At Cuez, we have two colleagues who have walked the IBC floor more times than they can count. Here's what they've learned, and why IBC2026 is the one to talk to us.
One could have expected it, but ask our very own Chris Ketelaer and Jan 'JDW' De Wever how many IBCs they've attended, and they have to do the math. Together, they're well past 50 editions. This calls for a Q&A and some advice for IBC2026.
IBC used to be in another location
Chris's first IBC wasn't even in Amsterdam. It was held in Brighton in the late '80s.
"Not the most glamorous edition," the Business Development Manager laughingly says. Back then, IBC ran every 2 years, alternating with the Montreux show in Switzerland. It moved to Amsterdam in 1992 and never left.
JDW visited IBC for the first time in 1999, as a journalist. Our Product Owner of Automator has seen the show from every side since: press, buyer, and now as a vendor.
The biggest change
Both agree on the industry's most defining shift: IBC went from a hardware show to a software show. An abundance of OB trucks, cameras and other equipment made some room for software vendors. The equipment didn’t disappear, but it just stopped being the story.
3 hypes and 1 new standard
"The only constant is change," says Chris. "New technology arrives, and the sector most of the time evolves with it."
Not every technology made the cut:
- 3D TV: dead on arrival. "Nobody was ever going to set that up at home," says JDW.
- Same for 8K: great for production but not for living rooms.
- Idem for immersive sound systems.
And now we have AI, which they are glad to see turning into real, working tools.
Yet the rhythm of the industry hasn't changed: NAB is for releases, and IBC is where you can actually play with said releases. And the visitors apparently haven't changed either. "Everyone knows everyone," Chris laughs. "The faces stay the same, only the business cards change."
And the exhibitors? They get wiser.
Chris and Jan gladly share some advice to those in need:
Why Newsroom Automation Remains the Industry's Unresolved Challenge
What do broadcasters say year after year that still isn't solved? Chris didn't hesitate. “Do more with less. I've heard it for 15 years. Budgets don't grow. Ad revenue keeps shifting. The glory days are over in the industry.”
JDW annotates: “And automation in all its aspects. Other industries automated long ago and broadcast is still catching up. The biggest broadcasters in the world already run on it, but it has to trickle down some more.”
Why Chris and Jan keep attending IBC
JDW: "Our team released a lot of new integrations, so I’m looking forward to wandering the halls and seeing Cuez appear on multiple (many!) booths.”
Chris agrees: “Modern times brought complex media workflows, and that makes untangling and automating them such a pleasure.”
JDW: “And somewhere on the floor, there's always that one revolutionary product that makes 30-year veterans like us walk over just to look.”
"That's passion," says Chris. "That never changes."
Talk to the people who've seen it all
Chris, JDW, and the Cuez team are at IBC2026, booth 6.A23.
Twenty minutes with them tells you whether Cuez fits your workflow. No pitch, just people who know live production inside out.
Newsroom automation refers to software systems that streamline the planning, production, and delivery of broadcast news. At its core is the newsroom rundown; the sequence of stories that make up a newscast.
A modern newsroom automation system (also called a newsroom software or NRCS) automates the workflow between journalists, producers, and broadcast technicians. Instead of manually coordinating story assignments, timing, graphics, and playout in separate tools, automation platforms like story-centric systems unify these functions around the rundown.
Key functions include:
- Automated rundown generation from news wire feeds
- Coordinated timing across editorial and technical teams
- One-click playout integration so producers don't manually trigger graphics, video, or teleprompter
- Multi-platform publishing: the same rundown drives broadcast, streaming, and digital simultaneously
The distinction: older NRCS systems treated the rundown as a document; modern newsroom automation treats it as the source of truth that drives the entire broadcast.
Take the Cuez Rundown for example.
Over 50 years of IBC attendance, the broadcast industry has undergone a fundamental shift: from hardware-focused to software-centric.
The Old Model (1980s–2000s):
- Broadcast success was defined by equipment. Bigger, better cameras and switchers meant better production.
- Vendors displayed cutting-edge hardware: new resolution standards, faster processing, more channels.
- Live production was manual and decentralized: camera operators, audio engineers, and producers worked independently.
The Transition (2000s–2015):
- Automation began with playout systems (servers replacing tape machines).
- Newsroom software (NRCS) emerged to coordinate editorial and technical workflows.
