MediaRoad’s Accelerating European Media Innovation Event: Key Takeaways

As the Sandbox Hub winner at this year’s EBU (European Broadcasting Union) and MediaRoad’s Accelerating European Media Innovation Event in Brussels, Newsbridge had the opportunity to present our platform on-site.

There, our team gained valuable insight related to European media. This included but was not limited to: upcoming initiatives associated with media research, innovation projects and policy priorities. Here are a few key take-aways from the event.

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Media Innovation 2027: Thinking Ahead

One main objective of this event was to present the latest developments in media technology and discuss the future of media research, innovation projects and policy priorities in Europe for 2021-2027.

Thus, communication focused on the fact that we are working in an increasingly global and competitive market place in which innovation is essential in ensuring the sustainability and development of Europe’s media and creative industries. Seeing as we are now living in a hyperconnected society, the idea is to work that way, too.

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Event Speakers and Themes

The event consisted of a series of speakers including but not limited to: EBU General Director Noel Curran, European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society Mariya Gabriel and Head of Media Unit at Vrije University Dr. Karen Donders. The themes of Media and Innovation for Sustainability, Creating a Media Ecosystem for Innovation and Influencing Trends in the Media Sector were consistent topics of conversation at the event.

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“… European Innovation plays a crucial role by enhancing competitiveness in an increasingly saturated news market. We should be leveraging projects focused on innovative solutions and scaling them.“

Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society

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Technologies of Note

The topics of virtual technologies, privacy concerns, machine learning, big data and AI were prevalent throughout the event. These subjects sparked interesting topics of conversation in regard to enhancing, supporting and sustaining a strong European media sector. With a recent allocation of 61 million euros under the Creative Europe Programme, the European Commission’s aim is to support media freedom, media pluralism, and media literacy. However, European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society Mariya Gabriel explained that she still believes there is more work to be done in expanding this pledge.

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Newsbridge: EBU Sandbox Prize Winner

When it comes to putting these new technologies into practice, the right environment is needed. That’s where Media Road’s Sandbox Hub comes into play. The Sandbox Hub is a European network for media startups with the objective of nurturing a network of innovation incubators. In this network, disruptive technology, ideas and strategy can be tested and scaled depending on success. The individual incubators (Sandboxes) operate independently but are hosted by established media organizations. The collective objective is to build a network of accelerators of media innovation throughout Europe. This network helps startups scale internationally, exchanging experience and expertise. As many of the Sandbox Hub members attended this year’s conference, the event concluded with the Sandbox awards. Among these winners, Newsbridge took the stage, presenting a brief overview of our platform, services and impact on the market. Other awardees of note include On-Hertz and France TV.

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Doing Our Part!

As emphasized at the event, innovation in the European media sector is critical in achieving competitiveness in the marketplace. With that said, Newsbridge is both proud and excited to be a part of the EBU community. We also look forward to continuing our innovative contribution to the industry in the upcoming years.