Industry analyst, Ben Keen, and I kick off our IBC 2026 podcast series from the Bedrock Streaming stand (Hall 5, C77), setting out the questions we’ll be exploring over the coming days. Chief among them: is AI now generating real, incremental revenue for media technology vendors? Alongside our first impressions of the show and the shift towards IP distribution, we discuss the battle to control the viewer relationship, Amazon’s position as an aggregator, and whether deals between broadcasters and major streamers signal the return of the cable bundle in a new form.

Is there such a thing as “business as usual” in broadcasting and streaming anymore? We consider the structural changes reshaping the industry: younger audiences moving away from broadcast, declining linear advertising revenues, and consolidation among both media companies and their suppliers. We also preview an upcoming discussion about Bedrock’s streaming platform ratio research, which asks how much broadcasters and streamers should be spending on their platforms relative to revenue.

Watch the full episode below and share or comment on LinkedIn. 

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction and Setting the Scene
03:05 Exploring IBC 2026 and Its Vibe
05:53 Key Themes and Discussions at IBC
08:50 AI in the Media Industry
11:54 The Future of Broadcasting and Streaming
14:57 Conclusion and Upcoming Discussions

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