Events

We will be announcing more details about this session in an upcoming issue of the ITVT newsletter. Panelists include:

• Christine Grammier, Chief Customer Officer, Newton Research
• Dan Larkman, CEO, Keynes
• Jon Watts, Managing Director, CIMM (Moderator)
• Lisa Herdman, Chief Enterprise Integration Officer, RPA
• Mike Levin, VP, Advanced Products and Capabilities, Advertising & Partnerships, NBCUniversal
• Zeev Neumeier, Founder, Gray Swan

We will be announcing more details about this session in an upcoming issue of the ITVT newsletter. Panelists include:

• Alex Belaidi, VP of Data and Category Sales, Spectrum Reach
• Andrea Zapata, SVP of Agency Partnerships, VideoAmp
• Christine Grammier, Chief Customer Officer, Newton Research
• Joanna Drews, CEO, HyphaMetrics
• Tom Drabas, Senior Developer Relationship Manager, NVIDIA
• Moderator TBA

AI is collapsing production timelines and lowering the barrier to entry, letting far more people tell stories in TV, film, and branded content. That’s the easy part. The harder question is distribution: as content supply outpaces attention, how does the right piece of content find the right viewer—one who will actually watch, sit through advertising, and buy through e-commerce tied to what they’re watching? Panelists include:

• Jon Collins, Head of Commercial Development and Partnerships, HyperMindz.ai
• Peter Scott, Chief Strategy Officer, Play Anywhere (Moderator)
• Robert Tercek, Co-Founder and President, The Futurists Network
• Sam Khoze, CEO, CrowdGen AI
• Additional panelists TBA

Tomorrow’s TV experience won’t end when the ad runs. Streaming, discovery, commerce and payments are converging, turning the biggest screen in the house into a place where consumers can discover, engage and ultimately buy. Panelists include:

• Jason Haikara, Head of Industry Relations, 3C Ventures (Moderator)
• Additional panelists TBA

The point of advertising has always been to deliver outcomes. These outcomes have obviously focused on the selling of goods and services. But traditionally they have also included all the steps in the consumer journey to purchase. Today a whole cottage industry has emerged around tying campaign exposure to product purchase at scale. Are we placing too much emphasis on the bottom of the funnel, because we can? What are changes in attitude, awareness, and intent worth, and can they be measured sufficiently robustly? Panelists include:

• Claire Browne, VP of Research, Adelaide
• Jon Stewart, Chief Customer Officer, Upwave
• Josh Chasin, Principal, KnotSimpler (Moderator)
• Kym Frank, SVP of Ad Sales Research, FOX
• Additional panelist TBA

The entertainment industry is experiencing its biggest format shift since the emergence of streaming. While Hollywood debates shrinking production, consolidating studios, and declining television output, a new entertainment economy has quietly exploded on mobile devices. Vertical scripted series—also known as microdramas—have become one of the fastest-growing media businesses in the world, generating billions of dollars in annual revenue through serialized, mobile-first storytelling. The market is projected to grow from roughly $8 billion in 2025 to more than $14 billion by 2027, fueled by creator-driven production models, direct audience monetization, and AI-enabled workflows.

At the same time, artificial intelligence is fundamentally changing how stories are conceived, produced, localized, personalized, and distributed. AI is lowering production costs, accelerating creative workflows, and opening entirely new opportunities for independent creators, brands, and emerging studios.

This session explores where these two revolutions intersect. Rather than asking whether AI will replace filmmakers, we’ll examine how AI and vertical storytelling together are creating an entirely new production ecosystem—one built for mobile audiences, creator ownership, rapid iteration, and global distribution. Panelists include:

• Curt Doty, Founder, CLOWD Film Fest (Moderator)
• Erwin More, Founding Partner, More/Medavoy Management
• Jesse Z, Founder, Storyverse AI
• Quishi Zhang, CEO, Leyline
• Sophia Xing, CEO, Plot Party
• Tony Mugavero, CEO, Rad TV

Streaming platforms have gone global, but “global” doesn’t mean “generic.” Multicultural audiences—diaspora communities, multilingual households, culturally specific fandoms—are now some of the fastest-growing and most loyal segments in streaming, yet platforms still struggle to serve them as more than a localization checkbox. This panel will unpack what it actually takes to build for multicultural viewers: from recommendation algorithms that don’t flatten cultural nuance to greenlighting decisions that treat multicultural content as core business rather than niche experimentation.

