue provides an overview of what Content Everywhere companies hope and expect to see at IBC as they roam the show floors, attend conferences and meet their peers.
AI in the spotlight, again
It goes without saying that Content Everywhere companies again see artificial intelligence (AI) as one of the key focus areas this year, but with added momentum. Indeed, Stefan Lederer, CEO and Co-Founder of Bitmovin (stand 5.G58), says his company is “super energised about IBC this year because AI will be the headline story”.
“Across the industry, we’re seeing AI move from theory to practice, powering products that make workflows faster, smarter, and more creative. I expect we will see further innovations in AI scene analytics for contextual advertising, horizontal-to-vertical video conversion, highlight detection, and intelligent error interpretation. The next big wave will be Agentic AI – AI that doesn’t just provide insights but takes action. At IBC, we should see solutions that can auto-create social-ready highlights, detect and resolve issues in real time, manage integrations, and monitor live streams 24/7,” Lederer says.
Many other companies in the Content Everywhere ecosystem say they want to see more tangible AI use cases this year. As noted by Gareth Capon, CEO of Grabyo (5.A20), the industry is looking for examples that “drive measurable efficiency, from smart clipping to automated metadata and multi-language delivery”.
Martin Prins, Head of Product at Media Distillery (5.F28), agrees that AI should be seen as an enabler and not the objective. “The goal remains solving customer problems, improving user experiences, and helping video services drive value from every frame”, he says.
He adds: “At IBC this year, I expect the conversation around generative AI (GenAI) to move from hype to real-world adoption. We see clear benefits and can solve problems that were almost impossible a few years back”. Prins also notes that AI Agents are gaining attention and providing tangible benefits, but warns “there’s still some hype to be sifted through”.
Fredrik Andersson, Senior Vice President (SVP) of Business Development at Accedo (5.F80), says AI is “moving beyond buzzwords. This year, we’ll likely see practical examples showing how AI can cut costs and improve efficiency in real-world use cases, shifting the focus from experimental pilots to measurable impact”.
Tom Dvorak, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer at XroadMedia (5.C20), remarks that the company is “eager to see how the AI hype of previous years has evolved into real business outcomes. At XroadMedia, we’ve been utilising AI for over a decade; Today, it’s reshaping content discovery and personalisation. But for many, integrating it into existing workflows is still a challenge”.
Jean-Christophe Perier, Chief Marketing Officer at Globecast (5.A61), says: “significant progress in AI and machine learning is expected, offering more than just continuous improvement. These technologies are a source of innovation, enabling AI-driven automation, enhancing quality control, and providing deeper insights”.
Meanwhile, Ben Lupton, Vice President (VP) of Strategic Solutions and Integrations at Brightcove (5.A90), expects to see more on how AI is “transforming accessibility, monetisation, and operational efficiency through smarter workflows”, noting that “this is a key priority for media customers”, while Sebastian Braun, CEO at 24i (5.C34) notes that AI is “making the move from experimental to essential” and is being used to “anticipate, not just react to viewer needs”.
Fabio Murra, SVP of Product and Marketing at V-Nova (5.A24), is also looking forward to “deeper industry conversations on AI for video. Efficient, scalable processing is becoming essential for both training and inference, and we expect to see increased recognition of how compression technologies can unlock AI’s potential”.
As summed up by Koldo Unanue, CEO of AgileTV (5.D74), AI is “no longer a side conversation. It’s becoming central to how TV is produced, delivered and consumed. Expect discussions around AI-driven personalisation, predictive analytics and automated workflows to dominate the halls at IBC”.
A question of profit
How to make more money from streaming services remains a nut to be cracked. As noted by Dvorak, “with ROI under the microscope, companies are under pressure to do more with less and prove the value of every investment”.
He points to personalisation as one area where ROI can be unlocked efficiently, especially when built to work within broader partner ecosystems, and says this will be a strong theme throughout IBC.
“Monetisation models must evolve too, adapting to shifting user expectations, fragmented platforms and shorter attention spans. Lifecycle management is emerging as a critical enabler, helping teams deliver the right content, at the right time, while maximising its value across every stage. At IBC, the conversation will shift from ‘what’s possible’ to ‘what’s profitable.’ It’s a space where strategy meets scale and innovation must meet accountability,” Dvorak says.
Perier from Globecast wants to explore “innovative approaches to monetisation and rights management, which remain critical to driving revenue and audience engagement. We look forward to gaining insights into how industry leaders are developing new business models and addressing these challenges to stay ahead of market shifts”.
Lupton will be expecting to see more about the “evolution of ultra-HD monetisation, now that live streaming is robust enough to pair exceptional picture quality with business viability. Customers will want to know how they can make the latest technology work for them”.
Craig Ferguson, Director of Regional Sales, Europe, at Evergent (5.A86), says there will be a “sharp focus on how the industry can create more flexible, personalised and value-driven subscription models. We’re moving beyond rigid, one-size-fits-all bundles towards modular offers that let audiences shape their own experience, and platforms monetise more flexibly – whether that’s a single-match sports pass, a curated entertainment package or multi-service super bundles”.
He adds: “AI will dominate show-floor discussion as platforms find more ways to analyse subscriber behaviour, turning that insight into real-time personalisation, proactive retention strategies and richer engagement throughout the customer lifecycle. At the same time, the complexity of operating at a global scale is pushing streaming and pay-TV providers to streamline backend payments, revenue management and customer care across multiple partners and regions. Legacy operators will be asking vendors how they can take costs out of their business to invest in smarter content partnerships, effective marketing, and more customer-friendly subscription models.”
