IBC’s conference opening day, and Keynote, looks specifically at the health of the broadcast sector. The session brings together David Abraham, CEO Channel 4, Bruce Tuchman (pictured), president, Sundance Channel Global and MGM Channel Global and Imagine Communications CEO Charlie Vogt who will debate the topic and explain how they are handling the demands of what is now a fast-evolving series of challenges.
Indeed, Channel 4, which is sometimes called the Research and Development Lab of British television, maintains that 2014 is ‘a seismic year of change in the landscape of television’. Abraham is driving the channel’s burgeoning personal relationships with more than ten million individual registered viewers, including half of 16-24 year olds. This in turn is building a pretty useful picture of their viewing habits and preferences that will be of great interest to commissioners and advertisers alike.
Bruce Tuchman now sits in charge of AMC Networks’ Asia-Pacific region but with a worldwide responsibility for brands such as Sundance Channel and MGM. AMC wrapped their acquisition of Chellomedia, and representing dozens of high-profile channels, in July.
AMC, at least in the USA, is successfully carving out a valuable segment of viewership helped by more than a few top-rated shows, such as Breaking Bad, Mad Men and The Walking Dead, and in the process has more than challenged the dominance of the traditional networks in winning popular – and critical – acclaim.
Charlie Vogt is CEO of Imagine Communications, a leading provider of media software and video infrastructure solutions to more than 3,000 broadcasters, multichannel video programming distributors and enterprise customers spanning 185 countries. Vogt also currently serves as CEO of GatesAir, an industry leader in powering over-the-air radio and television broadcasts worldwide.