Panelists will share data on engagement and retention, talk candidly about what’s failed, and debate where the industry is headed—including AI-driven localization, co-productions across markets, and the tension between authentic storytelling and algorithmic scale. Panelists include:

• Brandon Pankey, CEO, APEX (Moderator)
• Daniel Schnider, Head of Business Development and Distribution Partnerships, Revry
• Dean Cates, SVP of Sales and Business Development, The Africa Channel
• Jennifer Turner, CEO, MADCOOL Media
• Shamroc Peterson, CEO, Diverseego
• Stephen L. Hodge, CEO, OTTera

The Good Doctor spent years at TV Guide magazine, and the primary revenue came from ADJACENT tune-in ads: a Thursday prime show advertised opposite the Thursday prime-time listing. On CTV it’s the same strategy: “You’re looking for something to watch. I want to grab your attention NOW and get you to watch THIS.”

It ain’t brain surgery; it’s only the future of the television industry. Does it really work?

Panel 1: The Importance of the Home Screen to the Industry

• Ed Lee, VP of Business Strategy and Partnerships, Ventura, The Trade Desk
• Justin Fromm, Head of Insights and Thought Leadership, Samsung Ads
• Rebecca Twardy, Head of Revenue, Looper Insights
• Rick Howe, The iTV Doctor (Moderator)
• Steve Shannon, CEO, Swerve TV

Panel 2: The Importance of the Home Screen to the Consumer

• Andreas Hofmann, Senior Director of webOS Product Management, LG Electronics
• Briana Larsen, VP of Content Partnerships and Business Development, Xperi
• Jon Giegengack, Principal, Hub Entertainment Research
• Richard Cusick, CEO, Simply.TV
• Rick Howe, The iTV Doctor (Moderator)

Content discovery has become a critical part of the viewing experience—and typically happens before viewers ever open a TV app. In this presentation, Hub Entertainment Research Principal, Jon Giegengack, will explore how people discover what to watch, where they turn for recommendations and information, and how AI is beginning to reshape those behaviors. Drawing on consumer research conducted in partnership with CTAM, the session will cover:

• How TV apps compete for attention and value within the app ecosystem across TV, social, commerce and other categories.
• The features that make an app more valuable than its alternatives.
• Which app functions matter most to viewers in the TV experience.
• Which features providers can afford to put on the back burner.

Attendees will also learn how much discovery happens before viewers sit down to watch, the problems that create the most friction and frustration, and which pain points can drive churn even when content and price are right.

From entertainment franchises and television personalities to independent creators and news brands, fandom takes many forms. But what turns casual consumption into a deeper connection—and how does that connection translate into lasting business value?

This panel will explore fandom across entertainment, creator communities and news. The discussion will examine what these audiences have in common and where their motivations differ—from emotional attachment and shared identity to trust, habit and connections with individual personalities. Panelists will explore how audience insights help distinguish habitual viewing from active fandom, what encourages fans to participate and pay, and how those relationships extend beyond the screen.

Together, they’ll consider what each sector can learn from the others about building communities, sustaining loyalty and growing revenue while preserving the connection that brought fans together in the first place. Panelists include:

• Holly Leff-Pressman, Chief Client Officer, Screen Engine/ASI (Moderator)
• Pam Pearce, SVP of Consumer Insights and Strategic Research, Skydance
• Peter Scanlon, CMO, Fandom
• Rob Balasabas, Head of Creator Partnerships and Community, Uscreen

As the streaming landscape rapidly adopts artificial intelligence—from automated content discovery to generative media—the industry faces unprecedented challenges around IP protection, piracy, and brand safety. Join us for a forward-looking session on how next-generation detection tools, automated rights management, and risk-mitigation frameworks are safeguarding media assets. Panelists will share actionable insights on identifying digital threats, enforcing IP across global platforms, and keeping intelligent television environments secure without stifling innovation. Panelists include:

