Autumn 2026

Magazine Features

Action figure: tabulating and managing streaming TCO

While total cost of ownership spans an encyclopedic number of operational touchpoints, managing a video P&L ultimately comes down to making targeted, high-impact architectural choices.

AI's Streaming Stack: Graphical Representations

The companies covered here offer some very interesting approaches for using AI to accomplish what I would describe, essentially, as graphical representation in three very different areas: AI-powered UX for building live-streaming workflows, AI interpretation for ad targeting, and AI-generated video clip preview for streaming services.

Fans forward: creating lean-in engagement with personalised next-gen sport streaming experiences

While many of today's sport streams remain as linear, lean-back, and traditional as the fans who enjoy them, next-gen platforms are increasingly delivering individualised sport experiences. How are today's forward-facing platforms making personalisation feel natural rather than overwhelming? And how effective are these new engagement features in attracting younger, digital-native fans whose expectations and tastes are shaped by social rather than old-school linear TV?

How 5G is evolving from a network into a creative tool

Back in 2018, I stood at Wembley Sta­dium watching the world's first live sports broadcast over a public 5G network. The EE Wembley Cup marked a genuine milestone for the industry. As director of mobile at BT Sport, I was heavily involved in exploring how 5G could transform sports production. BT Sport produced the event remotely for EE using public 5G, demonstrating that live sports production could move beyond the constraints of traditional connectivity. Public 5G, remote production, network slicing, and untethered cameras were all part of the vision. The message was simple: 5G would change sports production forever. At the time, it felt revolutionary. And to be fair, it was.

Presenting … the 2026 European Innovation Awards Winners

After a whirlwind voting cycle, we're delighted to reveal the winners of the 2026 Streaming Media European Innovation Awards. Now in its 18th year, this year's programme attracted more than 1,100 participants who cast 7,500-plus votes across 13 distinct categories. Congratulations to all of the triumphant 2026 Innovation Awards winners, top vote-getters and runners-up alike!

The cord-cutter fallacy and the current subscription streaming landscape

When it comes to the so-called cord-cutting trend, the question we ask should not be, "Has the cord been successfully cut?" Rather, it should be, "Where do the new strands run to and from?"

Editor's Note

Proactive Measures: Live Stream Monitoring and Humans in the Loop

Over the last few months, I've had the opportunity to discuss the evolving practices, priorities, and enabling technologies of live-stream monitoring and QC with a number of relevant vendors, and that word "proactive" keeps coming up. As they describe AI's growing role in optimising streaming QoE, they downplay the ways it might be shrinking the streaming workforce, although it's hard to argue that we still need as many humans in the loop as we once did.

Spotlights

Unlock Smarter Media Automation With Contextual Content Analysis

Bruno Munger explains how Telestream's EDC Media Analyzer allows organizations to move from manual inspection toward context-aware orchestration by turning structural and editorial understanding into machine-readable data.

Who to see at IBC 2026

If you are heading to IBC and looking to find top companies specialising in online video products and services, look no further.