April 21, 2026
ITVT is pleased to announce the schedule of sessions for the TV of Tomorrow Show, Montreal 2026 (May 20th-21st at the Alt Hotel, 120 Rue Peel, Montreal, QC)
Tickets to TVOT MONTREAL 2026 are available for purchase here.
We will be announcing more details about a number of TVOT MONTREAL 2026 sessions in upcoming issues of the ITVT newsletter.
Subscribe to our free email newsletter, InteractiveTV Today (itvt.com), to receive regular news and analysis of the latest developments in advanced TV and video. And go to https://itvt.com/tvot/connect to join TVOT CONNECT, our bi-weekly webinar-series/networking community.
8:30-9:00AM
Lobby
Registration, Light Refreshments, Schmoozing and Networking
9:00-9:10AM
Rose-Fuchsia Room
Welcoming Address by Tracy Swedlow, Editor-in-Chief of ITVT
9:10-9:55AM
Rose-Fuchsia Room
Beyond Reach and Frequency: Understanding Impression Quality
For years we’ve been evaluating media based on two things: reach (how many faces) and frequency (how often they saw the thing on the screen). But all impressions are not created equal: what actually happens between screen and face? On this panel, we’ll discuss attention, resonance, and other means of quantifying the differential value of that screen-to-face experience. Panelists include:
9:10-9:55AM
Orange Room
From Gatekeepers to Game-Changers: How Creator-Owned Networks Are Redefining Culture
This panel will explore how athlete-, artist-, and entrepreneur-led streaming networks are reshaping media—owning their stories, building direct fan communities, and creating new business models beyond traditional broadcast. Panelists include:
9:55-10:45AM
Rose-Fuchsia Room
Agentic AI and Advertising
We will be announcing more details about this session in an upcoming issue of the ITVT newsletter. Panelists include:
9:55-10:45AM
Orange Room
Shoppable TV: The Ultimate American Sport Takes the Field
Consumerism for its own sake and television are among the USA’s most impactful inventions and exports. And arguably now shopping—or more accurately, buying–via video will eclipse even the “great American pastime” as a sport. It’s now more relevant, fast and fun than ever before. Television as we knew it wouldn’t have existed at all without the commerce models that supported it. By intertwining TV programming with sponsorship, advertising and brand integration, our industry became the dominant cultural force worldwide. And now that tech has irrevocably fragmented distribution outlets and created competing arenas and simplified interactive options for consumers’ attention, brands feel heightened urgency to convert brand awareness to direct sales. Fortunately, the flip side of that tech coin toss has enabled speedy contextual delivery of creative, easier methods to fill shopping carts, and more streamlined and secure click-to-buy processes. Play ball! Panelists include:
10:45-11:35AM
Rose-Fuchsia Room
The Car Is the New Couch: Winning the In-Vehicle Content Revolution
Presented by Stingray
As autonomous driving moves from concept to reality, the battle for consumer attention is shifting to the vehicle. This session frames the car as the next great frontier for media consumption—a connected space where entertainment will be paramount. We will discuss the urgent need for a dedicated in-car content strategy and how platforms and OEMs can partner today to own this emerging ecosystem, turning commute time into prime time. Panelists include:
10:45-11:35AM
Orange Room
Leveraging the Power of TV in the Age of Streaming with RMT and Vividata
This panel will explore the possible ways in which TV can make a comeback in the age of streaming. Recently, we have seen published reports of the fact that brand growth has dropped off sharply since the period when digital started to take the lion’s share of ad revenues. In the panel, we will look at TV’s reach story, TV’s ROAS story, and how TV can increase its advantage over digital in ROAS and branding by integrating the new level of understanding of what people want to watch which RMT Neuro-Motivational science has brought through Vividata and other trusted sources of decision-making data. Examples of the Vividata solution based on RMT’s Drivers and Need States are discussed using Canadian TV content and creative to start the discussion. We will also look at ways in which TV can be made as easy to buy as digital, a major factor in digital’s success. Panelists include:
11:35AM-12:25PM
Rose-Fuchsia Room
Presentation and Panel, Presented by Google Ad Manager
We will be announcing more details about this session in an upcoming issue of the ITVT newsletter. Participants include:
11:35AM-12:25PM
Orange Room
Think Global, Curate Local
Presented by Stingray
Your next growth opportunity isn’t just in a new market—it’s in speaking the local language of music and culture. This panel breaks down the essential role of expert curation and localization in the competitive CTV space. Learn how to leverage international content trends to build a dedicated viewer base, expand your distribution, and create new revenue opportunities with Stingray’s proven curation strategies. Panelists include:
12:25-1:25PM
Rose-Fuchsia Room, Orange Room, Lobby and Beyond
Lunch, Schmoozing and Networking
1:25-1:55PM
Rose-Fuchsia Room
MRC’s Work in Machine Learning and AI—Standards and Validation Efforts
In this session, George Ivie, CEO and Executive Director of the Media Rating Council (MRC), will outline the work MRC currently performs as well as its present guidance on ML and AI. In addition, he will discuss the MRC’s recently announced standards development initiative. These processes extensively impact measurement functions and require specialized assessment and auditing techniques, and this session will help attendees to understand this important and growing area of work.