• Artem Petrov, CEO, CopySight AI
• Chris Pfaff, CEO, Chris Pfaff Tech Media (Moderator)
• Dion Kauffman, CEO, 0rail
• Ellery Kreloff, CEO, Voight AI
• Max Eisendrath, CEO, Redflag AI

As audiences fragment, maintaining reach across premium video means buying across more publishers, platforms and screens. Yet the workflows haven’t kept pace. TV still relies on complex, manual processes that make data-driven buying difficult to scale. The time is now to reimagine premium video for the AI era, making it easier to plan, buy and optimize across linear and streaming without sacrificing performance and control. Leaders will explore what needs to change and what a modern marketplace for premium video should look like. Panelists include:

• Christine Grammier, Chief Customer Officer, Newton Research
• Howard Shimmel, Board Member, datafuelX (Moderator)
• Lisa Herdman, Chief Enterprise Integration Officer, RPA
• Additional panelist TBA

Short episodes. Fast-moving stories. One more cliffhanger. Vertical dramas are changing how stories are told and consumed—but what draws viewers in, keeps them watching and motivates them to pay?

This panel brings together Lior Sasson of Shortical, Liz Huszarik of Crosswalk and Christina Parish of ScreenEngine/ASI to explore vertical entertainment through the platform experience, observed digital behavior and audience research. The discussion will be moderated by Holly Leff-Pressman, Chief Client Engagement Officer at Screen Engine/ASI.

Lior will discuss Shortical’s approach to mobile-first dramas, from short, cliffhanger-driven episodes to building engagement and revenue through free and paid access. Liz will bring Crosswalk’s perspective on consumer behavior across apps and platforms, helping examine how viewers discover vertical dramas, how frequently they return, and how this viewing fits alongside their other media habits. Christina will share select, non-confidential highlights from research conducted for vertical entertainment platforms, offering insights into audience reactions, preferences and expectations.

Together, the panel will explore the journey from initial discovery to repeat viewing and paid access. Are vertical dramas filling brief gaps in the day or prompting longer viewing sessions? How do social media and search lead audiences to these platforms? What encourages viewers to continue, switch services or leave—and how do advertising, episode unlocks and subscriptions influence those decisions?

The discussion will connect what audiences say with what they do, offering practical considerations for creators, platforms and entertainment companies looking to reach and retain vertical drama viewers. Panelists include:

• Christina Parish, EVP/GM of the TV and Digital Entertainment Group, ScreenEngine/ASI
• Holly Leff-Pressman, Chief Client Officer, Screen Engine/ASI (Moderator)
• Lior Sasson, Head of US Operations, Shortical
• Liz Huszarik, CEO, Crosswalk Technologies

Viewers already ask AI what to watch. Soon it may watch with them, and talk back when the ads come on. We'll explore how those conversations could shape what people choose, who they trust, and how they respond to advertising. Panelists include:

• Beth Plummer, Partner, Next Media Partners
• David Sanderson, CEO and Founder, Reelgood
• Mike Bloxham, EVP of Global Media and Entertainment, Magid
• Tameka Kee, Advertising Futurist (Moderator)

TV and video measurement is moving from retrospective reporting to operational infrastructure. The next system will connect audience identity, exposure signals, planning tools, activation systems, AI-enabled analysis, outcomes measurement and governance. Its purpose will not be only to count impressions, but to support better allocation, optimization, accountability and growth across a converged media market. Panelists include:

• Andrea Zapata, SVP of Agency Partnerships, VideoAmp
• Helen Katz, EVP of Research, Publicis Media
• Joanna Drews, CEO, HyphaMetrics
• Jon Watts, Managing Director, CIMM (Moderator)
• Sable Mi, Chair, Analytics Council, ARF
• Yan Liu, CEO, Tvision

Nothing matches the energy and excitement that live sporting events generate. Live brings brands exponential reach and value. Streaming has upped the stakes by enabling a range of concurrent (inter)activities: smack talk in chat (co-watching on screen, too); shoulder programming; BTS feeds; mini profiles; stats, stats and more stats pushed to companion devices; transactions to buy merch and affiliated goods—e.g. RFI for sponsors and QR codes to purchase merch. And of course, betting. For advertisers, live sports delivers in every respect, bringing millions of highly engaged, motivated fans representing every demographic and psychographic around the world. Accordingly, says research from Premion and Advertiser Perceptions, “73% of advertisers [79% of agencies] plan to allocate budget to live sports streaming/CTV advertising over the next 6–12 months, driven by engaged fans and major live events.” Moreover, smart brand teams take advantage of digital infrastructure to add profit, allocating 360° budgets to boost further sell-through with experiential marketing and OOH extensions. Panelists will show and tell how it’s done. Panelists include

