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IBC- Day Three Highlights
September 17, Sunday. Here’s what happened on Day 3 of IBC2023, as Changemakers took over from the IBC Conference and the Content Programme continued across the Showcase Theatre, Innovation Stage and Content Everywhere.
Broadcast & CableSat is the exclusive media partner from India for the Show.
The Changemaker Programme showcases the pioneers who are advancing gender equality, sustainability, and inclusive technology. Whether you attended IBC2023 or watched from afar, Changemaker content is an opportunity to join conversations on equity and inclusion and to witness the industry’s transformative narratives on People and Purpose.
In the Changemaker keynote “The Creative Centipede with an Inclusive Soul”, Dutch storyteller and founder of inclusive TV station Omroep ZWART Akwasi Ansah shares his personal story and vision for a digital-first landscape which is equitable, inclusive and accessible.
Akwasi Ansah opens the Changemaker Programme at IBC2023.
Phenix is the first real-time streaming provider to launch a full solution including Server Side Ad Insertion (SSAI) and DRM, while maintaining a target latency of less than half a second at proven scale. Join Bill Wishon, Architect, Akamai’s Media Division, Phenix Real Time Solutions on the Innovation Stage for the session: “Phenix Real-Time Streaming with SSAI and DRM.”
In an insightful session called “Navigating Media’s Next Era of Change”, Francesco Venturini, CVP, WW Media and Communications Industry, Microsoft, delved into how technology and innovation can help transform the media landscape and empower content creators, platform companies, distributors, and consumers worldwide.
Speaking at the IBC2023 Changemaker Programme conference session “Putting people first”, Jabbar Sardar, Global HR Director, BBC Studios insisted that culture and inclusiveness is a key part of the BBC’s success as a content producer.
Jabbar Sardar leads global wellbeing, culture, D&I and leadership strategy across BBC Studios. But for Sandar culture and inclusion come ahead of strategy every time.
Speaking at an IBC2023 Changemaker Programme conference session, the Global HR Director, BBC Studios insisted that culture and inclusiveness is a key part of the BBC’s success as a content producer, making programmes as diverse as Strictly Come Dancing to David Attenborough natural history programmes.
(L-R): Sarah Burbedge, executive producer and Change Consultant, Soho Media Club Jabbar Sardar, Global HR Director, BBC Studios
“My job is to say what difference can I make today to unleash that creativity from the 3,500 staff and 2,500 freelancers who make up BBC Studios’ workforce,” said Sardar.
Putting staff first is an important principle with Sardar behind a number of initiatives to improve the wellbeing of staff, including a package for people returning to work after an absence. “In the first 12 weeks we make sure they will have support and a mentor and anything else they need. I don’t want anybody feeling that they are not being supported.”
Post pandemic the ecosystem of in work and outside work is blurring, said Sardar. “We have hybrid working and there’s no prescriptive ‘you must be in the office 3 days a week.’ You come in when you need to come in.”
Sardar said his approach of modelling the right behaviours, such as respect, from the top can be seen in the way he manages his emails. “If we want to be an open and inclusive organisation the leadership has to model the right behaviour. So everyone who emails me will get a response from me on the same day.”
“That’s because I think it’s incumbent on me to provide feedback, guide people and be part of a listening organisation.”
We ensure we have the right intent, the right values and behaviours, but when it’s not working we aim to get it right next time.”
Sardar pointed to The Pledge, an initiative instituted by Ralph Lee, head of BBC Studios Productions, which allows the production teams to call out inappropriate behaviour on productions.
“We also do lots of exit interviews and in the last four years we have had 30,000 responses. We have used AI to interpret what it really means. The AI model really helped us get to what those 30,000 comments were saying.”
IABM names new CEO.
Jerry Gepner, a seasoned media professional with a notable career spanning CBS Sports, Fox Sports, and as COO of Sportvision, has been named the new CEO of IABM, the prominent international association for broadcast and media technology. Gepner was co-founder and COO of Sportvision, the first company to develop and deploy realtime augmented reality graphics in American football, NASCAR and other sports. More recently he served as Group CTO then divisional CEO at Vitec Group (now Videndum). Gepner joins IABM from CP Communications, a leader in wireless audio, video and IP production solutions, where he was COO.
Day 4 might look quieter (the show closes its doors at 16:00), but it promises to be no less impactful. It’s a fitting end to IBC2023.
Changemakers will continue to explore the themes of inclusion, sustainability in production and optimising the work/life balance.
On the Innovation Stage, meanwhile, streaming and immersive XR experiences will be the hot topics. And it’s game on at the Showcase Theatre, where gaming and esports will dominate discussions.
On Content Everywhere Stage 1, Day 4 begins with “Whip Media FASTrack™: The FAST/AVOD Reporting Solution for Small-Medium Sized Distributors”; followed by Gareth Capon (CEO – Grabyo) live demonstration on cutting-edge “Live Production Tools in the Cloud”, and then the discussion “OTT Lessons from Around the World” unfolds.
There are three sessions to close out the Partner Programme at IBC2023, starting at 10:00 with “SMPTE: AI in live broadcast”, Ar 11:00, “What’s next for Audio? Audio Codecs & Object Based Media”, and at 12 noon, IBC2023’s Partner Sessions go for a big finish with a lengthy session entitled: “SCTE: Tackling the telco net zero challenge”.
And that’s it. There is no more. At least not at the RAI Amsterdam.
IBC365, however, will have session recordings, speaker interviews, plus extra news and features over the next few weeks.
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