Key trends We Noted at IBC2025
By Bill McLaughlin, Chief Product Officer, AI-Media
IBC 2025 in Amsterdam brought together more than 43,000 attendees and 1,300 exhibitors, with a new “Future Tech” hub spotlighting AI, cloud, 5G, and sustainability. Walking the show floor, the sense was clear: artificial intelligence and automation are no longer side-show demos. They are starting to embed into workflows at every stage of the media pipeline.
Below are some of the themes we noticed. These aren’t the only stories from IBC – but they’re the ones we think deserve some airtime.
- AI Moves from Demo to Deployment
This year, AI wasn’t presented as shiny “add-ons,” but as embedded workflow automation. Across the show floor, demonstrations focused on measurable efficiency gains – from metadata enrichment and quality control to subtitling, translation, and archive search. The conversation has matured: AI is now being evaluated on integration, reliability, and return on investment rather than novelty.
Our takeaway: The framing has shifted. Buyers increasingly expect AI to slot into existing workflows via APIs, event triggers, or archive enrichment. The conversation is no longer about if but where AI fits.
AI-Media Perspective: At AI-Media, we’re seeing that shift firsthand through the growing adoption of LEXI, our AI-powered captioning solution. Broadcasters and enterprises increasingly recognise that AI can now match – and often outperform – human captioning for accuracy, while delivering major operational and economic benefits. With LEXI seamlessly embedded within our Alta encoder range and global iCap Network, AI-driven captioning has moved from concept to cornerstone – transforming accessibility at scale.
- Translation at Scale Becomes a Battleground
Accessibility and localisation were highly visible – with speech-to-speech translation and live captioning front-and-centre. AI-Media launched LEXI Voice, and multiple startups promoted multilingual dubbing.
Interestingly, we saw fewer new entrants tackling straight captioning or transcription – perhaps a recognition that this space is maturing and well-served. Instead, smaller startups leaned heavily into translation and dubbing, often wrapping Whisper-based tools.
Our takeaway: Differentiation will come from accuracy, latency, and workflow fit. Translation at scale is compelling, plus enterprise buyers want guarantees around terminology, SLAs, and data security.
AI-Media Perspective: LEXI Voice was built specifically for this moment – providing accurate, real-time voice translations powered by our proven captioning foundation and enterprise-grade architecture. With AI-Media’s workflow integration and terminology control, translation at scale moves from novelty to reliability.
- Voice AI: Hype vs. Depth
Voice AI demos drew large crowds, but many lacked depth once you looked closer. Glossy avatars and flashy synthetic voices don’t yet solve enterprise challenges like consistency, terminology, or compliance.
Our takeaway: The hype is real – but meaningful adoption will depend on solving “boring” but critical issues like control, monitoring, and integration into broadcast/event chains.
AI-Media Perspective: At IBC, we saw plenty of talk about automated translation – but we focused on showing what’s real today. With LEXI Voice, we demonstrated true live translation and multilingual audio delivery built on our proven LEXI captions as the foundation. From there, we layer in specialized AI engines – one for translation and another for synthetic voice – intelligently orchestrated to deliver the best possible result. That orchestration is what defines AI-Media: combining multiple best-in-class technologies into one seamless, reliable workflow. Visitors valued our transparency – we were upfront about what the technology can do today and where we see rapid improvement coming over the next 6–12 months. LEXI Voice isn’t hype; it’s proof that real-world, AI-powered voice translation is here – and ready for broadcast.
- Compliance Narratives Gain Momentum
Another trend was the stronger presence of compliance-driven narratives. For enterprise buyers, accessibility regulations (like the European Accessibility Act 2025) are no longer “nice to have.” Vendors were aligning solutions to evolving standards, embedding compliance into marketing as much as product design.
Our takeaway: Compliance stories aren’t just about ticking boxes – they’re emerging as core differentiators in procurement decisions.
AI-Media Perspective: With the EAA 2025 now in effect and ADA Title II deadlines fast approaching, organizations are actively seeking ways to deliver accessibility that is both compliant and sustainable. That’s where AI-Media makes the difference. Through our AI-powered LEXI suite – including LEXI for captions, LEXI Voice for translation, and LEXI AD for audio description – combined with our complete encoder suite across SDI and IP, we enable compliance through automation, accuracy, and scale.
By replacing traditional, human-driven workflows with intelligent automation, our solutions dramatically reduce cost and complexity – allowing many organizations to achieve compliance that may previously have been out of reach. This isn’t just about meeting regulatory requirements; it’s about empowering a more inclusive, efficient, and economically viable model for accessibility.
- Cloud & Hybrid Live Production as Default
Cloud live production was not debated this year – it was assumed. AWS, EVS, Grass Valley, and others showed resilient multi-region architectures. Techex showcased JPEG-XS and SRT-based trust boundaries. For many, hybrid (cloud + on-prem) has become the operating reality.
Our takeaway: In our world, captioning and translation buyers want more than marketing claims. They want plug-and-play, cloud-ready solutions with proven reliability, low latency, and documented deployment patterns.
AI-Media Perspective: AI-Media’s encoder suite is purpose-built for this hybrid reality, spanning both SDI and IP environments to support any production model. Our Encoder Pro is the flagship SDI encoder, delivering ultra-reliable, broadcast-grade captioning integration, while Alta powers advanced IP-based workflows for cloud and remote production. For customers operating in secure or compliance-bound environments, LEXI Local enables on-prem deployment of AI-Media’s captioning and translation technology, and LEXI DR provides a disaster recovery option for uninterrupted service continuity.
Together with the LEXI Network, these solutions deliver seamless, low-latency captioning and translation – giving broadcasters and enterprises the flexibility to operate confidently in the cloud, on-prem, or anywhere in between.
- Broadcast and AV Convergence Accelerates
A noticeable undercurrent at IBC was the way broadcast and AV are borrowing from each other’s playbooks. IP-native production, cloud-first architectures, and AI-powered captioning and translation are no longer confined to one side of the aisle. Corporate AV producers now expect the same levels of reliability, scalability, and multilingual capability as broadcasters, while broadcasters are embracing AV-style flexibility in hybrid venue and event workflows.
Our takeaway: This convergence creates a sweet spot for accessibility solutions. Whether it’s a live sports broadcast, a city council meeting, or a multinational corporate event, the need is the same: accurate, low-latency captions and translations that integrate seamlessly across broadcast and AV environments. Vendors who can straddle both will stand out.
AI-Media Perspective: This is exactly where AI-Media excels. Our encoder suite provides the flexibility needed for any production environment. Combined with our LEXI Tool Kit — including LEXI Text for captions, LEXI Voice for translation, LEXI AD for audio description, and LEXI Viewer and AI-Live display solutions for events — we deliver a unified accessibility layer across both broadcast and AV workflows.
As broadcast and AV converge, AI-Media bridges the gap with proven reliability, performance, and scalability – enabling every audience, in every environment, to experience content without barriers.
Final Thoughts
IBC 2025 was defined by convergence – AI embedding deeper into workflows, compliance shaping procurement, and translation and voice emerging as the next frontier of accessibility.
For AI-Media, these trends reaffirm the direction we’ve been building toward: an AI-driven, workflow-integrated future where captions, translations, and audio description operate seamlessly across broadcast, streaming, and live events.