IBC, the International Broadcasting Convention, has announced the live and digital sessions schedule for its Accelerator Media Innovation Programme at IBC2021. This year’s Accelerator programme will culminate with eight diverse innovation project teams - that have been driving solutions to complex business and technology challenges over the last six months - revealing the outcomes through proof of concept demonstrations and discussions at this year’s live show and IBC digital platform. This year's Accelerator programme, supported by Nvidia, includes, among many other champions; AP, Al Jazeera, Audible, BBC, BT Sport, Digital Domain, EBU, ESL, Fox Sports, Multichoice, OBS, Reuters, Pixar, RAI, RTÉ, Sky, TV2, VRT, Yle, Unity Technologies, Unreal/Epic and ViacomCBS.
“Collaborative innovation is at the core of IBC’s Accelerator Programme, which is exemplified by this year’s eight diverse, boundary-breaking project challenges,” said Mark Smith, Innovation Lead and Advisor to IBC. “IBC Show attendees will see some world-firsts and context setting discussions with project Champions and Participants about their challenges, specific barriers faced and lessons learned through the Accelerator framework, with final PoC demonstrations that underline the ‘learning by doing’ ethos of the programme.”
The schedule for this year’s Accelerator programme is:
Friday, 3rd December:
‘5G & Innovation in Live Workflows’, 15:00 – 15:45, Showcase Theatre: This project explores 5G-led innovation across Multi-Access Edge Computing, Multi-Cloud deployments, Private 5G Networks (Networks in a Box) and Low Earth Orbit Satellites Champions: BBC, beIN Sports, BT Sport, EBU, Fox Sports ITV, Olympic Broadcasting Services, RTÈ, RTL, TV2, ViacomCBS, Vodafone and Yle. Participants: Evertz, Grass Valley, Huawei, Juniper Networks Microsoft, Net Insight, Nulink, Singular.Live, University of Strathclyde, Zixi.
‘5G LBXR’, 16:15: - 17:00, Showcase Theatre: This world-first aims to improve and empower the Location-Based entertainment experience in extended realities (AR, VR, esports) using 5G’s fast-speed connectivity and cloud computing in a variety of locations. Champions: Digital Domain, ESL/Weavr, Hado, Park Playground, Telenet/Liberty Global, Twickenham Studios and Vodafone. Participants: Huawei, Net Insight, Noitom, ProMod Esports Productions and Quark. XR
Saturday, 4th December:
‘Smart Remote Production and Real-Time Animation’, 14:00 – 14:45, Production Stage: This IBC Challenge will leverage the latest technological developments of Markerless Motion Capture and Speech-Driven Facial Animation to drive CG Performances in real-time rendering game engines. Champions: Digital Domain, EBU, ETC/USC, RAI, RTÉ, Unreal/Epic, VRT, and YLE. Participants: RADiCAL, Respeecher.
‘RT-3D Content Creation for Multi-Platform Distribution’, 15:15 – 16:00, Supply Chain Stage: This challenge focuses on creating transmedia content using cutting edge XR tools and and real-time workflow technologies. Champions: Cartoon Network/ Warner Media, Fox Sports, Pixar, RTE, Sky, Trinity College Dublin, Unity Technologies and Unreal/Epic. Participants: Anchorpoint, Masterpiece Studio, Noitom, Trick3D and Tvori.
‘AI Bias Detection’, 16:15-17:00, Supply Chain Stage: This project uses AI to detect, measure balance and flag bias in the representation and portrayal of diverse genders, cultures and ethnicities, to ensure fairness and transparency in news reporting. Champions: Al Jazeera, AP, BBC, ETC/USC, Multichoice, Reuters, RTÈ and Super Sports.
Sunday, 5th December:
‘Immersive Audio & Sound Imagery’, 12:15 – 13:00, Content Supply Chain Stage: This unique IBC Accelerator Challenge explores Immersive Audio and Sound Imagery to bridge the audio-visual gap between artist and viewer/listener, breaking audio engineering rules by creating rich, spatialised, ‘six degrees of freedom’ audio, room simulation and 360 visuals to recreate a magical, live performance. Champions: Audible, CTOI, Kings College London, MuseumTV, ORF, Audio Engineering Society (AES), Twickenham Studios, University of Surrey, University of Lethbridge. Participants: Magic Bean, Omnilive.
‘5G & Remote Production in Live Sport’, 13:30 – 14:15, Production Stage: This Accelerator Challenge will spotlight 5G's huge potential to help broadcasters accelerate their digitisation and transformation strategies and strengthen their market position right across the content value chain from production to distribution. Champions: Al Jazeera, BBC Sport, beIN Sports, BT Sport, BT, Fox Sports, Olympic Broadcasting Services, Ooredoo, Multichoice & Super Sports. Participants: Aviwest, Grass Valley, Microsoft, Mobile Viewpoint, Native Waves, Net Insight, Taswer and TVU.
‘Sustainability in Live Production’, 14:45 – 15:30, Production Stage: Leading broadcasters and production companies will discuss and demonstrate how they use remote productions to meet ambitious sustainability objectives to reduce carbon footprints and offset carbon emissions. Champions: BBC, BT Sport, Multichoice, Albert/BAFTA, and Sky. Participants: Microsoft and Singular, Live.
The IBC Accelerator Programme was launched in 2019 and empowers companies from across the content and technology industries to identify business and technology challenges and solve them openly and collaboratively. Additionally, the inaugural IBC Accelerator Project of the Year Award, will be independently judged to determine the Accelerator team that has developed the most impressive solutions as demonstrated through their final Proof of Concept Showcase at IBC2021. Also in December, IBC will call for Challenges for the 2022 Accelerator Programme.