Steve Belford, enterprise innovation architect at Channel 4, talks to TVBEurope about the broadcasters aim to be as well known for its approach to innovation as it is for its content, and its involvement in this years IBC Accelerator programme
By Jenny Priestley
Published: September 6, 2024 Updated: September 9, 2024
Steve Belford, enterprise innovation architect at Channel 4, talks to TVBEurope about the broadcaster's aim to be as well known for its approach to innovation as it is for its content, and its involvement in this year's IBC Accelerator programme
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin> Steve Belford, enterprise innovation architect at Channel 4, talks to TVBEurope about the broadcaster's aim to be as well known for its approach to innovation as it is for its content, and its involvement in this year's IBC Accelerator programme
https://www.tvbeurope.com/business/why-channel-4-is-open-for-innovation title=Share via Email class=share-email>
At IBC2024, UK broadcaster Channel 4 will be involved with three projects in the IBC Media Innovation Programme.
It's the first time Channel 4 has been involved with the Accelerator programme, as part of the broadcaster's aim to be as well known for its approach to innovation as it is for its content. Part of our objectives in technology within Channel Four for this year is to be seen as open for innovation, Steve Belford, enterprise innovation architect at Channel 4 tells TVBEurope.
Belford adds that Channel 4 sees the Accelerator programme as a way for it to begin to understand some of the emerging technologies within the media tech industry, and how the broadcaster can utilise them.
Steve Belford It allows us to take on some of these challenges that are kind of bite-size in nature, he continues. It's a way for us to step into working with our peers and technology partners in these kinds of smaller initiatives, which has a lesser impact on our resources. We are a public service broadcaster so we have a finite set of resources, but it allows us to gain valuable insight. It's also important for Channel 4 to be seen as a voice in the industry at such a pivotal time in terms of digital transformation.
Belford and his team attended the IBC Accelerator Kickstart Day in March when 12 projects were presented. They chose to be involved in three: AI Media Production Lab, Connect and Produce Anywhere, and Evolution of the Control Room - HTML-Based Graphics Solutions.
The Connect and Produce Anywhere project is exploring ways to remove complexity in the broadcasting and creation process, such as using low-latency connections and moving broadcast workflow into the cloud.
For us, it's a great project that allows people to make that broadcast process more creative, more flexible and also more sustainable as well, says Belford. For Channel 4, there was a real drive to get younger participation and it seemed a great opportunity for us to get our broadcast apprentices involved, and give them great exposure to areas of broadcast that maybe they wouldn't get working with Channel 4 alone, and also start looking at how they could work with peers and build networks beyond as well.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is also an area that the broadcaster is paying close attention to, particularly around how it can supplement the creative process rather than replace it. We're interested in where we can use AI to support the human in the loop. [The AI Media Production Lab] is a research and development project for us to step in and start understanding the positive nature of AI in terms of the creative process.
Belford says Channel 4 is constantly having conversations with technology partners about AI solutions and has already begun working to understand how some of the tools that they're delivering into existing platforms can be used.
From a Channel 4 perspective, we're obviously focused in terms of mission and purpose in making sure that we use AI for good, he adds. We want to make sure that we're focusing on the value that those tools can represent for Channel Four, but also our wider network, in terms of their relationships with independent production companies.
We want to make sure that [vendors] are transparent, making sure we understand how the models are used and how they're created, and really digging into the elements of risk and compliance before we step into any kind of technical relationship, continues Belford. That may have put us slightly behind the curve in terms of our partners, but it's important for Channel 4 to stand next to its purpose and mission.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
In its sixth year, the broadcaster's coverage has become a global brand and ...
01/06/2026
Designed to solve a common problem in broadcasting, the automated workflow detects, identifies, removes, and documents copyrighted music
AudioShake has introdu...
01/06/2026
The sports-analytics company combines its data with proprietary AI to help leagu...
01/06/2026
Category line-up & sponsors announced
Photo: Paul Clarke
The Production Music Awards (PMA) have announced that submissions are now officially open ahead of...
01/06/2026
New hybrid sample/synthesis instrument revealed
Excite Audio have just released the latest instalment in their Evolve series, which has been developed in co...
