April 26, 2023
8:30-9:00AM
Lobby
Registration, Light Refreshments, Schmoozing and Networking
9:00-9:10AM
Ballroom
Welcoming Address by Tracy Swedlow, Editor-in-Chief of ITVT
9:10-10:10AM
Ballroom
New Perspectives on Subscriber Churn: Driving Growth in a Maturing Market
As the number of households using streaming services has increased, so growth is increasingly driven by movement between services—which means churn for some. New research reveals how services can optimize subscriber value through effectively managing churn, which—paradoxically—can sometimes be a positive indicator of growth! Mike Bloxham challenges some conventional wisdom with new data and promises to make you think differently about churn and growth in streaming. Followed by a panel discussion on the implications for the market. Panelists include:
The presentation will be followed by a panel discussion. Participants include:
9:10-10:10AM
Dining Room
Panel on Panels
As the industry continues to consider alternative video-measurement currencies, one of the biggest areas for discussion has been the future of panels. While today’s currency service relies on a 40,000-home nationally representative panel as the “source of truth,” the offerings from other potential players are relying on different types of panels, for calibration or validation. The very definition of what constitutes a panel may be up for debate. So, what does the future of panels look like? In this session, our panel of measurement experts will tackle this topic. Panelists include:
10:10-11:00AM
Ballroom
Hot Topic Session, Presented by Imagine Communications
We will be announcing more details about this session in an upcoming issue of the ITVT newsletter. Panelists include:
10:10-11:00AM
Dining Room
Local CTV Advertising
This session will bring together representatives of local TV groups, agencies, and vendors to speak to the burgeoning local CTV market. Panelists will dissect and examine what’s going on from the buy and sell sides; and debate such topics as what the entry of Netflix means for this market; programmatic versus publisher-direct deals; which business verticals are growing CTV spending most and fastest; emerging technologies for programmatic, data-driven buying and attribution; and more. Panelists include:
11:00-11:05AM
Break, Sponsored by Breakaway Communications
11:05-11:35AM
Ballroom
Web3 and TV for Real!?!
The “Web3” vision for the future of the Web has been vastly hyped, grossly misunderstood, and severely underestimated. Learn from these experts in real-world applications of Web3 for TV and streaming audience engagement and monetization. Toonstar is an innovative animation studio building the future of interactive community experience. Cent is a digital collectibles platform pioneering an interactive “collect” button for video monetization. Panelists include:
11:05-11:35AM
Dining Room
Fireside: Maggie Zhang, SVP of Measurement Strategy and Operations, NBCUniversal
We will be announcing more details about this session in an upcoming issue of the ITVT newsletter. Participants include:
11:35-11:45AM
Ballroom
Spin to Win at Advanced TV
Brought to you by Centriply’s Tango Media Systems
Entertaining and informative, these fast-paced questions will be hosted by The iTV Doctor, Rick Howe. He’ll be tossing out questions on Advanced TV proposals, ROI on TV campaigns, and offering advertisers Performance TV. And yes, there will be prizes, so bring your “A”(dvanced TV) game.
11:45AM-12:10PM
Ballroom
Presentation of the 19th Annual Awards for Leadership in Interactive and Multiplatform Television
The Awards recognize individual and corporate achievement in the following categories, each of which is judged by a who’s who of advanced-TV industry leaders:
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 (i.e. January 12th, 2022 through April 15th, 2023).
Most Significant Newcomer: The company or organization that was the most significant newcomer/breakthrough player of the past year.
Most Significant Technology—Infrastructure: The company or organization that launched the most innovative and disruptive television/video-infrastructure technology of the past year. This would include, for example, technologies for enabling and enhancing broadcast/OTA, OTT or mobile TV.
Most Significant Technology—Advertising and Commerce: The company or organization that launched the most innovative and disruptive advertising or tcommerce technology of the past year.
Most Significant Technology—Content: The company or organization that launched the most innovative and disruptive content-related technology of the past year. This would include, for example, technologies for programming production, enhancement, presentation or discovery.
Most Significant Technology—Measurement and Data: The company or organization that launched the most innovative and disruptive measurement/attribution or data technology of the past year.
Most Significant Technology—Content Security: The company or organization that launched the most innovative and disruptive content-security technology of the past year.
Most Significant Design, User Interface or User Experience: The company or organization that created the most innovative and disruptive design or user interface/experience of the past year.
Programming Innovation: The company or organization that created the most innovative and disruptive programming/content offering of the past year, including new formats, new types of interactivity, content for new platforms, and more.
Achievement in Advanced Advertising: The company or organization that demonstrated the greatest achievement in advanced advertising this past year.
Achievement in Measurement and Data: The company or organization that demonstrated the greatest achievement in measurement/attribution or data this past year.
Achievement in Local Broadcasting: The company or organization that demonstrated the greatest achievement in local broadcasting this past year.
Achievement in Streaming: The company or organization that demonstrated the greatest achievement in streaming, this past year.
Achievement in CTV: The company or organization that demonstrated the greatest achievement in Connected TV this past year.
Achievement in Pay-TV: The company or organization that demonstrated the greatest achievement in the pay-TV/MVPD space this past year.
Achievement in DEI: The company or organization that demonstrated the greatest achievement in furthering Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the advanced-TV space this past year.
