NetActuate at IBC 2025: Rolling Update

RECAP: What We Saw at IBC 2025

IBC 2025 brought the global media and broadcast community back together in Amsterdam, and it was bigger and more energized than ever. Over four days we had more than 50 meetings with customers, partners, and innovators across the industry. It was an incredible opportunity to connect with people, see where the technology is heading, and test how our infrastructure-first perspective fits into the evolving landscape.

AI Everywhere, But Not Always Meaningful

If NAB was the start of AI hype for the media industry, IBC confirmed it has become a universal marketing layer. We could find almost no booth that did not have “AI” on a banner, in a tagline, or baked into the product description. The real story is that only a subset of companies are applying AI in ways that solve problems today.

Some highlights stood out:

• Synamedia showed Quortex Switch for CDN routing and real-time metadata tools for sports and live workflows, plus watermarking with ContentArmor for anti-piracy. These felt like AI applied with real operational impact.
  
  
• Quickplay introduced AI Studio, which automatically generates short-form content from archives, a practical way to expand monetization into social and vertical formats.
  
  
• Witbe demonstrated “agentic AI” for monitoring and QA automation, promising lower cost and higher reliability at scale.
  
  
• HighField showed Pulse, a voice-to-graphics system that generates lower-thirds and stats from live commentary in real time, pointing to new efficiencies in live production.
  
  
• Cires21 demonstrated the AI capabilities of their products with a focus on real-time decision making and automation in live streaming workflows. Their approach emphasized how AI can deliver measurable improvements in efficiency and quality rather than just being a marketing feature.
  

Expanding Horizons: Cloud, Immersive, and Interoperability

Beyond AI, the show floor highlighted several areas that align with where we see infrastructure strategy evolving:

• AWS leaned into generative and agentic AI with demos powered by Bedrock and new media workloads. Behind the AI, their cloud and edge infrastructure story remains critical.
  
  
• Emergent, working with ROE Visual and Vizrt, brought immersive environments and AR graphics to life. This is the foundation for how production and storytelling will change.
  
  
• Future Tech Hall 14 showcased sustainability, content provenance, private 5G, and cloud-native production. These Accelerator projects were a reminder that interoperability and open ecosystems are moving from talk to proof-of-concept.
  

Sustainability and Efficiency Still Matter

While AI grabbed headlines, the subtext of many conversations was about efficiency, including energy efficiency, operational efficiency, and cost control. Infrastructure choices are being driven by economics as much as innovation. Storage vendors like Promise Technology emphasized AI-ready, creator-focused storage with high throughput and efficiency. Sustainability was present, although less visible, but it is shaping vendor roadmaps and decision frameworks in Europe.

NetActuate’s Focus Areas Confirmed

Coming into IBC I said we would be watching four things closely: AI in workflows, interoperability, CDN and streaming positioning, and sustainability. All four proved to be front and center:

• AI is moving into operations, but unevenly applied.
  
  
• Standards and interoperability remain top of mind, with growing collaboration across vendors.
  
  
• CDN and streaming vendors are positioning in a cost-conscious environment where flexibility is valued.
  
  
• Sustainability continues to grow in importance, particularly in Europe, even if it was not always the top line of product announcements.
  

Looking Ahead

IBC is always about more than product demos. It is about connecting with peers, hearing unfiltered perspectives, and understanding where real innovation is happening. Walking the halls and sharing time with so many leaders reinforced that the future of media will be built on infrastructure that is scalable, sustainable, and AI-enabled, but only where it truly creates value.

It was a privilege to be in Amsterdam with my colleagues Greg Wallace and Mark De Jong, representing NetActuate. Thank you to everyone who took the time to meet with us.

I look forward to building on these conversations, sharing what we learned with our teams, and continuing to help customers and partners navigate the fast-changing infrastructure layer of media and broadcast.

With more than 45 global points of presence across every major market, and operating the fourth largest network in the world by peers, NetActuate has the network and infrastructure expertise to support media and broadcast at global scale. If your organization needs a trusted team of experts to power your services worldwide, we would be glad to connect.

PRE-EVENT SUMMARY (Published 9/11/2025):

IBC 2025 opens this week in Amsterdam, bringing together broadcasters, vendors, technologists, and innovators from across the world. It is one of the most important events in our industry, where more than a thousand exhibitors and tens of thousands of attendees will gather to showcase technology, exchange ideas, and set the direction for the year ahead.

