ARD – the joint organization of public service broadcasters in Germany – has a new Automotive unit whose mission includes securing prominent placement for ARD audio products in connected cars. In the cover story of the latest issue of our quarterly magazine tech-i, team member David O'Neill sounds the alarm about quadricycles, lightweight vehicles that typically come without a built-in radio. While still a niche product, the absence of any radio in most of these vehicles could be seen as the start of a slippery and dangerous slope for broadcasters. (See pages 10–11.)
Elsewhere in Issue 63, EBU T&I Director Antonio Arcidiacono marks 100 years of technology collaboration among public broadcasters in Europe. The technology community of the International Broadcasting Union – a forerunner of the EBU – held its first meeting in Geneva on 3 April 1925.
"Just as international cooperation was crucial in the early years of media development, it is now more essential than ever, particularly in these challenging times and given the resource limitations we face compared to the global tech giants. Our strengths lie in our collaboration, our ingenuity, our spirit of innovation, and the contributions of new generations who are eager to learn, innovate, and transcend national borders with the noble goal of safeguarding the future of democracy."
Elsewhere in tech-i
- Sweating assets and the technology tango: CTO panel at PTS 2025 – Insights from the CTOs of four EBU Members
- The journey towards Dynamic Media Facilities – Willem Vermost (VRT) on how an important new EBU initiative has taken shape
- Less complexity, more collaboration – a new exchange format for German PSM – ARD and ZDF have introduced a new MXF format, writes Stephan Heimbecher (ARD Competence Centre for Production and Infrastructure)
- Generative AI: promising for content creation but not yet ready for primetime – The results of an IBC Accelerator project led by the EBU and Rai, write Roberto Iacoviello, Alberto Ciprian and Davide Zappia
- Ensuring clarity: new guidelines for Audio Description dip levels – A standardized approach to improve accessibility in broadcasting, says Kieran Lynch (IADT)
- Late nights and frayed nerves in the search for spectrum solutions – What topics will dominate the next World Radiocommunication Conference? Jochen Mezger provides an overview
- Oh smart! Strengthening collaboration on open-source software for media – Jordi J. Giménez (5G-MAG) and Daniel Silhavy (Fraunhofer FOKUS) on raising awareness of key tools for the media delivery ecosystem
- Sustainability Matters: Measuring the presence of the UN Sustainable Development Goals in RTVE programming – An innovative analysis from the Spanish broadcaster, described by Carmen Pérez Cernuda, Deputy Director of Innovation and Technological Strategy
- In my opinion: Less budget, more content – public media goes smart – Harald Kräuter is Director of Technology and Digitalization at Austria’s ORF
- Partner Profile: Streaming Video Technology Alliance – Jason Thibeault describes how SVTA is solving the foundational challenge of streaming
- AI-driven search, super-fans and subscription fatigue – media trends for 2025 – Insights from the EBU’s Media Intelligence Service
- In the spotlight: Jürgen Grupp – Senior Information Architect, SWR, Germany
Download issue 63 of tech-i magazine (PDF)