Platform Futures: Chair’s introduction to a morning of sessions exploring the challenges facing multichannel broadcasters.

As a senior advisor and analyst in the industry for over 20 years, Lluis Borell shares his observations of the key changes impacting the industry. He looks at the evolution of free-to-air platforms, the migration from broadcast to IP and the hybrid broadcast/broadband models which result.

New services and consumer behaviours enabled by high speed broadband are reshaping the TV industry as we have known it for 80 years.

Global OTT providers like Netflix and Amazon Prime compete with regional and niche OTT players.

We look at the future of the user experience from those innovating to conceive it and those deploying it to their consumers.

We delve into the evolving world of User Experience with panellists that include leaders in the field of UX design and next generation experiences for brands.

Dan Reich is leading a new team at Viacom dedicated to creating multiplatform products for audiences around the world.

Are platforms evolving into a computer platform aimed at humans, but with no human touch? Where is the art of curation in a digital world?

Business Transformation requires a new approach throughout the industry, starting with the supply of technology.

Data allows for far better targeting of ads and personalisation of content than traditional media planning. Some say it is only a matter of time until “data kills the media planner.”

Cloud processing and IP connectivity herald the most fundamental advance in production since media went digital; they will revolutionise both the art, the technology and the workflow of media creation.

This talk will use examples to provide a primer on presence: what we know (and need to know) about it, how it’s being applied in diverse settings, what technology designers can do to create it, and how it can lead to greater consumer attention, enjoyment, learning, persuasion and more.

Whilst broadcaster’s OTT “catch-up” services are well established – linear, particularly live, TV presents a significant and costly audience scaling challenge.

Join our panel of industry experts to cut through the hype and tell us what’s really happening to broadcasting and pay-TV.

Our panel of technology gurus will tell us what's really hot and what's really not - and what it all means for TV. 

In this masterclass, we discuss and debate the merits and use cases of blockchain for the entertainment industry. What are the potential applications? Who should care, why, and when?

A panel of execs from across the industry will give us the low down on what’s really happening in the USA – and what it means for the rest of the world.

The founder of SAP’s Innovation Center CoE of Computer  Vision will discuss how big brands, media agencies  and rights holders are using the latest video analytics technology to analyse brand exposure in video and images and to work out the real value of sponsorship campaigns.

Technology has changed how we watch television but live programming is the last bastion of traditional production and viewing.

Understanding the benefits of how IP, IT, cloud and microservices tie together will put you on the right course. Hear how those who are leading the pack have approached this brave new world and the opportunities it presents.

Broadcast as we know it faces disruption on all fronts; IP-only delivery, on demand consumption, and personalised user experiences.

What role will UHD play in the medium to long term? Broadcasters are not embracing it in the same way that HD took off and became commonplace.

The DASH Industry Forum and the VR Industry Forum are combining forces to bring you a cutting-edge session on MPEG DASH, covering topics from OTT deployments to a future of Virtual Reality.

Interest in object-based media has been growing for several years. They offer unique flexibility but at the cost of increased production effort and decoder processing.

This session gives insight into the strategic thinking and the lessons learned of several public broadcasters who have recently completed, or plan to build, new cutting-edge broadcast centres and large-scale infrastructure projects.

Engagement has supplanted reach as the ultimate measure of brand and campaign value (or has it?).

Despite their appeal to tradition, the pace at which some sporting events unfold challenge the patience of even the most die-hard fan.

Chatbots and Conversation as an interface and service drives excitement despite many challenges and limitations at this stage.

The precision with which we can now capture, deliver and convey a sense of reality, is truly remarkable. In this session we will hear from the technological pioneers of this field.

Many content owners, operators, and equipment providers are planning end-to-end portfolio of platforms which facilitate and enable these transformations from client to cloud, via open, robust ecosystems that are delivering solutions today and into the future.

The seismic shift in consumer behaviour around entertainment, media and OTT services is having a profound effect on digital service providers. Leading providers are already adopting new strategies to capitalise on the on-demand revolution.

Research shows that listeners and advertisers remain loyal to radio. Public broadcasters and commercial radio groups are investing their money in DAB to secure radio's position in the future. Auto manufacturers are also looking at new uses for DAB data services and how DAB can be integrated into the connected car. In a world of voice activated and smart devices, investment in digital technology is crucial for the radio sector to retain its solid position within the media landscape.

In this session we will explore: ATSC 3.0 pathways to implementation - 1 ATSC 3.0 physical layer in the layman language, ATSC 3.0 pathways to implementation - 2 Mitigation of strong co-channel interference in ATSC 3.0 and  ATSC 3.0 pathways to implementation - 3 ATSC 3.0 interference control

With over 50 commercial services worldwide, Ultra HD has already brought higher resolution to TV and video. Better new generation of sound, better HDR and higher frame rates will make the UHD experience even more immersive. The Ultra HD Forum Masterclass will discuss all of this with an in-depth look into Next Generation Audio from Dolby, DTS and Fraunhofer.

In today’s evolving networks infrastructures, the traffic management of the variety of different content on the network becomes a major challenge.

This session will give an overview of the ST 2110 suite, and describe how they can be used within an infrastructure of networked specifications to achieve agile and flexible solutions for professional media live production.

The FKTG discussion panel will highlight on these issues and lets manufacturers and operators present and discuss proposals and answers on the future of virtual TV- and media content production and distribution.