DEG Presents Annual EnTech Awards Honoring Entertainment Technology Innovators

Dolby’s Tom McAndrew presented the 2026 Hall of Fame Award to Lionsgate’s Gray Ainsworth.

DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group presented its sixth annual EnTech Awards Oct. 6 at the Culver Theater in Culver City, Calif.

The 2026 Hall of Fame Award was presented to Gray Ainsworth, EVP and head of global content operations for Lionsgate.

Ainsworth recalled his start in the entertainment business as an actor with the legendary Roger Corman. At one point he played a killer, he recalled, and had to stab a cabbage holding a blood pack as a stand-in for his victim.

“This industry is ridiculous,” he recalled thinking at the time.

He noted that the change in the industry has accelerated, saying, “I accept this award on behalf of all of us wrestling with the cabbage.”

The 2026 Rising Star awards were presented to NBCUniversal’s Felicity Flesher and Iyuno’s Luke Bae.

The list of technical winners included:

Audience Engagement Technology winner:

Verso — Agentic Vertical Video Solution, NBCUniversal

Localization Visionary Award winner:

Technology Innovation in Catalog Restoration and Preservation Award winner:

AI-Enhanced Image Enhancement Solution, Deluxe

Technology Innovation in Accessibility Award winner:

LG webOS Accessibility Suite+ AI Powered Voice Interaction, LG Electronics

Technology Innovation in Content Delivery Award winner:

Peacock Off-Domain Expansion: Launching Peacock on Amazon, Roku, and YouTube at Enterprise Scale, Peacock

Technology Innovation in Content Distribution Award Finalists:

Movies Anywhere: A Durable Portable Digital Library at Scale, Movies Anywhere

Technology Leadership Award winner:

Strato K Engineering Team, Kaleidescape