10
NEWS & VIEWS
September 2018
IBC grows in tandem with evolving
broadcast and media landscape
What is new at IBC2018?
Micheal Crimp: Before I answer
that, it is important to say what is
the same. We still have 15 exhibi-
tion halls full of all the players in
this rapidly changing industry. That
includes some new and exciting
businesses, such as the Alibaba
Group, the sixth largest Internet
company in the world.
Also the same since the first
IBC 51 years ago is, the recogni-
tion that our visitors are seeking
knowledge. They rely on IBC to
provide the forum for information
exchange, on the show floor, in the
conference, and in the value-added
experiences and networking op-
portunities we create.
In turn, we are seeing exhibi-
tors evolve in the way they present
themselves. When IBC started,
exhibitors were selling big devices:
it was obvious what they did, and
the captions alongside the big
boxes talked in terms of technical
specifications.
Today, large numbers of the
products at IBC are software pack-
ages of some sort, whether running
on dedicated hardware, standard
computers or in the cloud. Smart
exhibitors are finding new ways of
telling their stories. We see many
more putting theatres on their
stands so they can present the
philosophies behind their solu-
tions, perhaps introducing users
who have successfully adopted the
technologies.
What do you hope attendees
take away from IBC2018?
Crimp: I hope they feel that they
were part of something exciting,
something important. Because IBC
is conference, exhibition, technol-
ogy showcase and networking
opportunity all under one roof, the
visitor who gets engaged with the
event will come away with some-
thing that is much more than the
sum of the parts.
Our exhibitors, I am sure, will
come away knowing that the real
decision makers, from more than
170 countries, were there and
ready to do business.
Michael Crimp, CEO of IBC, provides a sneak preview of what
visitors, exhibitors and delegates alike can expect at this year’s IBC.
How are the attendees and
companies participating in IBC
changing?
Crimp: The last stage of devel-
opment in IBC was a move away
from an engineering-based event
to one which attracts debate from
the creative, operational and com-
mercial sides of media businesses.
Today, that sweeping approach to
all the issues makes IBC the natural
forum for those in adjacent indus-
tries that are adopting our skills
and technologies.
So we have specialist days in
the conference, which attract those
from the telecoms industry, for
example, or those charged with
managing cybersecurity. Where
appropriate, IBC creates a hosted
programme to bring leaders from
adjacent industries into the event
and into the community.
❝ Over the past decade or so the
industry — and IBC — has moved away
from broadcasting to a world where
electronic media is delivered online
and in public spaces. ❞
— Michael Crimp, CEO, IBC
What are the technological
trends you are most excited
about?
Crimp: It may be an odd thing to
say in a technological industry, but
it is not the technologies them-
selves that are exciting. Certainly,
there are big things happening. I
think we will see big advances in
areas like artificial intelligence (AI),
5G and blockchain.
But the real excitement comes
when these raw technologies are
put into action. IBC puts these
ideas in front of people who can
imagine the possibilities and create
the applications that transform our
creativity and our business models.
What are the hottest trends in
the industry at the moment?
Crimp: I think the top trends are
well established and you do not
need me to talk about the shift
to IP connectivity and software-
defined topologies; about the con-
vergence of broadcast, IT and tele-
coms; and about the search for new
formats, whether that is 4K/Ultra
HD (UHD) or virtual reality (VR).
What is exciting is the way
that the business that uses these
technologies is changing. How will
broadcasters, telcos and streaming
companies co-exist? Will over-the-
top (OTT) providers be the new
broadcasters, or will producers sell
direct to consumers? These are the
sorts of questions that are debated
at IBC.
Advertising still seems a reliable
and lucrative way to fund content
production and delivery. Will pro-
grammatic advertising planning and
dynamic ad insertion transform the
cost/revenue model? Or will new
monetisation methods — maybe
blockchain-managed micropay-
ments from consumer to producer
— transform the creative industry?
These issues may not be solved
at IBC2018, but they will be much
talked about. The breakthrough
ideas in technology often come
from startups who will take a small
space at IBC and achieve a dramatic
ing, too. In the earliest registra-
tions for IBC2018, we are seeing
measurable growth in visitors from
adjacent markets suh as telecoms
and the cloud, showing that IBC as
an experience, is seen as important.
result. One of the key reasons to
come to IBC is to poke around in
the corners of the exhibition and
find these new ideas.
Why are big industry shows im-
portant to the industry?
Crimp: I can only speak for IBC, of
course. And we do a lot to ensure
that IBC is more than just a vast
trade show by adding value for
every exhibitor, whether it is the
chance to debate the real issues of
the day in the conference or simply
experience the state-of-the-art in
production and delivery through
one of the Big Screen movies.
Over the past decade or so the
industry — and IBC — has moved
away from broadcasting to a world
where electronic media is deliv-
ered online and in public spaces,
and where adjacent industries
are adopting video and audio as
inherent means of communica-
tion. Alongside broadcasting, the
industry is expanding and IBC’s
value as a global forum is expand-
How do you ensure the content
at IBC stays