This year’s IBC Conference is presenting another top flight portfolio of star speakers. Elsewhere we write about JB Perrette, president of Discovery Networks International, and how the division has grown its revenues this past year to exceed those of its US operation. Perrette’s Keynote (Forum, Friday 10:00-11:00, Programming with a Global Ambition) will explain how this massive expansion will move forward.
But he’s not alone. IBC’s hugely topical Thursday afternoon session (Forum, 17:15-18:15, The Impact of the Internet on TV), chaired by UK broadcaster Andrew Neil, splits the speaking responsibility into two.
Former ITV, Disney and Endemol senior staffer Tom Toumazis MBE (now head of Partnerships at Yahoo) and Rhys Nölke, SVP-Strategy at European media giant RTL, will debate the impact of Internet on TV and how the pair see how ‘connected TVs’ will change the broadcasting paradigm.
Saturday’s Keynote (Forum, 10:00-11:00) features Roger Lynch, CEO at Sling TV, and how his Charlie Ergen-owned company is also tapping into the Over The Top market for content, and facing the toughest of tough competition for eyeballs from the likes of Netflix, Hulu, Amazon and the other OTT players.
The saturated pay-TV market has to find new revenue models to replace the ‘cord cutters’ now impacting the business, and in the process speedily create a ‘next generation’ TV service.
Sunday’s Forum session (10:00-11:00, Telcos Tune into Broadcasting) promises to be another packed house, with Delia Bushell (MD, BT TV and BT Sport, but ex-Sky big-wig) and explaining how BT plans on monetising its huge commitment to ever-more expensive TV sports rights, and rival Sky’s efforts.
She will – no doubt – comment on BT Sport’s commitment to Ultra-HD, and expanding the portfolio to include (perhaps) an alternate channel. Indeed, in June she announced the signing of the AMC channel, the traditional home of Breaking Bad, Mad Men, The Walking Dead, and will launch with Fear the Walking Dead in September.
