IBC announces the launch of the IBC2025 Innovation Awards, which recognize pioneering advances in technology and social impact within the media and entertainment (M&E) industry, with nominations now open.
The awards celebrate outstanding achievements across five categories: Content Creation, Content Distribution, Content Everywhere, Social Impact, and Environment & Sustainability.
The IBC Innovation Awards remain essential for recognizing key industry breakthroughs during a time of great uncertainty and disruption in the global media and entertainment ecosystem. These awards highlight the many ways industry pioneers are transforming media through technological and social progress. We eagerly look forward to showcasing the spirit of collaboration and the creative achievements that positively impact both the companies involved and the broader industry, says Fergal Ringrose, Chair of the IBC Innovation Awards Jury.
The three technology categories of the Innovation Awards honor completed projects of any scale that have overcome creative, operational, or commercial challenges through inventive solutions and collaboration between end users and technology partners. The social impact categories recognize innovative initiatives and campaigns that are making a difference in terms of social progress, equality, environmental responsibility, and sustainability.
Winners of the IBC Innovation Awards 2024
- Content Creation: Olympic Broadcasting Services and partners, for the live production of the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony using over 200 smartphones and a sea-based 5G network for sailing competitions in Marseille.
- Content Distribution: National Hockey League, in collaboration with Verizon, AWS, Zixi, Vizrt, Net Insight, and Evertz, for developing a 5G and Edge computing infrastructure for the assembly, control, and delivery of live broadcasts.
- Content Everywhere: LaLiga, for its collaboration with Play Anywhere and Ease Live to enable true fan interactivity both locally and across its global streaming and broadcast platforms.
- Social Impact: Sesame Workshop, for its Watch Play Learn Distribution Hub, which enables government agencies and humanitarian organizations to preview and request educational videos for children in crisis settings.
- Environment & Sustainability: France Télévisions, for reducing CO2 emissions by 300 tons through a pioneering fully glass-to-glass cloud production and private 5G network during its continuous coverage of the Paris 2024 Olympic Torch Relay.
- New for 2025: Jenny Priestley, Content Director at TVBEurope, joins the IBC Awards Jury, bringing valuable experience and insight to the judging process. She joins a panel of industry experts including Vijaya Cherian (CPI Trade Media), Christine Gebhard (Film, TV, Video), Carolyn Giardina (Variety), Heather McLean (SVG Europe), and Mike Short, former Chief Scientific Adviser at the UK Department for International Trade.
