SHERIDAN, WYOMING – August 20, 2024 – The IBC Innovation Awards finalists for 2024 have been revealed,highlighting the significant role of live sports in driving groundbreaking solutions within the media, entertainment, and technology sectors. The awards, which will be presented at IBC2024 in Amsterdam this September, recognize collaborative efforts that tackle real-world industry challenges. This year's awards have expanded to include the IBC Social Impact Awards, encompassing five categories: Content Creation, Content Distribution, Content Everywhere,Social Impact, and Environment & Sustainability.
The prominence of major sporting events like the Summer Olympics and UEFA European Football Championship is evident in the finalists' list. The innovative solutions developed for these events showcase the transformative power of sports in driving technological advancements and enhancing audience experiences. The global nature of IBC is also underscored by the diverse range of entries received from across the world.
Fergal Ringrose, Chair of the 2024 IBC Innovation Awards Jury, emphasized the high quality and global reach of this year's entries. He stated, "This year’s entries once again showcased the global reach and appeal of the IBC Innovation Awards with projects of the highest quality received from six continents. Meanwhile, constantly evolving delivery methods and audience consumption patterns demand that content producers around the globe must innovate dynamically in order to stay relevant and competitive in the modern media and entertainment technology ecosystem."
The 2024 IBC Innovation Awards Finalists
The finalists across the five categories are:
- Content Creation: The National Football League (US), ESPN, Disney/Pixar, and Beyond Sports for their animated, real-time NFL broadcast; Olympic Broadcasting Services and partners for their innovative use of smartphones and 5G networks in live production; and Aspire for their virtual reality over RF wireless solution for autonomous racing.
- Content Distribution: Claro for their new approach to pay TV in Brazil; NBCUniversal Operations and Technology for transforming TV channel delivery; and the National Hockey League for their 5G and Edge compute framework for live broadcast.
- Content Everywhere: LaLiga for enabling fan interactivity; Red Bull Media House for their real-time tracking and visualization technology; and Franceinfo for aggregating and broadcasting multi-platform messages live.
- Social Impact: Disney Star, Star Sports for making cricket accessible to hearing- and visually-impaired fans; CultureQ for their platform enabling indigenous language and culture revitalization; and Sesame Workshop for their video hub for children in crisis settings.
- Environment & Sustainability: France Télévisions for reducing CO2 emissions through cloud production and private 5G; GreeningofStreaming for addressing the energy impact of streaming; and Anton/Bauer for their sustainable battery technology.
Awards Ceremony and Additional Highlights
The winners will be announced at a ceremony hosted by Sasha Qadri on September 15th at the RAI Amsterdam. The event will also feature the presentation of the IBC International Honour for Excellence and the Best Technical Paper Award.
About IBC
IBC is a leading global platform for the media, entertainment, and technology industry, fostering innovation and collaboration. IBC2024 will bring together professionals from around the world to explore new opportunities, showcase groundbreaking technologies, and discuss key industry trends.
For more information, please visit: https://show.ibc.org/