Over 41,000 attend IBC 2026
September 15, 2026

Nick Snow @ IBC



IBC 2026 brought the global media, entertainment and technology community together for four days of business, innovation and collaboration at the RAI Amsterdam – welcoming 41,225 attendees from 170 countries and more than 1,300 exhibitors.

“IBC’s superpower is the power to convene our industry,” commented Mike Crimp, CEO of IBC. “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.”


Across the exhibition, 256 companies made their IBC debut, an increase of 36 per cent from 2025. They joined established media and technology businesses from around the world using IBC to meet customers, develop partnerships, assess new technologies and generate business.

Future Tech, introduced in 2025, expanded its role as a focal point for emerging technologies, collaborative innovation and new industry talent. New for 2026, Future Tech Ignite brought together more than 70 start-ups and emerging companies, connecting them with investors and established organisations from across media and entertainment.

Future Tech Ignite was supported by EIT Culture & Creativity, part of the EU-backed European Institute of Innovation and Technology, as Innovation Partner.

“There’s not another equivalent… You get the global perspective,” said Anette Schaefer, CEO of EIT Culture & Creativity. “IBC has a great programme […] It brings a lot of leaders together and it’s the exchange of ideas and thoughts.”

The new Braindate Lounge, available through the IBC Exchange pass, extended the emphasis on connection through curated one-to-one and small-group conversations. Participants could find people with relevant knowledge, compare experiences and explore specific professional challenges away from the formal stages and meeting schedule.

The IBC Accelerator Media Innovation Programme provided some of the strongest examples of collaboration producing practical results. Broadcasters, streamers and technology companies worked together on real-world challenges spanning agentic AI, immersive experiences, private 5G, accessibility, content provenance and live-event streaming. The proof-of-concepts tested technologies that address practical industry needs – shortening the path from experimentation to deployment.

“IBC creates a very unique opportunity… to be able to come together and look at where everybody’s headed,” said Caroline Ewerton, Senior Vice President, Content Operations & Technology, DAZN, which championed multiple Accelerator projects.

The three-day IBC Conference brought leaders from across media, entertainment, technology and sport together to examine the decisions facing the industry. Speakers from organisations including Banijay, BBC Studios, CNN, FIFA, Globo, Google, ITV, JioStar, Meta, Netflix, Snap, UEFA, Warner Bros Discovery and YouTube addressed AI in practice, shifting business models, the economics of live sport, changing patterns of content discovery, security, trust and content provenance and more.

“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,” noted Guy-Laurent Epstein, Executive Director of Marketing, UEFA, one of the Conference speakers.

The Conference programme reflected the widening definition of media, bringing creator-led businesses, sports organisations and new content formats into conversation with established broadcasters, streamers and technology companies.

“What’s great about IBC is that it keeps evolving what the word broadcasting means,” stated Evan Shapiro, Media Cartographer, ESHAP. “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.”

IBC will return to the RAI Amsterdam for its 60th anniversary from September 10th-13th 2027.