- But adoption was slow; many newsrooms continued hybrid approaches (part-manual, part-automated).
The Current Reality (2020s):
- Software dominates. IBC exhibitions are filled with newsroom automation vendors, cloud-based production platforms, and AI-driven tools, not hardware.
- Successful broadcasters now measure production quality by efficiency and speed, not just equipment specs.
- Story-centric workflows have replaced hardware-centric ones. A producer's software interface controls more of the broadcast than a technician's hardware panel.
Failed Hypes Along the Way:
- 3D TV (promised immersion; viewers didn't care)
- 8K Resolution (beautiful but economically impractical)
- Immersive Sound (This never gained traction for for broadcast)
What's Here to Stay:
- AI in broadcast production is finally practical, not hype. Tools that detect scene changes, auto-generate captions, or flag audio issues now deliver real ROI.
- Automation as a permanent priority. Every broadcast operation wants to "do more with less," and newsroom automation is the proven path.
Despite decades of newsroom automation tools, adoption remains inconsistent. The gap between ambition and reality exists because of five core challenges:
1. The Budget Squeeze
- Ad revenue has shifted to digital platforms. Newsroom budgets have stagnated or shrunk.
- Larger broadcasters can justify newsroom automation investment (ROI is clear: fewer staff, faster turnaround).
- Mid-market and smaller stations can't afford implementation costs. Result: they lag 5–10 years behind.
2. Workflow Complexity
- Every newsroom is different. Some prioritize local news, others national feeds, others breaking news. A one-size-fits-all newsroom software doesn't exist.
- Implementation requires retraining journalists and producers in new workflows. This takes months.
- Legacy systems (old teleprompters, playout servers, graphics engines) don't integrate cleanly with modern automation.
3. The "Do More With Less" Contradiction
- Broadcasting is cyclical: revenues fluctuate, but newscast frequency doesn't. Newsrooms must maintain production with fewer staff.
- Newsroom automation can solve this, but requires upfront investment during lean times. Most stations wait until crisis hits, then scramble.
4. Talent Resistance
- Producers and journalists have deep muscle memory with existing workflows.
- A new rundown system or story-centric platform disrupts established patterns.
- Without proper training and change management, adoption stalls.
5. Integration Nightmares
- A newsroom touches 10+ systems: editorial systems, graphics, playout, teleprompter, social media, streaming, analytics.
- Modern newsroom automation must integrate all of these. Legacy systems often resist integration (technical debt, vendor lock-in).
- This makes implementation longer and costlier than anticipated.
The Result:
Larger broadcasters (BBC, ITV, major US networks) have solved newsroom automation. Smaller operations haven't. The gap widens yearly.
Based on 50+ years of IBC observation and current industry momentum, the future of broadcast production will be defined by three shifts:
1. Story-Centric, Not Hardware-Centric
The rundown remains the source of truth.
Production workflows will be entirely software-driven, orchestrated through a single newsroom automation platform.
Hardware will become invisible (cloud-based playout, software-defined everything).
The newsroom software determines what the audience sees, not the equipment.
2. Extreme Efficiency as a Competitive Advantage
"Do more with less" is no longer a slogan; it's the baseline business model.
Newsrooms that automate their rundowns will produce 2 or 3x more content with the same staff.
Those that don't automate will shrink or consolidate.
Newsroom automation won't be an option; it will be table stakes.
3. AI as a Production Partner (Not Just a Tool)
AI will move beyond transcription and captions.
AI will: auto-generate story rundowns from wire feeds, flag breaking news priorities, suggest graphics, even optimize story order for engagement.
Journalists will collaborate with AI systems, not replace them: AI handles repetitive production work; humans focus on storytelling.
4. Multi-Platform Publishing as Standard
One rundown, infinite outputs: broadcast, streaming, social, podcast, web.
Modern newsroom automation platforms will treat multi-platform as the baseline, not an afterthought.
A single rundown edit will cascade across all platforms in real time.
The Catch:
This future requires investment now by smaller and mid-market broadcasters.
Those who adopt newsroom automation early will thrive.
Those who delay will face existential pressure within 3–5 years.
Why This Matters:
Chris and JDW attended IBC to stay current. In the coming decade, broadcast professionals who understand story-centric newsroom automation won't just keep attending conferences: they'll be leading the transformation at their stations.
You can book a meeting with Chris at IBC2026 with this link.
