07 Oct DEG Presents 2026 EnTech Awards in 9 Categories; Lionsgate’s Gray Ainsworth Takes Hall of Fame Prize
DEG’s Amy Jo Smith (2nd from r.) with Hall of Fame honoree Gray Ainsworth of Lionsgate (2nd from l.), award sponsor Dolby’s Tom McAndrew (l.) and Lionsgate’s Mark Sgriccia.
October 6, 2026| DEG on Tuesday evening presented the 6th annual EnTech Awards for innovation in the digital entertainment supply chain, with those recognized spread across nine categories. About 200 industry collaborators attended the high-spirited celebration, hosted by Prime Video at the Culver Theater in Culver City, Calif., with Xperi as Premiere Sponsor, Dolby as Hall of Fame Award Sponsor, HDMI as Badge Sponsor and HCL Tech as Cocktail Sponsor. Additional sponsors included AWS, Deluxe, Difuze, Fotokem, Illuminate, NexSpec, Pixelogic and Premiere Digital.
The evening’s top accolade, the Hall of Fame Award, was presented to Gray Ainsworth, EVP and Head of Global Content Operations at Lionsgate. A popular industry veteran lauded by colleagues for his uniquely intelligent foresight about content delivery, Ainsworth received a standing ovation when he took the stage to accept the Hall of Fame Award, which was presented by Dolby.
To determine the EnTech Award winners, DEG enlisted a distinguished judging panel comprised of a cross-section of leaders representing entertainment technology. Among other factors, the judging panel based its decisions on the candidates’ contribution to a key goal or priority within the technology and operations function. For the third year in a row, Hall of Fame was a juried award, with Ainsworth chosen by the EnTech Awards judging panel. During the awards reception, attendees voted for a People’s Choice Award, which was won by The Walt Disney Company’s Disney Animation’s Songs in Sign Language.
And the DEG EnTech Awards went to …
Technology Leadership Award
This award honors an individual or team for demonstrating leadership, implementing something technically that had an impact on the business as a whole (extending to the industry beyond their specific company).
Finalists:
Chase Logan and Adam Freeman, Iyuno; Strato K Engineering Team, Kaleidescape (pictured); Elissa Brown and Mark Shurgot, Movies Anywhere
Technology Innovation in Content Distribution Award
This award honors an individual or a team for identifying a consumer-facing problem and creating a novel solution in content distribution.
Finalists:
4K Cinematic Engineering, Kaleidescape; Lionsgate launch on Movies Anywhere, Lionsgate; Movies Anywhere: A Durable Portable Digital Library at Scale, Movies Anywhere (pictured)
Technology Innovation in Content Delivery Award
This award honors an individual or a team for identifying a problem within the media and entertainment supply chain and creating a novel solution, such as an engineering lab, infrastructure, or product.
Finalists: Peacock Off-Domain Expansion: Launching Peacock on Amazon, Roku, and YouTube at Enterprise Scale, Peacock (pictured); MediaIntel-Studio AI, Premiere Digital; Geppetto – AI-Enhanced Remote Device Control, Capture, and Automation, The Walt Disney Company
Localization Visionary Award
This award honors pioneering teams or individuals who have transformed the industry and introduced a game-changing innovation.
Finalists: Simon Bergmark and Accurate.Video Subtitle Product Team, Codemill; Morgan Fiumi, Global3; Sync.Labs Team, Sync.Labs
Audience Engagement Award
This award honors a company that created a new technology product (automotive, marketing, shoppable feature, etc.) that enhances consumer experience or creates additional opportunities for consumer engagement with digital entertainment.
Finalists: 3Ready Automotive & Content Bundle, 3SS; Predictive Analytics, Looper Insights; Verso – Agentic Vertical Video Solution, NBCUniversal
Technology Innovation in Catalog Restoration and Preservation Award
This award honors individuals or teams who have developed or uniquely use software or create tools to solve problems in the restoration and preservation of film, television, or related materials (e.g., metadata).
Finalists: AI Enhanced Image Enhancement Solution, Deluxe (pictured); “Car Wash” (1976) Team, NBCUniversal; “Inherit The Wind” Team, Vubiquity and Amazon MGM Studios
Technology Advancement in Multi-Media Accessibility Award
This award honors an individual or team that has created technological advancements in accessibility, enhancing the user experience of multimedia entertainment through features such as Audio Description, signing, and dialog intelligibility.
Finalists: Audio Description at Scale, Global3 and Paramount Pictures; LG webOS Accessibility Suite+ AI Powered Voice Interaction, LG Electronics (pictured); Disney Animation’s Songs in Sign Language, The Walt Disney Company
Rising Star Class
This award honors individuals up to the Sr. Manager level who demonstrate excellence and perform well above their experience level. Nominees are expected to be team players and have demonstrated that they can find solutions to industry challenges. They show great promise to lead, innovate, and inspire the entertainment te
Hall of Fame Award
PRESENTED BY DOLBY
The evening’s top accolade, the Hall of Fame Award, was presented to Gray Ainsworth, EVP and Head of Global Content Operations at Lionsgate. A popular industry veteran lauded by colleagues for his uniquely intelligent foresight about content delivery, Ainsworth received a standing ovation when he took the stage to accept the Hall of Fame Award, which was presented by Dolby.
A HUGE DEG THANKS TO THE SPONSORS FOR THE 6TH ANNUAL ENTECH AWARDS:
Hosted by
Premiere Sponsor
SPONSORS
Hall of Fame Sponsor
Badge Sponsor
Cocktail Sponsor
For more information, please contact Bekah Sturm at Bekah@degonline.org.
For sponsorship opportunities, please contact Andi Elliott at Andi@degonline.org.