1:25-1:55PM
Orange Room
Meet The “Swing Voters” Of Streaming
With the US market having effectively reached near-zero net growth and subscriber churn having increased, services have three paths to success:
14% of US subscribers account for 40% of monthly sign-ups and 30% of monthly account drops. And they’re the least price-sensitive of all subscribers. They are as critical to success as the swing voters of every election.
Using new research, this session details the challenges of a mature streaming market (be it the US or anywhere else), and strategies for success. Presenter:
1:55-2:45PM
Rose-Fuchsia Room
Local Cross-Platform Video Advertising: What’s Working, What Needs Help
Video in its various forms has always been a powerful part of the media mix to reach local audiences with marketing messages. Video has evolved from its top of the funnel branding role in marketing to leveraging its various forms of linear and digital platforms, first-party data, programmatic trading, innovative types of ad inventory, audience measurement, and campaign optimization tools to drive performance. Even national marketers are looking more to localized executions of campaign strategies and activations as they see great lift from campaigns with local elements. Local video publishers and platforms are prioritizing high value content including sports to drive audiences’ viewing. Each element of the local video mix from linear (TV stations, MVPD) to streaming (CTV and OTT) and social (YouTube, TikTok), along with standard spots, shoppable ads, and other innovative ad units, are changing the dynamics of the local video market. Panelists include:
1:55-2:45PM
Orange Room
AI, Programming and the Viewer Experience
This session will explore how AI is beginning to transform the viewer’s experience of television, with such features as user-interface and programming-feed personalization, improved programming discovery, and viewer-customizable interactive programming enhancements, among many others. It will also examine the impact of AI and the new forms of creativity it enables on television programming itself. In addition to identifying and assessing the most significant recent developments at the intersection of AI and the TV-viewing experience, the panel will attempt to visualize how AI might fundamentally transform that experience over the coming years. Panelists include:
2:45-3:15PM
Rose-Fuchsia Room
Mapping the Biometric Signature of a Fan
This session explores groundbreaking research from FOX and Mediarobe, analyzing over 8,000 hours of biometric data across 40+ studies to uncover how fans and non-fans physically respond to content. By measuring real biological signals (electrodermal activity), the study reveals clear differences in how passionate fans experience media. The session will also examine whether these heightened responses translate into stronger brand impact and value, offering new insights into the connection between fandom, engagement, and advertising effectiveness. Panelists include:
2:45-3:15PM
Orange Room
Presentation by Jon Giegengack, Principal, Hub Entertainment Research
We will be announcing more details about this session in an upcoming issue of the ITVT newsletter.
3:15-3:45PM
Rose-Fuchsia Room
Fireside Chat with Revry and REVOLT TV
We will be announcing more details about this session in an upcoming issue of the ITVT newsletter. Participants include:
3:15-3:45PM
Orange Room
Fireside Chat with Tania Missad, EVP of Insights, Strategy and Analytics, Sony Pictures Entertainment
We will be announcing more details about this session in an upcoming issue of the ITVT newsletter. Participants include:
3:45-4:15PM
Rose-Fuchsia Room
Fireside Chat with Ashkan Karbasfrooshan, CEO, WatchMojo
We will be announcing more details about this session in an upcoming issue of the ITVT newsletter. Participants include:
3:45-4:15PM
Orange Room
Signal vs. Noise: AI, Short-Form Video, and the Battle for Content Discovery and Engagement
We will be announcing more details about this session in an upcoming issue of the ITVT newsletter. Participants include:
4:15-5:00PM
Rose-Fuchsia Room
Signal Explosion: Turning Data Overload into Strategic Advantage
We’re living in an era of unprecedented data creation—over 402 million terabytes generated every day, equivalent to roughly 190 billion HD streaming movies. As reliance on data-driven decision-making intensifies, so does the need for high-quality, actionable signals.
