While the AI demos steal the spotlight, the real work of IBC 2026 happens in the invisible layers — the infrastructure that moves bits from camera to consumer. This is where the rubber meets the road for media production.
MoQ: The protocol that could redefine streaming
MoQ (Media over Quic) is a dominant technical theme at IBC 2026, with at least 30 stands in the exhibition demoing the tech — triple the number from IBC 2025.
The protocol is moving away from transmitting pixel by pixel towards an architecture built on scene instructions and semantic intelligence. Rather than sending a continuous stream of frames, devices generate the viewing experience from AI-defined scene data.
Synamedia’s Damien Sterkers, Vice President of Product Marketing, explained the thinking: “The industry has spent years making codecs better, lower latency, cleaner compression. We asked why there is a codec at all. If the audio is already AoIP and the network can carry it, the encode and decode step is cost, latency, and hardware you do not need.”
With 12 independent relay implementations tracked by the IETF, MoQ is expected to land first in primary distribution (broadcasters sending feeds to affiliates) around 2027. Consumer-facing adoption is projected to come later, though streaming solutions providers like Vindral and Nanocosmos are already deploying it.
The OpenMOQ consortium — including Cisco, Oracle, YouTube, Ateme, Bitmovin, Synamedia, and Akamai — is building open-source MoQ software that can be commercially deployed.
Dejero’s real-world connectivity test
Dejero didn’t just talk about hybrid transport — they proved it with a live production of the Targa Newfoundland motorsport event, spanning 2,000km of remote terrain including areas with no reliable cellular coverage. The feeds ran across multiple IBC stands:
- Dejero & GlobalM (1.A11)
- FOR-A & Dejero (2.B53)
- Grabyro (5.A20)
- Matrox Video (7.B15)
- Eutelsat (0.A26 and 1.A16)
Kevin Fernandes, Chief Revenue Officer at Dejero, said: “Remote and distributed production will continue evolving from an alternative workflow into the default model.”
swXtch.io: Cutting the codec
swXtch.io’s groundSwXtch carries lossless native audio-over-IP streams between facilities over standard internet connections without codec hardware. The application transports ST 2110-30 and AES67 in their native formats, with no encode or decode step.
“The audio is already AoIP and the network can carry it, the encode and decode step is cost, latency, and hardware you do not need,” said CEO Brent Yates. “groundSwxtch carries the native stream and gets out of the way.”
Applications being explored include live events, intercom between facilities over standard internet connections, remote mixing, and radio and news production.
Intinor’s IP gateway evolution
Intinor’s Direkt series introduced HDR HLG metadata passthrough and NDI advanced configuration. The next major update will introduce ST 2110 output, providing a direct gateway for bringing compressed public internet feeds into modern uncompressed facilities.
The Direkt series acts as a secure gateway using tools like Bifrost and SMPTE 2022-7 redundancy, helping broadcasters manage feeds from unpredictable internet connections and unverified third-party SRT streams.
Hybrid cloud: The practical reality
Netflix’s Anna Mallett described the shift from relay race to cloud-native workflows: “Production used to run like a relay race — Editorial, then VFX, then sound, then colour. Each team waiting on the last before it could get started.”
The hybrid approach is now standard. As BCE’s Sylvain Merle explained: “Sovereignty is about more than where data is stored. It is about who controls the media supply chain and whether organisations retain the freedom to choose, adapt and evolve their operations over time.”
BCE’s demonstration of an end-to-end sovereign cloud media supply chain, using Scaleway for European cloud infrastructure and Ateme for media processing, centers on a Media-as-a-Service (MaaS) approach connecting workflows across cloud, hybrid, and on-premises environments.
BBright’s single-source multilingual delivery
BBright’s “One Stream For The World” workflow delivers multiple video, audio, and subtitle versions from a single synchronised source using broadcast-grade ST 2110 playout. The platform combines UHD video with time-aligned HDR metadata, immersive audio metadata, up to 64 stereo audio services and up to 32 subtitle languages.
At the core is SMPTE ST 2110-41, used to transport synchronised metadata including ISXD for Dolby Vision and S-ADM for audio applications such as Dolby Atmos, Dolby AC-4, and MPEG-H. The approach has already reduced the number of parallel SDR and HDR playout chains required by at least 50% in a deployment for a global tier-one OTT events platform.
Zattoo’s Orchestrate management layer
At IBC 2026, Zattoo highlighted Orchestrate — the central management layer within its modular streaming architecture. The management console gives product and business teams direct, no-code control over pricing, bundles, promotions, and content discovery.
Paul Fournier, COO at BroadView Software, described the shift: “Streaming platforms tend to be just that. They’re not broadcast, and broadcast operations have decades of process workflows behind them. Nexus is designed to provide broadcast-level quality, workflow, automation, visibility, and control, but in a streaming world.”
Einbliq.io: Observability for streaming
Einbliq.io showcased an observability platform for streamers, supporting Common Media Client Data (CMCD) v2 event mode and agentic investigation workflows to connect viewer-side quality problems with delivery evidence.
The platform’s Spectra data layer ingests and standardises CMCD, client telemetry, and CDN logs. Its Focus AI layer detects anomalies and patterns across telemetry, while domain-aware agents investigate findings and translate viewer-visible effects — such as rebuffers or playback failures — into specific request-level evidence from CDN logs.
As Sebastian Siepe, CTO at Einbliq.io, explained: “CMCD v2 event mode makes that connection faster and richer.”
I am Luca Berton, AI and Cloud Advisor. I work at the intersection of cloud security, platform engineering, and enterprise AI deployments. Book a consultation.