• Allison Dollar, Founding Chair, Media Group, Los Angeles Venture Association (Moderator)
• Steve Shannon, CEO, Swerve TV
• Additional panelists TBA

Premium content has long been defined as having big production budgets, big name actors and a serious marketing push. But that’s from the Hollywood perspective.

For viewers (the people who REALLY matter), “premium” is more likely to be the content that moves them in different ways, that engages them, that they talk about with others, and that they want more of. And it’s not always the big budget shows that deliver on these kinds of measures.

For advertisers, these consumer-oriented measures deliver more than simply exposure at scale. Content that scores highly for emotional resonance, engagement, attention etc. delivers audiences in mindsets that enhance results and ROAS. The research proves it.

This session explores how buying at scale with reference to these kinds of contextual metrics is now finally possible, and what it might mean for buying, selling and measurement in the future. Participants include:

• Michelle Eule, Executive Director of Data and Measurement, FreeWheel
• Mike Bloxham, EVP of Global Media and Entertainment, Magid

This session will explore the evolution of television news from linear newscasts to streaming, 24/7, YouTube, and social distribution. Panelists will discuss the challenges and opportunities related to production, distribution, and monetization. Panelists include:

• Bill Hague, EVP, Magid (Moderator)
• Christy Tanner, Chair, Swerve TV
• Ethan Toven-Lindsey, Editor-in-Chief, KQED
• Jeremy Allen, Director of Audience Growth and Experience, Graham Media Group
• Scott Warren, Regional President and General Manager, CBS News Northern California

AI is moving quickly from experiment to everyday tool across the TV advertising supply chain. This panel brings together leaders from streaming, brands and advertising to talk plainly about what adoption looks like today: where AI is improving the ad experience, where it still falls short, and what standards for quality, transparency and viewer trust the industry should hold itself to. Panelists will share perspectives on reaching audiences across devices, partners and international markets, and on what advertisers should expect from the platforms and partners they work with. Panelists include:

• Carl Hinrichsen, Head of Channel Sales and International Partner Ecosystem, Tubi
• Jethro Rothe-Kushel, CEO, Ritual Ads (Moderator)
• Rob LoCascio, CEO, Uare.ai
• Additional panelists TBA

The concept of advertisers wanting to understand the impact of their media dollars is not new. But now, with the massive amount of data and technology available, we appear to be moving to a world where outcomes are taking the lead position in buyer-seller negotiations as well as client-agency relationships. This panel will explore how and whether the focus on the outcome has ramifications for currency and measurement considerations. Panelists include:

• Helen Katz, EVP of Research, Publicis Media (Moderator)
• Josh Chasin, Principal, KnotSimpler
• Joshua Edelman, VP of Analytics, Exverus Media
• Kym Frank, SVP of Ad Sales Research, FOX
• Leslie Wood, Principal, Leslie Wood Consulting
• Sable Mi, Chair, Analytics Council, ARF

This session will bring together representatives of major CTV platforms and of innovative companies that are developing or deploying new kinds of advertising for those platforms, including interactive, shoppable, contextual and more, in order to share their vision of how CTV advertising will evolve going forward. Panelists will also identify possible headwinds (e.g. ad fraud and transparency issues, platform fragmentation, lack of measurement standardization, etc.) and outline the new technologies and strategies that are needed to counter them. Panelists include:

• Alison Clark, Head of GTM Sales Strategy, AdRoll
• Chris Hock, VP of Whale TV Ads, Whale TV
• Justin Fromm, Head of Insights and Thought Leadership, Samsung Ads
• Mike Bologna, Chief Accelerator, BrightLine
• Tom Morgan, CEO, CTV1 (Moderator)
• Additional panelist TBA

