At IBC 2025, I sat down with Giles Baker of Dolby to explore how the company is shaping the next chapter of live sports and immersive streaming. Dolby is a brand we encounter daily — from iPhones with Dolby Vision to cinemas with Atmos — but with Dolby OptiView, they’re pushing further into live experiences.

Giles has spent 15 years at Dolby, driven by a passion for sound and vision:

“What excites me today is seeing all the things we’ve been working on come together with Dolby OptiView.”

Dolby Vision has been around for a decade, but the second generation goes further:

• More control for creators over how content looks on different devices.
  

• TVs that finally meet the dream Dolby had years ago — and can now stretch content to full performance.
  

• A sharper focus on live sports, making broadcasts smoother and closer to real life without the dreaded “soap opera effect.”
  

As Giles put it:

“It’s about being immersive without putting anything on your face.”

OptiView combines three critical layers:

1. The Player – Consistent, high-quality across devices, flexible enough for mobile or big screens.
   

2. Latency Control – Not a race to the lowest number, but tuned to each use case. “If you need half a second latency, we’ll deliver it at scale. But if you don’t, you shouldn’t have to pay for it.”
   

3. Monetization – With server-guided ad insertion (SGAI), ads become seamless, personalized, and less intrusive. They can appear side-by-side, in a corner, or as part of the flow.
   

This isn’t just about ads:

“Over time, people will innovate and deliver different types of content to different users. Personalized highlights, live games, analysis — all mixed into the experience.”

The sports industry has long struggled with fragmented tech: inconsistent players, latency headaches, and clunky ad breaks. Dolby’s approach is to unify these into one system. At scale, that means leagues, broadcasters, and platforms can focus on storytelling and fan connection rather than integration challenges.

For fans, the impact is clear: more immersive images, real-time experiences that sync you with the crowd, and personalized highlights without losing the live moment.

Giles summed it up:

“Immersion is about making you feel as close as possible to the action, together with everyone else, without adding friction.”

➡️ Dolby Vision 2 puts creators in control and makes sports look real. ➡️ OptiView offers flexible latency as a business choice, not a tech constraint. ➡️ Ads are reframed as content — personalized, non-intrusive, and even enriching. ➡️ Dolby is building a complete system to support the scale of modern sports streaming. ➡️ The future lies in personalization powered by AI, surfacing what fans care about in real time.

Dolby Vision 2: Designed for NowDolby OptiView: A Complete SystemWhy It MattersKey Takeaways

🎙️ Sébastien is a French sports media expert with 20+ years of experience in the industry.Q: With Ligue 1 going D2C and the new app being deployed in France, what is the reception of the app and of Ligue 1?Sébastien shared that fans in France have welcomed the new Ligue 1 app — lower price (€14.99/month for 8 out of 9 games) and strong editorial coverage have made the experience feel premium. Pre-game shows, behind-the-scenes content, and immersive storytelling quickly pushed the platform past 1M users.But here’s the catch: revenue for clubs is nowhere near the past cycles. Where the 2018–19 champion earned ~€60M from media rights, this year’s winner might only see ~€5M.The challenge for Ligue 1 is clear: how to turn engagement into sustainable value for clubs. New revenue streams like interactive rights, betting, and sponsorship may be needed to bridge the gap.A fascinating reminder that fan reception and financial sustainability don’t always move in sync.🎥 Full reply in under 3 minutes — that’s the spirit of this new series.

This year at IBC, instead of writing another list of highlights, I sat down with analyst Paolo Pescatore to reflect on what the show really told us.Paolo put IBC in context with other global events. CES sets the tone, MWC defines connectivity, GITEX is now the largest consumer electronics show, while NAB and IBC feel smaller but remain key networking hubs. Attendance and exhibitor numbers were down. “If companies spend hundreds of thousands, they want ROI. Declining numbers are worrying,” Paolo noted.My own view was that conversations were more realistic. Less hype, more honesty. AWS again dominated with its vast booth and live production demos, while camera and production halls were packed. Microsoft and Google felt less present.One clear theme: live sport. Almost everyone I met asked about it. Paolo confirmed: “Live sport is still the anchor. It drives innovation—from multi-view streaming to personalized advertising—and it’s where people are still willing to pay.” Streamers like Netflix and Amazon are investing heavily, while broadcasters struggle with costs and late pivots to cloud/IP.The conference sessions felt detached from the show floor. The Tech Zone was little more than last year’s AI Zone. Paolo suggested more innovation and ecosystem diversity are needed.AI itself was everywhere. But value today is pragmatic—metadata tagging, subtitles, file transfers, personalization. “Beyond that, it gets wishy-washy,” Paolo warned. Netflix remains best-in-class in user insights. Hardware and connectivity—Nvidia chips, 5G workflows—are driving real opportunities.For me, IBC was focused and productive: hosting Retention Zone Live with Cleeng, collaborating with Dolby OptiView, and exploring partnerships. I left with a sense of grounded optimism.Paolo closed with a challenge: “We’ve plateaued. Walk-ups are rare. Everyone knows each other. Now we need a shift in gear.”IBC remains valuable, but it faces a moment of truth. Less spectacle, more realism. Maybe that’s no bad thing.