Chris Fournelle, Director of Content and Marketing Production at Signiant (5.C74), concludes that companies will “come to IBC to search for ways to do more with less: streamlining operations, reducing costs, and speeding up content workflows. As production becomes more global and distributed, the need to move large media quickly, securely, and across varied environments has only grown. Economic pressures and shifting marketplaces are pushing teams to rethink how they connect people, systems, and storage across the content supply chain.”
He adds: “That’s driving a move away from complex, custom-built solutions toward simpler, more flexible platforms that can scale and adapt. It’s all part of the same shift: solving real-world challenges with tools that reduce friction, add intelligence, and support creativity at every stage.”
Going cloud native
Workflow models that allow greater speed and flexibility are increasingly essential.
According to Capon, “vendors will need to show how their tools connect seamlessly across live, VOD, and distribution workflows. Open architecture and integration flexibility are now essential”.
Lelde Ardava, Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Veset (5.D52), agrees that as “workflows span playout, ad tech, MAM, and analytics, seamless integration will be critical”.
Capon also observes that flexible, cloud-native production models will be key as budgets tighten and audience expectations rise. “Broadcasters and rights holders are looking for scalable solutions that reduce cost without compromising creativity or speed.”
Ardava says broadcasters have been shifting from ‘cloud-compatible’ to truly flexible, scalable playout models. “At IBC2025, we expect this trend to accelerate, with even clearer signs of the industry’s move toward fully cloud-native broadcast workflows.”
She adds: “Disaster recovery is another major theme we expect to see at this year’s show as the industry acknowledges the critical importance of business continuity. From automated scheduling to seamless integration with existing workflows, cloud-native playout keeps your channel on air when it matters most, without the need for hardware or complex set up.”
24i’s Braun says they also see a “massive demand for simplicity. The industry’s future won’t be built on sprawling, fragile tech stacks. Broadcasters and OTTs want agility, speed, and the freedom to modernise without tearing everything down”.
Wim Ponnet, EMEA President of Quickplay (5.G80), adds: “For years, media companies built monolithic, immobile platforms – digital fortresses that limited agility. That model is not proving sustainable. Modular, cloud-native architectures are now the must-haves. Currently, 70% of businesses are shifting from traditional to composable digital platforms to regain control and meet rising demands for flexibility and speed.”
Content matters
2025 is shaping up to be the year of content discovery, with viewers demanding better tools to find what they want to watch, according to Prins. Enhanced video previews and richer metadata are now essential to improving search and discovery experiences, he says.
He adds: “I expect more focus on how video services can maximise the value of existing content, through automatic clipping, highlight reels, better metadata descriptions, and platform-specific adaptations.”
Unanue remarks that audiences, “especially younger ones, are gravitating toward fast, snackable content on mobile devices. This shift is forcing traditional players to experiment with new formats, rethink engagement strategies and make room for new types of services within their platforms. Super aggregation is a key strategy, bringing together live, on-demand and short-form content across providers into a unified experience.”
He also points to an important aspect of content management: “With piracy evolving in sophistication and regulators tightening enforcement, content protection is stepping into the spotlight. Delegates will be watching closely for developments in real-time monitoring, forensic watermarking and secure delivery infrastructures.”
Perier says the “creator economy and the proliferation of platforms continue to transform content creation. We are eager to discover solutions that support this dynamic landscape, especially in delivering live, interactive, and personalised experiences that audiences demand today.”
Murra expects that new immersive entertainment experiences will take centre stage. “Audiences can experience photorealistic XR and new forms of storytelling that were previously out of reach.”
Ponnet from Quickplay adds that short-form video “is no longer ancillary” but is the “new gateway and revenue foundation” that needs to be treated as a “true asset class. That will be certainly need to be addressed at IBC”.
Industry scale and consolidation, and brand recognition
Some commentators also believe that structural change is long overdue in the Content Everywhere sector.
According to Andersson, the media tech ecosystem is still crowded with many small players, and the average profitability is still too low compared to other industries.
“Moves like the Deltatre acquisition of Endeavour Streaming (announced in July) suggest that more mergers and acquisitions are inevitable. It’s likely that further M&A deals will be announced at IBC in September,” he says.
Ponnet declares that the streaming stack is cracking, “and that’s a very good thing. OTT transformations have been happening on a smaller scale but now things have evolved such that we need to rebuild from bedrock. Platform consolidation, rights revolutions, demand for modularity, and monetisation pressure are converging to upend the streaming paradigm.”
He adds: “We think the conversations at IBC 2025 will be necessarily focused: we are no longer in a transformational phase, this is a re-founding. Dominant companies of the next decade won’t have the most content or fanciest brand – they’ll have the most modular, intelligent, monetisable, and user-led stacks. The stack is cracking and that’s the opportunity: the rubble clears room to build better – and win.”
Content Everywhere companies will of course be using their presence at IBC to drive awareness of their own brand and positioning in this ever-evolving industry.
Paweł Hładkiewicz, CEO and CTO of Remotly (5.A23), says IBC “is a great place to connect with professionals, build new relationships, and increase awareness of what we offer”, including participation in events on the Content Everywhere Stage, and articles in the IBC Daily and newsletters.