Agentic buying. Generative creative. Shoppable everything. Buyers and sellers rarely agree on which trends will matter and which are just noise. This session brings both sides of the deal together to sort out what will reshape how campaigns get planned and bought, what's hype, and where they disagree. Panelists include:

• Emma Witkowski, VP of Media Solutions, WildBrain
• Jarred Wilichinsky, SVP of Global Digital Ad Operations, Paramount
• Jethro Rothe-Kushel, CEO, Ritual Ads
• Lisa Herdman, Chief Enterprise Integration Officer, RPA
• Simon Curtis, Head of Programmatic Partnerships, Versant
• Tameka Kee, Advertising Futurist (Moderator)

The next interface isn't an app—it’s an AI agent living on the OEM device or screen, curating content and negotiating on your behalf with other agents: in advertising, in commerce, in everyday tasks like ordering food, reviewing medical records, or coordinating plans with friends. That shifts the audience for content and advertising from a person scrolling to an agent transacting. Panelists include:

• Marc Todd, CEO, Skreens
• Peter Scott, Chief Strategy Officer, Play Anywhere (Moderator)
• Additional panelists TBA

We will be announcing more details about this session in an upcoming issue of the ITVT newsletter. Panelists include:

• Braden Blacker, CEO, The Content Code
• Jennie Zha, CEO, Infinitize
• John Kulback, Partner, Loeb & Loeb
• Marissa Ronca, Chief Content Officer, Simple Alien
• Shelly Soriano, President, Spy Ninjas
• Moderator TBA

For destination marketers, television—of all kinds—has been a trusted tool. In an age where digital media promises marketers that every penny is tracked, traditional TV feels to many marketers like it’s a gut-feeling investment, not a we have the receipts investment—and some see the solution being the measurement offered by CTV. But traditional linear TV is trackable too—and in this panel we will explore how destinations and travel brands are matching TV exposure to actual traveler behavior. In the predecessor to this panel, held on TVOT CONNECT, we explored the creative approach tourism marketers will be taking. This panel will focus on measurement from all kinds of TV: less poetry, more cash register. Panelists include:

• Kym Frank, SVP of Ad Sales Research, FOX
• Rachel Allgood, Principal, ByAllgood (Moderator)
• Tibor Mozes, Executive Chairman, Arrivalist

This session will examine ongoing and emerging trends a) in FAST content (such as the increasing popularity of live sports, the emergence of AI-generated microdramas, and new strategies for content packaging and distribution) and b) in the advertising that monetizes it (such as the increasing importance of contextual and programmatic advertising, the emergence of interactive and shoppable ad formats and the need for ad campaigns to be increasingly cross-platform), in order to envision how the relationship between content strategy and monetization strategy has been evolving to date, and to identify ways in which the two can complement and enhance each other more effectively in the future. How, for example, can a FAST content strategy help generate more granular, actionable data for more effective advertising; and how might emerging developments in advanced advertising influence how FAST content is curated, distributed and presented? Panelists include:

• Brendon Thomas, Chief Revenue Officer, Radial Entertainment
• Garrett Winkler, Head of LG Channels, US and Canada, LG Electronics
• Natalie Gabathuler-Scully, EVP of Revenue, Distribution and Data Operations, Vevo
• Rick Bergan, Head of US Content Distribution, Stingray
• Stephen L. Hodge, CEO, OTTera
• Stuart McLean, CEO, FAST Studios
• Moderator TBA

This interactive session will explore how Generative AI is now being used on a regular basis to create content (including by Hollywood and major advertising agencies and brands). Among other things, it will explain key concepts, methodologies and technologies in AI production, provide practical “lessons from the field” (e.g. challenges that have presented themselves and how they are being addressed, best practices that have been developed, etc.) and cast light on how GenAI technology and its usage by established entertainment and advertising companies are likely to evolve going forward. Audience participation is highly encouraged. Participants include:

• Bryan Liu, Principal, Alumni Ventures
• Carsten Kurpanek, Head of AI Production, Utopai
• Cindy Fabian, Producer, West Coast Media Technologies
• Jason Ragosta, Producer/Director, “Plumas”
• Stefano Landi, CEO, Gilm Technologies
• Moderator TBA