The University of Westminster hosted this year's On Air, the world's largest global student-led media broadcast, which was delivered in partnership with the Global Media and Entertainment Talent Manifesto (MTM) and was supported by 40 major industry organisations including Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN and Amazon Web Services (AWS).
The event, held between 22-23 October, expanded significantly on the success of the inaugural On Air broadcast in October 2025, growing from one channel to five dedicated channels covering culture, news, sport, film and children’s content. Bringing together 2,500 students, educators, colleagues and industry volunteers across 48 locations worldwide, the 24-hour broadcast created opportunities for participants to collaborate on live media production at an unprecedented scale. The event generated 979 content assets and attracted more than 23,800 views on YouTube, where audiences around the world were able to watch the livestream.
As the host institution, the University of Westminster’s state-of-the-art media studios at its Harrow Campus served as the central control point for the broadcast. The expanded format allowed students to gain hands-on experience across the full media technology supply chain, including live production, journalism, sports broadcasting, filmmaking, post-production, accessibility, social media and global content distribution. Using professional-grade workflows and cloud-based technologies, students experienced the realities of modern international broadcasting while developing the skills demanded by the global media industry.
On Air 2026 also showcased a number of technical firsts for the industry. These included a new way to transmit live camera footage from the auditorium to the production gallery, as well as an advanced system for recording and organising content information. The system combined information entered manually with data generated by AI, making it easier to log and manage content. These innovations provided students with first-hand experience of emerging technologies shaping the future of global broadcasting.
Reflecting on her experience as a Social Media Lead for On Air, Multimedia Journalism MA student Akanksha Marepalli said: "The best way to describe my experience at On Air is electric. As a Social Media Lead, you get the luxury of travelling across all studios to see how each newsroom is getting on, so making content for the social platforms was incredibly fun - you never get bored! The student teams at On Air are very well supported by industry professionals, and it was beautiful to see the community within the chaos of live television. Huge thanks to Carrie Wooten and the rest of the team for giving me and fellow students the opportunity to work on something as lively as On Air!"
Pheobe Thomson, Director of the On Air Culture channel who studies on the Film and TV Production BA Honours course, added: “When I found out I was going to direct the Culture channel, I was terrified! I didn’t think I would be able to lead a crew for such a long time, nor did I think a crew would want me as director. However, when it came time to take over the gallery, it became clear to me that my crew was full of talented people with a mass amount of skills which made me feel so confident and comfortable in the chair. Despite having never met anyone, the hours flew by, and yes, we had our fair amount of technical issues, but no matter what, the team stayed harmonious and gave it their all for a full 12-hour broadcast!
“The whole On Air experience gave me a lot of confidence in directing as a role and overall, I had the pleasure of both meeting and working with wonderful, young and talented individuals. The lessons and skills I learned during the live broadcast is something I will take with me as I embark on future experiences, and I appreciate the hard work of everyone at On Air for setting up such an amazing opportunity for young talents everywhere!”
Dr Doug Specht, Head of the School of Media and Communication at the University of Westminster, added: "On Air showed just how important it is to bring students and industry together. We welcomed people from right across the broadcast industry onto our campus and saw what felt like a year’s development happen in just 24 hours. Students left with new skills, new friends, new industry contacts and, above all, the confidence to see a future for themselves in the creative industries. We are so grateful to everyone who supported the event, and especially to Carrie Wooton, for making it possible, and providing this rich experience for our students."
Carrie Wooten, Founder of MTM, said: "On Air 2026 was a remarkable example of what can be achieved when industry and education work together to create meaningful opportunities for students. Seeing thousands of students collaborate on a live global broadcast while gaining hands-on experience of modern media production was incredibly inspiring. We are grateful to the University of Westminster for hosting this year's event and helping to provide students with the skills, confidence and industry connections that will support their future careers."
This partnership contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 4: Quality Education, 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth and 17: Partnerships for the Goals. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.
Find out more about Media and Communications courses at the University of Westminster.
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