The ICG Endorsement Program is a major IABM initiative designed to encourage collaboration across a wide range of industry issues and opportunities, from best practice to standardisation and interoperability. IABM’s vision is for a universally recognized framework where endorsed collaborative groups will be supported, promoted and encouraged to fulfil their potential and move forward in an open, constructive environment to the benefit of the wider industry.

AIMS is a non-profit trade alliance that promotes the open standards that broadcast and media companies use to move from legacy SDI systems to a virtualized, IP-based future - quickly and profitably. AIMS brings broadcasters, technology vendors and industry standards organizations together to eliminate fragmentation and maximize hardware and software interoperability through a comprehensive, ubiquitous set of IP broadcast standards. Validated and tested by broadcast and equipment suppliers, AIMS’ guidance delivers a practical upgrade path from SDI to IP, as well as to future technologies such as cloud-based production and distribution.

Michael Cronk, Chairman of the AIMS Board and Vice President of Core Technology at Grass Valley, said, “From the founding of AIMS last December, we have made it our mission to foster collaboration within the industry towards the adoption of open, ubiquitous standards for IP interoperability. To be the first organization to be recognized as an IABM certified Industry Collaborative Group is a validation that AIMS’ mission and collaborative approach is resonating with media companies, service providers and equipment suppliers alike.

“AIMS is honored to be the first organization to receive this prestigious certification, and we are humbled by the tremendous progress towards a standards based approach to IP interoperability that we have been able to achieve in such a short time frame. We believe that collaboration is the key to that success and look forward to even further progress based on such an approach,” Cronk concluded.

“AIMS moved forward very quickly with its application when we announced the ICG Endorsement Program at NAB, and I’m delighted to announce it as our first endorsed group,” said John Ive, IABM Director of Technology and Strategic Insight. “AIMS’ objectives, structure and methodology align perfectly with those of our ICG Endorsement Program and we look forward to supporting AIMS in delivering the unifying leadership on IP issues that our industry needs to move forward as we transition from SDI to IP infrastructures.”