3 Trends to Watch at IBC 2026

AI is the word on every badge at IBC this year, but almost no sports organisation has actually put it into production at scale. If you're staring down a show floor full of vendors promising the same thing, how do you know who's actually built something real versus who started six months ago and calls it innovation? And if direct-to-fan is supposedly the biggest lever left to pull, why hasn't every league already pulled it? For this episode, LiveLike Co-Founder and CRO Samuel Westberg swaps seats and sits on the guest side of the mic, walking through what he expects to see at IBC in Amsterdam and what he's learned from years of evaluating sports tech, gamification, and fan engagement platforms up close. You'll walk away with a real question to ask any vendor to separate a working product from a polished demo, plus a clearer read on when a direct-to-fan platform actually makes sense (and when it's a trap). Sam also breaks down where agentic AI still needs a human in the loop, and why he thinks smaller organisations, not the giants, will make the biggest AI breakthroughs this year. Expect a frank take on platform consolidation, digital fandom, and where AI orchestration is genuinely changing production workflows versus where it's still a stage demo. This one's for digital product, audience engagement, and content leaders at sports organisations and broadcasters weighing where to spend their next AI budget. It's not for anyone looking for hype without a framework. Key Takeaways There's one simple question that separates a real AI product from a rehearsed demo: ask the vendor to change something live, in front of you. Direct-to-fan isn't a universal win. Volleyball World is thriving on it while La Liga shut its platform down, and the difference comes down to audience depth and monetisation data, not ambition. Agentic AI can already make editorial decisions at scale, but Sam is clear on the one thing he'd never let it do without human oversight, and why that's the biggest fear inside most organisations right now. The organisations most likely to win the AI race at IBC this year aren't the biggest names. Sam explains why smaller, more flexible operators have the edge. Chapter Markers 00:00 Introduction to this IBC preview episode 00:35 The number one question on everyone's mind at IBC 01:51 Where LiveLike wants AI to move beyond digital 02:49 The truth about platform consolidation 05:36 The smallest first move for testing AI 06:44 AI in action versus AI as a polished demo 08:50 Why organisations hesitate to hand AI control 10:46 What agentic AI still can't do 11:49 Back end automation versus front end wins 13:09 Real AI use cases at scale, or the lack of them 13:37 Why direct-to-fan hasn't been fully pulled yet 15:07 If Sam ran the Premier League or NBA 16:28 His advice for an up and coming league 18:06 Rights fragmentation and the fan discovery problem 19:48 Alex's own subscription fatigue as an Arsenal fan 20:53 How tier one content pulls fans toward new sports 22:26 The one question that spots a real product from a demo 23:53 What to expect from LiveLike at IBC 25:34 Sam's own must-see on the show floor 26:18 A bold prediction for who wins at IBC Useful Links & Resources Samuel Westberg on LinkedIn:   / samuel-westberg-a836713a   LiveLike: https://livelike.com Find LiveLike at IBC, Hall 1, ScorePlay stand, 11 to 14 September More conversations on The Future of Fandom podcast Connect With the Show LiveLike on LinkedIn:   / livelike   Samuel Westberg on X: https://x.com/samuelwestberg If you're heading to IBC this year, what's the one thing on the show floor you're actually hoping is real, not just a demo? Tell us in the comments, and if you're an Arsenal fan paying for four different subscriptions just to watch your team, you're not alone. Visit livelike.com to learn how LiveLike helps brands build the future of fan engagement. #FutureOfFandom #FanEngagement #SportsTech #AIinSports #IBC2025