IABM Head of Skills and development, Chris Evans, sits down with TVB Europe.

In the first of a series of special TVBEurope articles looking back at some of MediaTech’s biggest talking points of 2025 – Chris reflects on how the industry is equipping itself to grow, adapt and innovate with greater consistency. 

 

What’s surprised you the most about the media technology industry in 2025?

The most striking surprise has been the speed and depth of business transformation across the media tech ecosystem. The IABM Business Transformation Megatrend report highlighted the shift toward cloud services and AI-driven optimisation, and the acceleration since then has exceeded expectations. Organisations have moved beyond exploratory projects and are now restructuring operating models to optimise cloud usage, integrate AI-assisted workflows and create more flexible commercial approaches. This momentum reflects a clearer understanding that transformation is not optional but fundamental to long-term resilience. 

What new ideas or technologies have caught your attention, and why?

Interoperability and software-defined production have been among the most compelling developments. The latest IABM TechTracker research and IABM working group discussions highlighted strong alignment around unified control planes, modular architectures and vendor-neutral frameworks that support hybrid on-prem, cloud and virtualised environments. Alongside this, the expansion of AI into workflow support, content processing and automation aligns closely with themes in the IABM Technology and Trends Roadmap, where responsible AI, machine-to-machine automation and data integrity play an increasingly important role. These developments are prompting organisations to rethink how they structure teams and capabilities. 

What would you say has been the biggest talking point of the year, and why?

Security has dominated strategic discussions throughout 2025. Concerns have widened beyond content protection to include cloud security, supply chain vulnerabilities, code integrity and the new risks introduced by AI, including prompt injection and synthetic media. As workflows become more distributed and software defined, security is now a shared responsibility across engineering, product and operations. This shift has had a visible impact on procurement criteria, technical roadmaps and the adoption of provenance and verification tools. 

As we come to the end of the year, are you more optimistic or pessimistic about the future of the industry? Please explain why.

I am optimistic. IABM’s State of MediaTech report indicates that the NET outlook for business in media tech in the coming year has fallen, but overall remains positive. The challenges are still present, but 2025 has shown how capable the industry is of moving with purpose. Conversations with members across all regions point to a community that is clearer about its priorities and far more confident in its direction. Organisations are not only simplifying architectures, but doing so with a strong focus on interoperability, security and long term flexibility. Skills development is gaining real momentum, and the appetite for data-driven decision-making is stronger than at any point in recent years. Taken together, these shifts signal an industry that is equipping itself to grow, adapt and innovate with greater consistency. The foundations for a more agile and sustainable future are already visible, and that gives plenty of reason for optimism. 

What one word would you use to sum up the industry right now?

Transformational. The sector is moving through a significant shift in business strategy, technology architecture and workforce capability. The need for organisations to transform at speed is demanding but necessary, and it is paving the way for more sustainable business. 

What are you looking forward to in 2026?

I’m particularly interested in how the industry advances technologies focused on content authenticity and provenance, which are becoming increasingly important as the role of synthetic in content creation expands. I also expect 2026 to feature more software defined products and services that can run on shared memory compute. Continued momentum for collaborative initiatives like the Media eXchange Layer will be vital to ensure multivendor interoperability is available to end-users to create best of breed solutions to convert these architectural choices into real operational and commercial benefits in the year ahead.