This podcast explores the current landscape of film and TV archiving in the UK, what’s working, what’s at risk, and what the future holds. It was recorded live at the Broadcast Tech Fest Archive & Restoration Form at Everyman cinema in King's Cross.

Speakers:

Tim Forrest, Head of Content Distribution & Commercial Innovation - ITN

Bríd Dooley, Head of Archives - RTÉ

Tom Dunning, CEO & Co-Founder - Ad Signal

Heidi Shakespeare, CEO – Memnon

Chair: Jake Bickerton, Editorial Director - Broadcast Tech & Sport Group

The discussion covers the following subjects:

DEMAND FOR ARCHIVE MATERIAL

Has there continued to be a high demand for archive content across different genres in 2025?

TECH OBSOLESCENCE AND ACCESSIBILITY OF ARCHIVES

How does the availability of tape heads, generations of LTO players/tapes, the fragility of film and the obsolescence of certain storage formats impact archiving decisions?

CULTURAL GENOCIDE

Why first world countries are benefitting by being able to archive, and why we risk cultural genocide where archives from developing countries could be lost forever.

DIGITAL-FIRST CONTENT

What is being done to preserve digital-first content? Who is financing this?

AI

How is AI enhancing the management of archives, and the restoration of content? And how do you stop LLMs from using archive content to train their models.

HOW TO STORE ARCHIVES

What’s the best way to store rushes and project files that’s both cost effective and helps ensure longevity and easy access – LTO, cloud, hard drives in a cupboard…?

This speaker session was sponsored by Ad Signal and Memnon