01/06/2026
Latest TONEX expansion captures three rare vintage amps
The newest addition to IK Multimedia's ever-growing TONEX line-up introduces a set of three incr...
01/06/2026
Musically intelligent soft synth gets upgraded
Scaler Music will be probably be best known to many for their music theory tools, but their product range al...
01/06/2026
SBS confirms its broadcast sponsors for FIFA World Cup 2026
1 June, 2026
Media releases
SBS has secured Hyundai, Hisense, Macca's, Rexona, bet365, Com...
01/06/2026
Rohde & Schwarz Satellite Industry Days 2026 guided by the motto From Earth to ...
01/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/06/2026
Marshall Electronics is showcasing a comprehensive lineup of next-generation POV cameras, purpose-built to power today's connected AV environments, at InfoC...
01/06/2026
Adobe Announces Concept to Vector
Deepa Subramaniam June 1, 2026
0 Comments
One of the biggest frustrations we hear from designers is how difficult it...
01/06/2026
Vampire Feature Night Patrol Graded with DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton June 1, 2026
0 Comments
Colorist shapes dark, gritty tone for horror thri...
01/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/06/2026
Mardi 2 juin 14h00
FilmLight (ARRI), 10 rue Ren Boulanger, 75010 Paris
Rejoignez-nous pour d couvrir comment FLAPI (l'API FilmLight) peut transformer e...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
31/05/2026
Olivia P rez-Collellmir to Premiere Original Work at Gaud Centennial in Barcelona The Berklee graduate and faculty member will debut her choral symphony with...
31/05/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Wins 15 Awards at the Canadian Screen Awards - See Pho...
31/05/2026
Taiwan is home to more than 500 NVIDIA ecosystem partners. More than 1 million N...
31/05/2026
As factories move from isolated automation to plant-wide intelligence, manufacturers need AI systems that can connect live machine signals, quality systems, wor...
31/05/2026
The NVIDIA AI Cloud ecosystem is accelerating the global buildout of AI factory infrastructure. Partners are expanding capacity to meet growing demand from ente...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Zero in on one that says yes (and no)
Andy Marken May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Hero image courtesy of Deposit Photos
For content creators the most difficu...
29/05/2026
With InfoComm 2026 just weeks away, NDI is giving attendees plenty of reasons to...
29/05/2026
Reaffirming a partnership that has defined Canadian sports broadcasting since 19...
29/05/2026
Mobile/tablet is No. 2 device for watching TV, suggesting that the sports-production industry needs to take another look at the format
Ring Digital's Sprin...
29/05/2026
Berliner Ensemble, one of Berlin's five major theater companies, has expande...
29/05/2026
Solid State Logic will showcase its new compact, fly-away TCA Tour audio product...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, passed away last month on April 12 ...
29/05/2026
Paramount+ will be the English-language U.S. home for Barclays Women's Super...
29/05/2026
Further strengthening its virtualisation strategy to fully support broadcasters ...
29/05/2026
Swiss broadcaster Canal Alpha has deployed Harmonic's award-winning, software-based XOS Advanced Media Processor to modernize playout operations across cant...
29/05/2026
PTZOptics will showcase a new generation of intelligent video workflows at InfoComm 2026, June 17-19, Las Vegas. Visitors to booth N8227 will see how PTZOptics ...
29/05/2026
Arizona's Family has launched the Arizona's Family Sports (AZFS) streaming app, a new direct-to-consumer destination for live, local sports. The app is ...
29/05/2026
Starting in 2027, DAZN will be the exclusive home of The Canadian Football Leagu...
29/05/2026
Comcast Business has detailed the advanced network infrastructure it has deploye...
29/05/2026
In two-day event, leaders from academia and industry explored solutions to chall...
29/05/2026
The Basketball Tournament (TBT), now entering their 13th year of competition, ha...
29/05/2026
Roku has launched FOX One as a Premium Subscription on The Roku Channel in the U.S. Roku customers can now subscribe to FOX One using their Roku account for liv...
Steve Belford, enterprise innovation architect at Channel 4, talks to TVBEurope about the broadcasters aim to be as well known for its approach to innovation as it is for its content, and its involvement in this years IBC Accelerator programme