Earlier this year at NAB I shared my perspective as a first-time attendee with a focus on the infrastructure layer. That experience highlighted how networks, edge computing, and hybrid architectures are becoming central to conversations that used to be only about content creation and delivery. I expect IBC to extend that narrative, especially here in Europe where interoperability, open standards, and operational efficiency are top of mind.

I will be joined by my colleagues Greg Wallace and Mark De Jong. Together we will be engaging with customers, partners, and peers across the show floor, meetings, and networking events. If you would like to connect with us during IBC please reach out through our scheduling link.

Major Themes Shaping IBC

• Efficiency and Cost Control: Broadcasters and platforms are under pressure to deliver more with fewer resources, which makes hybrid cloud, edge, and on-premise deployments top of mind.
• AI in Operations: AI is moving from pilots to production. Real-world use cases now include encoding, ad targeting, captioning, translation, and monitoring.
• Interoperability and Standards: IP-native workflows, NMOS, and open ecosystems are essential to reduce silos and enable flexibility.
• Monetization and Immersive Formats: Hybrid subscription and ad-supported models, FAST channels, and immersive content are opening new paths for revenue.
• Sustainability: Energy efficiency and lower-carbon operations are beginning to influence both infrastructure and vendor roadmaps.

Engaging with the Industry at IBC

Throughout the week we will be joining a wide range of meetings, receptions, and networking events that bring together thought leaders, partners, and innovators.

Thursday

• Bitmovin Innovators Network at the NHOW Hotel
• 5V Video and Faultline Media and Entertainment Mixer at Oche
• Resillion Borrelboot canal networking reception

Friday

• Happy Hours with Varnish Software, Backscreen, Broadpeak, NETINT, NPAW & Medianova, Accedo with AWS and Merapar, and Synamedia with AWS
• Partner gatherings including System73 with Arqiva, Evergent with Irdeto and Ateme, and MediaLab with Unified Streaming
• Evening receptions with Verbit & Wowza at the RAI Beach and Gcore at the InterContinental Amstel

Saturday

• Happy Hours with Varnish Software, Backscreen, MainStreaming, Wowza with EZDRM, and NPAW with 3SS
• Zattoo’s 20th anniversary booth party and Pixit Media’s “Mix it with PixitQ”
• Special gatherings including the EBU 100 Years Drinks, the “Keep the IBC Conversation Flowing” reception, the Meta Meet Up at Tapzuid, and the iKOMG IBC Party

Sunday

• Happy Hours with Varnish Software, MainStreaming, and NPAW
• Networking receptions with BT Media & Broadcast and the DPP with Grass Valley
• Evening gatherings including a VIP canal cruise with G&L, Touchstream, and Norsk, followed by the Axinom IBC Party

Additional Innovations and Highlights

Beyond the networking and partner events, I will also be following:

• New AI-driven innovations from Synamedia, including Quortex Switch for CDN routing
• Ateme’s cloud-native OTT, immersive, and low-latency solutions
• Lawo and ARET’s latest OB trailer technology combining UHD/HDR and IP/SDI hybrid workflows
• Accelerator Zone proof-of-concepts around content provenance, private 5G, cloud-native production, and sustainability
• The IP Showcase on the Water exploring interoperability standards
• Conference sessions featuring leaders from Netflix, YouTube, Disney, TikTok, and Paramount addressing evolving workflows and monetization models

Focus Areas for NetActuate

As CEO of NetActuate my focus is on how infrastructure supports the future of media. At IBC I will be paying attention to several critical areas:

• How AI is being embedded into workflows in ways that solve real problems without introducing new complexity
• Where standards and interoperability are unlocking flexibility for broadcasters and service providers
• How CDN, streaming, and transport vendors are positioning themselves in a cost-conscious environment
• The role of sustainability in shaping infrastructure, particularly energy efficiency and the environmental impact of delivery at scale

IBC offers a unique opportunity to engage with global peers, understand how technology innovation is being applied to real-world challenges, and bring back insights that will shape our roadmap. I look forward to sharing updates throughout the conference and providing a full recap once it concludes.

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