AWS for M&E Blog
AWS AI shines at IBC 2026
From the halls of the RAI to local gatherings in Amsterdam, conversations around this year’s International Broadcasting Convention (IBC Show) centered on AI and collaboration. A reported 41,225 attendees from 170 countries and 1,300 exhibitors attended the event, held September 11-14, 2026. Amazon Web Services (AWS) hosted hands-on demos of new services, in-depth sessions, and events that reflected the rapidly changing industry landscape.
Award-winning technology debuts
Ahead of IBC, AWS announced four new AWS Elemental capabilities that bring AI, personalization, and intelligent monetization into live video workflows. In speaking with Variety, AWS General Manager of Telco, Media & Entertainment, Games, and Sports, Samira Bakhtiar explained how the new features make it possible to deliver truly personalized live TV. She also detailed how AWS is helping build the intelligence era, in which “every frame of live video is personalized and understood.”
The new features include AWS Elemental MediaPackage Dynamic Multiview, which lets viewers choose their own multi-camera or multi-feed layout from a single set of encoded sources, saving broadcasters as much as 97% on encoding costs. AWS Elemental Inference Contextual Metadata extracts AI generated metadata from live video in real time, powering personalized video experiences and contextual ad decisioning. AWS Elemental MediaTailor Low-Latency Ad Insertion extends personalized ad insertion to low-latency streams using Low Latency HTTP Live Streaming (LL-HLS). AWS Elemental MediaTailor Yield Optimization automatically monetizes unused ad inventory with Amazon Ads demand during server-side ad insertion (SSAI) for livestreams and is available exclusively to publishers in the Amazon Publisher Services (APS) Streaming TV program at launch.
TV Technology named AWS Elemental MediaPackage Dynamic Multiview an IBC Best of Show 2026 winner, while TVBEurope awarded IBC Best of Show 2026 to AWS Elemental Inference Contextual Metadata. TVBEurope also recognized Yahoo Studios with an IBC Best of Show Award for its SRFM (Sources, Flows, Reference, Metadata) File(less) Workflow, which is built on Time-Addressable Media Store (TAMS) running within AWS. Additionally, IAMT recognized AWS Agentic Intelligent Operations with a 2026 IAMT Impact Awards for Best Operations & Lifecycle.
Attention-grabbing highlights
Throughout the week, AWS welcomed thousands of IBC attendees to its stand to experience interactive demos, and to chat with AWS experts, partners, and customers. The new AWS Elemental capabilities drew significant interest, as did Amazon Leo, a traditional satellite uplink alternative that enables broadcasters to contribute live video directly and securely into AWS using Leo’s low earth orbit constellation.
Packed AWS Theater sessions spotlighted the work of customers and partners such as Bundesliga, Flawless AI, Jiostar, Prime Video, Twelve Labs, Warner Bros. Discovery, Yahoo, and more. These talks and panels detailed how they create, connect, and captivate audiences using AWS, offering up real-world production insights.
The AWS microdrama studio activation invited attendees to step into the shoes of a creator, choosing between becoming a wizard, pirate, or space cop. Using the MiniMax H3 LLM running on Amazon Sagemaker, as well as agents running on Amazon Bedrock AgentCore, AWS transformed each attendee’s on-site performance into a personalized microdrama in minutes, with digital environments and wardrobe, showcasing the magic of AI-enhanced production.
In the Future Tech Zone, the AWS for Startups team showcased how cutting-edge startups Compado, Meilisearch, Moments Lab, and Plenitas are building media and entertainment solutions. Other AWS Startups standouts demoing their technology at IBC included Flawless AI, Nomalab, Viznet, and Zero One Creative.
The Amazon on AWS Entertainment Loft featured a steady stream of attendees who experimented with gameplay and interactive walkthroughs running on the same AWS services used by Prime Video, Amazon MGM Studios, Amazon Luna, and Twitch. Visitors experienced NBA on Prime Video demos, AI-powered sports analysis, Prime Video streaming features including X-Ray Recaps, Jump to Scene, shoppable entertainment, and Luna cloud gaming, including new Twitch Playable Ads via Amazon GameLift Streams.
AI-powered production at scale
Among the many standout sessions across IBC theatres, Innovative Dreams, Untold Studios, and BBC shared how the cloud and AI are reshaping production.
Innovative Dreams Chief Technology Officer Adam Jones joined AWS Senior Visual Compute Solutions Architect Sean Wallitsch for a discussion on real-time hybrid filmmaking. The candid chat revealed how Innovative Dreams is rewriting production rules with the convergence of performance capture, LED virtual production, and generative AI.
Offering a blueprint for the modern creative studio, Untold Studios explained how it’s building for the AI era in the cloud. Untold Studios CTO Amaan Akram joined AWS Enterprise Account Executive Ben Moss for an in-depth discussion on scaling the award-winning company’s operations across five global sites, while maintaining operational efficiency.
BBC Head of Product Andy Corp and AWS Principal Media and Entertainment Business Leader Ian Munford discussed where BBC is finding value with the cloud in production. The conversation covered BBC’s business drivers, evaluation methodology, results, and lessons learned across the production lifecycle.
Connect with AWS
Missed IBC 2026 or want to dive deeper into AWS demos and sessions from the event? Get a refresher here or connect with an AWS for Media and Entertainment expert to explore how the cloud and AI can enhance media workflows.