M+E Europe

IBC 2023 was only the second time San Jose, Calif.-based AI technology firm XL8 had headed to Amsterdam, and the company didn’t waste a minute of the opportunity, showcasing live subtitling solutions, debuting a new version of the company’s MediaCAT proprietary media localisation system, and meeting with clients from around the world.

John Butterworth, VP of customer success for XL8, spoke with MESA about his company’s experience at the show.

MESA: What made IBC unique among all the other conferences in our industry, and what does XL8 get out of the show?

Butterworth: What distinguishes IBC from other events was its immense scale and the wide-ranging diversity of attendees, particularly from across Europe.

Given the nature of XL8’s technology, which revolves around languages, our clientele isn’t confined to a specific geographical region or nation; our clients encompass people from all corners of the globe.

Consequently, IBC stands out as the prime and most opportune venue for connecting with our global audience, comprehending the distinct characteristics of various regions, and engaging in discussions about future collaborations.

This year we were excited to showcase our live subtitle solution, EventCAT, which generated tremendous results. We also get the chance, in a big friendly environment, to show off our product against our competitors at the show, proving our AI-driven machine translation tools for media and entertainment are the best in the world.

If you aren’t using it, you are missing out.

MESA: How did IBC change over the years, what was done well, and what, if anything, would you like to see more of at the event?

Butterworth: XL8 is a young company, born in late 2019, just before the pending COVID shutdown. So, while some of our executives have attended IBC for many years with different companies, this was only XL8’s second time at IBC.

Therefore, we’d love to defer judgement about future shows after we get another year under our belt!

MESA: What was XL8 most looking forward to in Amsterdam?

Butterworth: Our goal was to engage companies struggling to find solutions to today’s complex media localisation issues and offer them some of the most advanced AI localisation tools on the planet. We aimed to attentively understand their specific issues and show them how to specifically tailor our product to effectively resolve their needs.

Also, we gained a lot of valuable insight from dialogue with our customers facing localisation challenges, and we’re enthusiastic about using these insights to enhance our product.

Our heartfelt thanks go out to all who stopped by our booth, checked out what we’re doing and shared their thoughts with us.

MESA: What product or service announcements did XL8 announce during IBC?

Butterworth: XL8 unveiled MediaCAT 3.0 at IBC, featuring enhanced collaborative capabilities.

MediaCAT, XL8’s proprietary media localisation system, empowers users with cutting-edge AI machine translation engines crafted specifically for the media and entertainment localisation sector.

By layering generative AI into MediaCAT 3.0, the upgrade introduces a range of advanced collaborative features, including automated sequential workflows, along with a comprehensive suite of administrative functions.

This encompasses efficient team and freelancer management, as well as customisable project creation.