Common Questions

When is IBC 2026 and where is it held?: IBC 2026 takes place in September 2026 at the Amsterdam RAI convention centre in the Netherlands. The exact dates are typically confirmed in early spring each year.
What is the IBC Accelerator programme?: The IBC Accelerator is a funded project framework launched in 2016 that lets industry consortia build and demonstrate proof-of-concept media technology interoperability projects. Results are presented live at the IBC Show each September. SMART STORIES is a 2026 Accelerator project.Source: event
How is IBC Show different from NAB Show?: NAB Show is held in April in Las Vegas and is dominated by North American broadcasters; IBC is held in September in Amsterdam and has a stronger European and international flavour. Both cover similar technology ground but IBC's Accelerator programme has a deeper open-standards focus.
What AI projects will be shown at IBC 2026?: The SMART STORIES open-standards consortium for agentic newsroom production and the Delta Protocol are both IBC 2026 Accelerator projects. Vendor demonstrations from Avid, Adobe and others are also expected based on partnerships announced at NAB 2026.Source: event

Background

The International Broadcasting Convention (IBC Show) is the world's principal annual gathering for broadcast, media and entertainment technology professionals, held each September in Amsterdam at the RAI convention centre. It brings together exhibitors, engineers and executives across television, streaming, news, sports and film production, covering topics from camera technology to AI-assisted workflows. In 2026 the show takes on additional significance as a proving ground for AI-in-media initiatives including the SMART STORIES open-standards consortium and the Delta Protocol, both developed through the IBC Accelerator programme.

Founded in 1967 as a technical conference for broadcast engineers, IBC has grown into a 55,000-attendee event combining a large exhibition floor with a conference programme. The IBC Accelerator, launched in 2016, is a funded project framework that enables industry consortia to build and demonstrate proof-of-concept interoperability projects at the show. Projects like SMART STORIES are announced in spring, built across the year and presented live at the September conference, giving the show a dual role as calendar anchor and publication deadline for open-standard work.

For the media-AI story, IBC 2026 is shaping up as a significant industry checkpoint. Vendors including Avid, Adobe and Google Cloud are expected to demonstrate AI integrations that were announced at NAB Show in April 2026, and the SMART STORIES consortium will present its open-standard findings. The show's Amsterdam location within the EU also gives it a regulatory dimension as the EU AI Act's media provisions come into force.

How the World Sees Them

IBC is headquartered in the Netherlands. The September 2026 edition coincides with early EU AI Act enforcement, placing its AI demonstrations in a live regulatory context.

UK public and commercial broadcasters (BBC, ITV, Channel 4) are historically strong IBC participants. Post-Brexit, Amsterdam remains the primary European venue for UK media-technology networking.

US broadcasters and vendors are major exhibitors. NAB and IBC together form the two-conference annual calendar for US broadcast technology procurement decisions.