At IBC 2026, a quiet but significant conversation dominated the European broadcast halls: sovereignty is about more than where data is stored. It is about who controls the media supply chain.
BCE’s end-to-end sovereign cloud media supply chain
Leveraging Scaleway for European cloud infrastructure and Ateme for media processing, BCE demonstrated an end-to-end sovereign cloud media supply chain, offering a European alternative to non-European hyperscale cloud providers.
The offering centers on BCE’s Media-as-a-Service (MaaS) approach, connecting workflows across cloud, hybrid, and on-premises environments, from ingest and processing to orchestration, distribution, and monitoring.
“Sovereignty is about more than where data is stored,” said Sylvain Merle, Chief Technology Officer at BCE. “It is about who controls the media supply chain and whether organisations retain the freedom to choose, adapt and evolve their operations over time. By combining European cloud infrastructure, trusted media technologies, and BCE’s operational expertise, we provide customers with a resilient, production-ready environment in which they can modernise without giving up control or flexibility.”
Frédéric Fiévez, Chief Operating Officer at BCE, added: “Our role is not to impose a cloud strategy, but to enable the right one.”
Netflix opens its production ecosystem
In a significant move, Netflix announced it is opening its Media Production Suite (MPS) to third-party tool integration. The decision, announced by Anna Mallett, VP Production for EMEA, marks a shift in how the streamer works with technology vendors and production partners worldwide.
“We’re now opening the door to existing tools — perhaps some of them built by folks in this room today — and bringing them into our Netflix ecosystem through our tool library,” Mallett said. “We’re not telling our partners which tools to use. We’re making it safe and easy for people to explore.”
BBright’s unified streaming approach
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.
Rather than duplicating complete playout chains, the approach uses SMPTE ST 2110-41 to transport synchronised metadata, allowing one UHD playout source to support downstream Dolby Vision, HDR10, and SDR services. The system 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 operator-friendly orchestration
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 tension this addresses: “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.”
The broader European cloud push
Beyond BCE, the European cloud infrastructure conversation at IBC 2026 was characterised by practical concerns about costs, latency, and regulatory compliance. As Netflix’s expansion into opening its MPS to third-party tools shows, even global streamers are learning to work within regional constraints.
The key insight from vendors like BCE: organisations don’t need to choose between innovation and control. Sovereign cloud approaches can provide the same flexibility and scalability as hyperscale providers, while keeping data within jurisdictional boundaries and giving organisations control over their media supply chains.
“Whether it’s the BBC, Netflix, ITV, or Sky signing onto BAFTA Albert’s SPARK roadmap, or European broadcasters choosing Scaleway and Ateme over AWS and Azure — the message is clear: sovereignty isn’t about isolation, it’s about choice,” observed one industry analyst at the show.
The path forward
As the media industry continues its migration to cloud-native workflows, the sovereignty conversation is shifting from “whether” to “how.” The challenge isn’t just storing data in the right place — it’s ensuring that the entire production and distribution pipeline, from ingest to viewer, operates under the right jurisdictional and commercial terms.
BCE’s demonstration at IBC 2026 showed that this is not just possible — it’s already here, and it’s production-ready.
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.