Five broadcast technology trends from IBC 2024

September marks one of the most significant events for media, entertainment, and technology industry professionals—the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC). Held in Amsterdam, Disguise brought the next dimension of entertainment to IBC 2024 by showcasing a range of cutting-edge projects, including the Olympics, UEFA Euro tournament and the US and Mexican Elections.

Disguise also partnered with INFiLED, ROE Visual, Samsung and Mark Roberts Motion Control (MRMC) to showcase a series of insightful presentations, keynote speeches, and panel discussions as well as showcase our platform for next-generation broadcast graphics and Emmy award-winning creative services. Throughout the event, experts took to the stage to discuss current trends and emerging topics in the broadcast industry. 

Discover the top five takeaways from IBC 2024, and how they will impact the broadcast industry.

1. Sports broadcasting is progressing rapidly

One of the most frequent discussion topics of IBC 2024 was the changing face of sports broadcasting. This year has marked an incredible year for sports, with the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, as well as the Euros 2024—calling for rapid advancement in new sports broadcasting technologies. 

At IBC 2024, Disguise’s VP of Business Development, David Jorba, discussed how broadcasters have been able to capture once-in-a-lifetime moments both in the stadium and at home. This is thanks to data-driven graphics, more augmented reality (AR) elements, and the ability to ‘transport’ guests and talents to virtual sets for a more seamless experience.

Jorba’s keynote touched on Disguise’s support for the Euros 2024, as well as Radio Television Hong Kong using a Disguise workflow to facilitate AR with narrative storytelling for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. 

2. Broadcasters must increasingly consider sustainability in their productions

IBC 2024 was held in Amsterdam, a city known for its sustainability initiatives. As such, a key topic of IBC 2024 was how broadcasters can lower their carbon footprint without increasing costs or compromising high-quality content. The panel Powerful Tools for Next-Level Virtual Production, discussed why broadcasters should consider virtual production as a means to be more sustainable.

Disguise’s Technical Solutions Specialist, Milo Hancock, explained that broadcasters should consider virtual production shoots because everything can be filmed in one fixed and consistent digital environment. This can boost a production’s sustainability credentials because there is no need to fly out staff, talent, and equipment to multiple locations across the world. 

IBC 2024 signalled that sustainability will place higher and higher on broadcasters’ radars. It will become increasingly important to deliver exceptional viewing experiences while minimising resource usage.

3. A human-led approach is needed for generative AI content creation

Artificial intelligence, particularly the use of generative AI for content creation, has arguably been one of the biggest topics of 2024. The rapid advancement of language models (e.g. ChatGPT), increased intelligent search functions, and the rise of automation tools have signalled a new era for content creators.

At various education sessions across IBC 2024, generative AI was seen as a useful production tool. Broadcasters have gradually introduced generative AI technologies into workflows to speed up production processes, while still maintaining high-quality outputs.

Speakers from multiple different panel such as Harnessing Gen AI in Media - What Networking Infrastructure is Essential When it Comes to Harnessing the Power of Gen AI or More Content & Better User Experience Using AI in the Content Supply Chain agreed that generative AI helps creators be more experimental and unconventional, while freeing up time to test new styles and techniques. This can be seen in Disguise’s partnership with AI platform Cuebric, which allowed artists to use generative AI to build virtual environments within minutes, rather than hours.

However, one common consensus was that generative AI for content needs to be directed by people. Generative AI should be seen as part of a creator’s toolkit, and not as a human replacement tool.

4. Digital likenesses face an uncertain ethical future in broadcasting

Keeping technology (especially AI) in check was also a frequent discussion point across multiple talks and panels. As AI develops at rapid speed, broadcasters, production companies, and policymakers must ensure that advancements are driven by fair ethics and policies.

Intellectual property rights were raised as a critical challenge for broadcasters on the panel Digital Replicas and Talent ID: Provenance, Verification and New Automated Workflows. 

A digital replica is when technology, often powered by AI, emulates an object or person from the real world and recreates a digital likeness. Replicas have traditionally been useful for media work as they allow for engineers to test products, filmmakers to recreate actors, and for marketers to advertise products. 

Speakers on the panel discussed the complexities of using a digital likeness, which will become more legally problematic unless strict ethical barriers are put in place. Broadcasters like ITV, Paramount and SMPTE are all calling for ethics rules and regulations regarding the use of actors’ digital personas. 

5. Generative AI needs more regulation to combat unethical use

Continuing the theme of AI regulation, 2024 has also seen the sustained rise of deepfakes and fake news, which remains a major challenge for broadcasters.

This topic was an overarching theme at IBC 2024. A panel discussion on Combating Disinformation in News: A Critical Year for Democracies, highlighted the danger of misinformation and synthetic (partially altered or artificially made) content.

Meanwhile, Andy Hood, VP of Emerging Technologies at WPP discussed how the advertising multinational has added numerous AI ethics guidelines. They have made clear to their clients on how, why, and where generative AI should be used – and the benefits of using it effectively and ethically.

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