This session explores the strategies, technologies, and innovations helping advertisers cut through the noise and harness the right data to drive full-funnel impact. From measurement and data enrichment to identity, privacy, and CTV measurement, we’ll examine how leading marketers are transforming signal overload into meaningful, results-driven strategy. Panelists include:
4:15-5:00PM
Orange Room
The New Content Ecosystem: Creation, Curation and Distribution in the Streaming Era
This session will explore ongoing developments—as well as emerging challenges, opportunities and strategies—in the creation, curation and distribution of programming for FAST and for CTV streaming in general. Panelists will address such questions as: What new distribution strategies are emerging? How are the roles of the various participants in the content ecosystem changing? What kinds of content (e.g. long-form, short-form, live, longtail, etc.) are being distributed to which platforms and services and why? How is content being made discoverable by its audience? And how is the content itself evolving for this new streaming ecosystem, thanks to such factors as the changing tastes and viewing habits of GenZ and Gen Alpha, and the increasing availability and efficacy of generative AI as a content-creation tool. Panelists include:
5:15-8:15PM
Stingray HQ: 730 Wellington Street
Cocktail Reception and Presentation of the 22nd Annual Awards for Leadership in Interactive and Multiplatform Television
The TVOT MONTREAL 2026 Cocktail Reception will take place at the offices of our presenting sponsor, Stingray, located a short walk from the Alt Hotel. Among other things, the reception will include a live band featuring a special guest from our industry on saxophone! We will be announcing more details about the reception in an upcoming issue of the ITVT newsletter.
The cocktail reception will also see the presentation of the 22nd Annual Awards for Leadership in Interactive and Multiplatform Television. The Awards, each of which is judged by a who’s who of advanced-TV industry leaders, recognize individual and corporate achievement in multiple areas of interactive and multiplatform television.
We will be announcing the winners of the following categories at TVOT MONTREAL 2026
All-Star Leadership: An individual who has a long-term track record of leadership in the interactive multiplatform television industry, and who is an appropriate candidate for membership in an Interactive/Multiplatform TV Hall of Fame.
Individual Leadership: An individual who has demonstrated notable leadership in the interactive/multiplatform TV industry over the past year, and whose efforts helped move that industry forward.
Most Significant Impact: The company or organization that has had the most significant impact on the interactive and multiplatform TV industry as a whole over the past year.
TV Community Champion: An individual or individuals whose commitment and efforts over the years have helped the interactive/multiplatform TV industry grow not just as a business, but as a community.
We will also be saluting the winners of the remaining categories, which will have been announced in the ITVT newsletter just before the show.
8:30-9:00AM
Lobby
Registration, Light Refreshments, Schmoozing and Networking
9:00-9:05AM
Rose-Fuchsia Room
Welcoming Address by Tracy Swedlow, Editor-in-Chief of ITVT
9:05-9:55AM
Rose-Fuchsia Room
Retail Media, Budget Gravity, and the Future of Brand Growth
Retail media has rapidly moved from a tactical line item to a central force in brand investment decisions. While often discussed through the lens of measurement and attribution, its rise signals something deeper: a shift in how brands allocate budgets, define success, and balance short-term certainty with long-term growth.
This panel will explore retail media not as a standalone channel, but as a strategic pressure point revealing new organizational tensions—between brand and performance, media and sales, and demand creation versus demand capture.
Rather than focusing on tools or methodologies, the conversation will examine how retail media is reshaping brand strategy and what that means for the sell-side ecosystem, including streaming, FAST, traditional TV, and digital media companies that do not own the point of sale.
The session is designed to be candid, strategic, and forward-looking, surfacing real-world tradeoffs brands face today and the implications for media companies navigating an outcomes-driven marketplace. Panelists include:
9:05-9:55AM
Orange Room
Maximizing Impact with Creator Partnerships: From Reach to Revenue
Creator partnerships have evolved far beyond awareness plays. They are now one of the most effective drivers of culture, distribution, and revenue. This session will break down how brands, platforms, and studios can move from transactional influencer campaigns to true creator-led strategies that scale.
