Industry leaders convened in Amsterdam for DVB World 2026 in late March to discuss the transition from broadcast to internet-centric content delivery

By Alessandra Mosca and Patrizia La Rosa

The curtain has closed on DVB World 2026, a Sisvel-sponsored event that brought over 160 people from more than 100 companies to Amsterdam for two days of sessions focused on the future of broadcast technologies.

Three members of the Sisvel team – Alessandra Mosca, Patrizia La Rosa and Matteo Sabattini – were on hand throughout for strategic and technical discussions, in addition to DVB World’s signature ‘unconference’: a set of free-form, attendee-led engagements.

Below are a few of our takeaways from the event.

DVB Project enters new era

Since 1993, the DVB Project has brought together leading media and technology companies to design open technical specifications for digital media delivery. The major focus of this year’s conference was a new strategic vision that the organisation is rolling out for what it deems its Third Era.

That vision is: “To enable a managed transition from classic broadcast to IP-centric media distribution, while retaining an open ecosystem for devices and services.”

Several projects and specifications are central to achieving this goal, all of which involve the convergence of traditional broadcast systems with new technologies and delivery methods.

The DVB-I specification is one cornerstone of this effort. It provides a standardised framework for service discovery, allowing internet-delivered content to be found and accessed alongside traditional broadcast channels through a single, modern user interface. It is now transitioning from theory to practice, so event attendees saw examples of real-world deployment and discussed lessons learned from early experiences.

Another interesting convergence is between DVB-T2 – the digital broadcast standard for which Sisvel operates a 10-member patent pool – and 5G Broadcast, an LTE-based delivery system. The conference featured a proof-of-concept for simultaneous transmission of DVB-T2 and 5G Broadcast within a single RF channel and saw much discussion on the commercial potential of this modality.

Satellite technology is also a growing area of interest. A live demo of DVB Native IP (DVB-NIP) saw broadcast-grade live TV and video on demand delivered via satellite to mobile devices without an internet connection.

Finally, AI was inevitably on the agenda, with the European Broadcasting Union’s Antonio Arcidiacono delivering an opening keynote on how the technology is fundamentally reshaping hybrid networks through resilient, edge-based delivery.

Notably, Arcidiacono raised the question of whether DVB Project participants will drive the process of harnessing AI for broadcast or let ‘Big Tech’ lead the way. This theme continued into the second-day ‘unconference’, which tackled how to bring streaming giants to the table to contribute to shared DVB standards.

To offer an overarching takeaway from the two days of engagement: the future of media is not about choosing between broadcast and Internet Protocol, but about their seamless convergence.

Continued IP leadership role for Sisvel

The conference also marked a significant transition in the IP policy leadership of the DVB Project.

Just prior to DVB World, the body’s steering board endorsed the results of leadership elections that saw Sisvel Executive Head of Government Affairs Matteo Sabattini named as Vice Chair of the Intellectual Property Rights Module (IPRM). Sisvel founder Roberto Dini recently stepped down from that position after nearly a decade of service. The outgoing Chair of the module, Georg Nolte, was also presented with a DVB Honorary Fellowship in Amsterdam in recognition of his contributions to the organisation.

From left: Sisvel DVB Programme Manager Patrizia La Rosa, IPRM Vice Chair Matteo Sabattini (Sisvel), DVB Honorary Fellow Georg Nolte and IPRM Chair Stephane Tronchon (InterDigital). Photo credit: Michiel Ton

IPRM is one of the four modules of the DVB Project and is responsible for making recommendations on the group’s IPR policy and dealing with all other IP-related issues that arise in connection with its work.

The DVB Project stands out among other standards organisations for the way it has actively fostered the early formation of patent pools. This policy has served DVB standards well and has also laid the groundwork for notable pool success stories such as the DVB-T2 licensing programme. This serves as a reminder that industry-driven SEP licensing solutions do exist in the market, addressing real ecosystem needs in an efficient and timely manner.

With the DVB Project entering its “Third Era”, IP will play a key role in powering an innovative and open ecosystem for media. As the leading administrator of open, transparent DVB-related licensing programmes, Sisvel will continue to support that effort.