The International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) wrapped its annual conference in Amsterdam this week, with more than 1,300 exhibitors showing off their latest products and services tailored to the industry.
But, like other broadcast-focused events, IBC suffered from a downturn in attendance as executives prioritize their limited attendance to investor conferences and others focused on emergent platforms like connected television and streaming.
The final attendance of IBC 2026 was 41,225 — down 6 percent from the prior year, according to data reviewed by The Desk.
“IBC’s superpower is the power to convene our industry,” Mike Crimp, Chief Executive Officer of IBC, said in a statement on Tuesday. “We bring together all corners of the industry to demonstrate how innovation can solve practical challenges.”
But the challenge of figuring out how to convince executives to book a ticket to Amsterdam every year is becoming harder as macroeconomic conditions force key decision makers to limit their engagement at conferences like IBC in favor of other trade events like the StreamTV Show in Denver, Future of Video in the Los Angeles area and TV of Tomorrow Show in San Francisco and New York.
IBC is not the only broadcast-focused event to suffer from lower attendance: The National Association of Broadcasters’ annual trade show in Las Vegas, called NAB Show, has also seen a dip in participation over the last few years.
Last year, the NAB Show registered more than 58,000 attendees, but saw fewer bookings from international executives. The trade association didn’t reveal how many of those 58,000 registered attendees actually made it to Las Vegas for the show.
Media attendance to NAB Show was also considerably lower this year, with just over 900 registered reporters making the trek to Las Vegas to cover the event, down from more than 1,000 registered press in 2025.
IBC has one thing going for it: Next year is the trade show’s 60th anniversary, and organizers are hoping the milestone will improve interest and attendance.
IBC said next year’s event will build on the business activity, partnerships and technology demonstrations from this year’s trade show, while continuing to evolve how the industry meets and shares knowledge.
Next year’s IBC will take place between September 10 and September 13 in Amsterdam.
