SMPTE and EBU advance open standards for dynamic IP production

The shift from hardware-centric to software-defined production has created a control vacuum previously filled by proprietary vendor silos. Standardizing the 'control plane' via Catena and the 'exchange layer' via MXL provides a vendor-neutral framework for the industry’s migration to the cloud. By decoupling media functions from underlying hardware, broadcasters can dynamically reconfigure resources for live events, reducing idle-capacity costs. Watch for the results of the SMPTE CPA Study Group report, which will set the baseline for how the industry combats deepfakes by embedding provenance metadata natively into professional production workflows.

The push for media interoperability has accelerated as major broadcasters transition to flexible, software-centric operations. In April 2026, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) updated its DMF reference architecture to refine how orchestration functions across distributed facilities, specifically clarifying the boundaries between compute resources and workflow management, per TVBEurope. This update aligns with a collaborative effort involving the Linux Foundation, which in 2025 took over hosting the Media eXchange Layer (MXL) project to foster a truly open-source ecosystem for real-time media transport. Key industry players including Grass Valley and Lawo have already begun demonstrating early interoperability pilots within this framework, per SVG Europe in January 2026.

Simultaneously, the integration of artificial intelligence into media workflows has necessitated new technical guidelines to manage risk and security. In December 2025, SMPTE released Engineering Report ER 1011:2025, a comprehensive update produced in tandem with the EBU and the Entertainment Technology Center. According to NewscastStudio, the 54-page report addresses specific concerns regarding agentic AI, data poisoning, and the ethical implications of using large language models in content production. This technical groundwork is critical as the industry faces increasing regulatory pressure to disclose AI-generated content, a challenge the SMPTE Content Provenance and Authenticity Study Group is tackling by harmonizing metadata standards with the C2PA specification used by consumer platforms.