Delegates from France Télévisions, Swedish Radio and the BBC are in Belgium for a visit to Belgian broadcaster VRT.
It signals the start of the Sandbox Hub, part of the European MediaRoad project, led by the EBU. The concept for the Sandbox Hub is based on VRT’s award-winning ‘Sandbox’ and other existing initiatives such as ‘BBC Taster’, which provide entrepreneurs with the opportunity to experiment with new ideas, as well as test and scale promising concepts in operational environments.
VRT Sandbox International project leader Sarah Geeroms said: “As the Flemish public broadcaster, our goal is to remain agile and continuously strengthen our connection with the audience by offering a better service. With the project, we will be able to build a European network and foster a strong and innovative European media industry.”
It’s planned that each Sandbox will operate independently, but will be connected through an independent platform that can share successful cases for a broader implementation.
EBU T&I Head of Media Fundamentals and Production Technology Dr. Hans Hoffmann: “Award-winning initiatives for innovation by EBU Members need to be amplified across Europe. We hope that France Televisions, the BBC and Swedish Radio are the first of many broadcasting and media organizations to join our network in order to create scale and impact around innovation across Europe.”
The Sandbox Hub was established early on in September as one of the three pillars of the EU-funded MediaRoad project that involves some of Europe’s most prominent broadcasters, leading media research institutes, and independent producers.