Esports and gaming agency Unlocked is expanding its presence at IBC this year with a speaker programme spanning all four days of the show. Led by Co-Founder Steven Leunens, Unlocked aims to bridge the gap between traditional broadcasting media and the rapidly evolving world of esports.
Steven Leunens has been deeply involved in gaming and esports for nearly two decades. His journey began in 2004 when he founded his own gaming team, which quickly grew into one of the largest Call of Duty (CoD) communities in the world. After selling this venture in 2008, Leunens shifted his focus to the event business within the industry, laying the foundation for what would eventually become Unlocked. Today, Leunens serves as the Co-Founder of Unlocked, a company dedicated to connecting brands with the Gen Z and Millennial audiences through innovative marketing and event strategies in the gaming and esports industry.
“We create all kinds of experiences to make sure that the audience that loves esports gets the message and gets it in a way that is true to their nature as a gamer,” says Leunens. “We create virtual worlds where they can engage with the brands that they want to, that want to reach them, but in a very natural way. We try to make marketing about experiences and make it exciting for the audience - not just a plain ad being slapped in your face by the latest in a long line of competitors trying to grab your attention.”...
You are not signed in
Only registered users can read the rest of this article.
Closing the security execution gap: “We are in a crisis… we collectively need to be aware”
Gathering at an IBC Roundtable, the industry’s top security experts confronted the 2026 TPN Star Report’s urgent results, the sharp increase in threat exposure, and the missing execution step for broadcasters, studios, and service providers alike.
The dish is not dead: Why the future of TV delivery is hybrid
IP is clearly gaining ground. Yet, infrastructure and distribution specialists suggest that it’s no silver bullet for the reliable, personalised, instantaneous delivery that today’s audiences demand. In this context, has satellite lost relevance, or is it simply no longer the only player in orbit?
World AI Film Festival: “There is no emotion in AI”
The World AI Film Festival fielded new and established storytelling voices, but the jury is out on whether AI can capture the human spirit of cinema. Adrian Pennington reports.
IBC Content Everywhere: Cloud adoption reaches a critical point
The adoption of cloud-based working practices is an ongoing process within the Content Everywhere industry. While most streaming companies have embraced the cloud, there have been concerns in the past about a lack of strategic focus and whether providers are adopting cloud-native solutions rather than relying on virtualised or cloud-ready solutions.
Virtual production after the hype: Where it actually works now
Virtual production is no longer being treated purely as spectacle or novelty – it is becoming a production tool, with clear strengths, clear limits, and a growing body of experience around how to use it well across a range of budgets. IBC365 investigates.