We’ll cover what actually drives performance today, from content formats and talent selection to co-creation models and distribution, and how leading companies are building systems around creators to generate measurable business outcomes. Expect real-world examples, insights from large-scale campaigns, and a look at where creator-led media is heading next. Panelists include:
9:55-10:40AM
Rose-Fuchsia Room
CTV Advertising I: What’s Working, What Isn’t, and Why
This panel will explore the latest innovations shaping the connected TV (CTV) advertising landscape, from advancements in targeting and measurement to emerging formats and programmatic capabilities. Industry leaders will share real-world insights from recent deployments, highlighting what’s working, what’s not, and how strategies are evolving in response to changing viewer behaviors and platform dynamics. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of how brands and partners are navigating fragmentation, leveraging data more effectively, and driving measurable outcomes in CTV. The discussion will also surface key lessons learned, offering practical guidance for optimizing campaigns and maximizing ROI in this rapidly advancing space. Panelists include:
9:55-10:40AM
Orange Room
Content Measurement I: Advancing the Case for Content Measurement and Analytics
A panel of experts and innovators from the vendor, studio and network side will discuss needs, challenges and innovations in the content-measurement and analytics space. Among other things, the discussion will focus on the Three Cs of Content Measurement: Content, Consumers and Collaboration. Topics to discuss will include example complex use cases that illustrate why content measurement is critical to our business and how understanding the consumer is key. We will also discuss how vendors and studios/networks are innovating in this space, as well as what areas still need more development, more collaboration and more visibility. Panelists include:
10:40-11:25AM
Rose-Fuchsia Room
CTV Advertising II: What’s Next?
This panel brings together senior representatives from the industry’s leading platforms to explore how the space is evolving and what lies ahead. As competition intensifies and new technologies reshape the landscape, platform leaders will share their perspectives on the key forces driving change and how they are positioning their businesses for the future. The discussion will examine both near-term developments and mid-term opportunities, including shifts in consumer behavior, emerging business models, partnerships, and the role of innovation in sustaining growth. Panelists will also address how platforms are navigating challenges such as market saturation, differentiation, and evolving expectations from users and partners.
By offering a cross-platform view, this session will provide attendees with a clearer understanding of where the market is heading, what strategies are gaining traction, and how the competitive landscape may evolve over the next several years. Panelists include:
10:40-11:25AM
Orange Room
Content Measurement II: AI and Content Data Analysis
We will be announcing more details about this session in an upcoming issue of the ITVT newsletter. Panelists include:
11:25AM-12:10PM
Rose-Fuchsia Room
The Buy-Side Perspective
We will be announcing more details about this session in an upcoming issue of the ITVT newsletter. Panelists include:
11:25AM-12:10PM
Orange Room
YouTube versus Streaming: the Real Truth about Cannibalization and What It Means for You
We will be announcing more details about this session in an upcoming issue of the ITVT newsletter. Participants include:
12:10-1:00PM
Rose-Fuchsia Room
New Developments in Data Analytics
While there is significant industry focus on how AI will impact media planning, media buying and media sales, there is less focus on how AI will unleash data analysis and insights. Come hear from companies that are bringing new AI insights to market, see demonstrations of their capabilities, and hear where they believe the future lies. Panelists include:
12:10-1:00PM
Orange Room
Unlocking Hidden Revenue: Advanced Monetization Strategies for FAST Channels
Presented by Stingray
In a crowded market, the most successful FAST channels will be those that master the art of monetization beyond the pre-roll. This session provides a strategic guide to unlocking new and lucrative revenue streams that complement traditional advertising. We will unpack actionable tactics that drive higher CPMs and create valuable inventory for advertisers, positioning your channels for long-term growth and profitability. Panelists include:
1:00-2:00PM
Rose-Fuchsia Room, Orange Room, Lobby and Beyond
Lunch, Schmoozing and Networking
2:00-2:50PM
Rose-Fuchsia Room
Measurement Grand Finale
We will be announcing more details about this panel in an upcoming issue of the ITVT newsletter Panelists include:
2:50-3:35PM
Rose-Fuchsia Room
The Immersive Shift: How Smart TVs are Redefining Engagement
The smart TV experience is meeting its metaverse moment, as developers reorient interfaces for greater levels of interactivity. Meta’s Horizon TV app is a new monetization opportunity for Meta, while Netflix continues to invent new games for its platform. The expansion of smart TV platforms enables more immersive, interactive content to be developed and consumed. This session features some of the leading creative technologists in the smart TV and immersive worlds. Panelists include:
3:35-4:20PM
Rose-Fuchsia Room
Live Streaming and Its Monetization
We will be announcing more details about this panel in an upcoming issue of the ITVT newsletter Panelists include:
4:20-5:00PM
Rose-Fuchsia Room
MVPD Innovation: How Multichannel Operators Are Embracing the TV of Tomorrow
This session will explore how MVPDs/BDUs—both directly and through subsidiaries focused on new technologies and services—are innovating to stay relevant in a rapidly evolving television ecosystem. After showcasing recent innovations in such areas as data-driven advertising, audience measurement, data collaboration, artificial intelligence, streaming, interactive viewer experiences and more, the panel will attempt to define the role MVPDs are likely to play in the TV ecosystem going forward. Panelists include:
END OF EVENT
