Just as NAB has in the U.S., IBC has evolved into a broad-encompassing tent for anyone involved in the technology of video delivery.
This includes pay-TV operators, not only leading ones in Europe like Liberty Global, Sky and ProSiebenSat.
“I’ve attended IBC for many years now as the fall show allows us to see global technology trends that could have impacts on 2018 technology roadmaps,” said Jeff Binder, the longtime cable executive now leading upstart pay-TV brand Layer3 TV out of Denver.
“Pay-TV companies use IBC for a number of reasons including seeing new technology, learning about new vendors entering the marketplace and engaging with our current partners,” Binder added. “Layer3 TV strives to always be ahead of the curve and this show fosters a dialogue between our partners on where we see product and technology heading in the coming years.”
Beyond merely prowling the halls and taking meetings at IBC, the American pay-TV industry will have a bit of a presence. For example, Alexander Giladi, principal architect for Comcast, will be speaking on the panel session “Cyber and content security—putting it into practice,” a Saturday event moderated by Jean-Paul Heron, VP of Titanium Security for Arris.
And there are plenty of other names recognizable to the American cable industy, with Liberty Global CTO Balan Nair—a prominent SCTE presence—top-lining Friday’s keynote panel, “CTO Roadmap,” alongside Discovery Communications CTO John Honeycutt and News Corp. Deputy CTO Latha Maripuri.
Vendor names familiar with American operators will also be out in force. For instance, Michael Hawkey, user experience chief for TiVo, will moderate the Saturday panel, "Find Me Something Good: The future of the TV consumer experience" featuring Ashley Grossman, senior manager of video discovery and personalization for Liberty Global Netherlands.
American pay-TV executives who want to keep an eye on Google will also be able to see speakers like YouTube software engineer Steve Robertson, Gerald Sauvageon, head of broadcast and entertainment for Google, and Kip Schauer, head of media and entertainment for Google Cloud.
Media networks prominent in the U.S pay-TV ecosystem will also be represented. For example, Joanna Wells, VP of Comedy Central and MTV International, will speak alongside Facebook Product Director Daniel Danker during the Thursday keynote event, “Social networks—friend, frenemy or foe.”
Meanwhile, this year’s IBC has a bit of a celebrity flavor, with actor turned chin-rubbing tech strategist Bill Zane delivering the Sunday keynote, “Turn off, tune out, drop in: How some of the most radical ideas of tomorrow are being discovered within institutional academia, not just dropouts in garages.”