Achievement in Monetization: The company or organization that demonstrated the greatest achievement in monetizing TV this past year, through means such as advanced advertising, tcommerce, subscription, wagering and more.
Achievement in Research and Analysis: The company or organization that demonstrated the greatest achievement in television/video-related research and analysis this past year.
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.
ITV All-Star: 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.
12:10-1:10PM
Lunch, Schmoozing and Networking
1:10-2:00PM
Ballroom
Innovation in Addressable I: Networks, MVPDs and Agencies
This is the first of two panels that will attempt to identify the new technologies, business practices, strategies, industry initiatives and collaborations that the addressable-TV advertising space needs to adopt in order to maintain and accelerate its growth. The first panel will bring together representatives of networks, MVPDs and agencies to assess the current state of addressable TV, identify ongoing and emerging challenges and opportunities, and share their respective visions of how the industry needs to innovate in the coming months and years. The second panel will bring together technology experts to take a deep dive into the new technologies and practices that are already emerging to accelerate the growth and effectiveness of addressable TV, and to assess their future impact. Topics to be discussed include ongoing and pending developments in viewer behavior, audience data, campaign measurement, standardization, automation, retail media collaboration, creative personalization and more. Panelists include:
1:10-2:00PM
Dining Room
Growing Up FAST
An in-depth discussion among standout independent, linear, ad-supported streaming channels about the unique issues they face in distribution, monetization, consumer discovery, etc., amidst an array of large, incumbent media brands and increasingly powerful TV operating-system platforms. Panelists include:
2:00-2:50PM
Ballroom
Innovation in Addressable II: Technologists
This is the second of two panels that will attempt to identify the new technologies, business practices, strategies, industry initiatives and collaborations that the addressable-TV advertising space needs to adopt in order to maintain and accelerate its growth. The first panel will bring together representatives of networks, MVPDs and agencies to assess the current state of addressable TV, identify ongoing and emerging challenges and opportunities, and share their respective visions of how the industry needs to innovate in the coming months and years. The second panel will bring together technology experts to take a deep dive into the new technologies and practices that are already emerging to accelerate the growth and effectiveness of addressable TV, and to assess their future impact. Topics to be discussed include ongoing and pending developments in viewer behavior, audience data, campaign measurement, standardization, automation, retail media collaboration, creative personalization and more. Panelists include:
2:00-2:50PM
Dining Room
Buy or Sell? The Business of Television Production in 2023
Since the dawn of television, studios and networks have licensed each others’ shows, both first-run and syndication; that was simply the way the TV business worked. However, the rapid onset of streaming (and it can be described no other way) has thrown a monkey wrench into negotiations between studios, distributors and talent. As the consumers slide back and forth between broadcast, cable aggregators, streaming aggregators and individual streaming services, the stakes have never been higher. At the same time, with their universal misunderstanding of the Business of Television, Wall Street investors expect instant results from deals that take years to yield profits. This session will explore the ongoing changes the rise of streaming has wrought in the production and distribution of television, and assess emerging strategies for handling the challenges and opportunities that those changes present. Panelists include:
2:50-3:40PM
Ballroom
The Complexity of Household Addressability
As platforms, content providers and networks initiate an arms race of sorts to better curate content around underserved cultures, brands and their respective agencies have yet to match the complexity of the household make-up stride-for-stride: especially, the cultural movement. While there has been a disproportionate focus on the existence of a content programming graph (as a data graph), very little work has been done to map a consumer product-consumption graph tied to the very same programming. Join Albert Thompson of Walton Isaacson and panelists from TelevisaUnivision, Nuestra.TV, Paramount and Tru Optik to explore what is critical for the next frontier of all things linear-, OTT-, and CTV-related. Panelists include:
2:50-3:40PM
Dining Room
Retail Media Networks Enter Prime Time
Brands and agencies have long used paid media to create touch points with consumers in their purchase journeys. Paid media is a marketing pillar. Retailers have been on a parallel path building websites and apps to help attract, serve, and sell to consumers. Consumers went to these retailer sites to search, learn, and shop either online or for in-store pickups. Retail media even extend to in-store beacons to influence in-aisle purchase decisions. Now Retail Media is a second pillar with Paid Media for brands and achieve to plan, activate, and optimize campaigns leveraging first-party data on their own media. Further, deals between Retail Media and Paid Media are coming to fruition to leverage retailer first-party data to define, target, and activate lookalike segments in Paid Media to pull more consumers into the purchase funnel. Sizing, trending, and discussing strategies and outlooks in the fast-evolving Retail Media space are the topics for this panel. Panelists include:
3:40-4:30PM
Ballroom
Identity in the Era of Streaming
The need for greater accuracy in addressability can’t be fully understood without first taking into account the proliferation of identities of the viewers consuming content. Diverse audiences have given rise to a need for programming to better reflect those audiences’ own cultural makeup. This imperative for equitable representation has remapped content libraries—including those of major linear TV networks, subscription-based streaming platforms, and Free Ad Supported Television (FAST) platforms. Join Albert Thompson of Walton Isaacson and representatives from Gracenote, Revry, PRISA, and CIMM as they share their views on the state of identity and cultural composition in today’s content programming, and the push for greater inclusivity in casting. The panelists will examine the diversification of storylines across a number of dimensions, including gender, race and sexual orientation, and the opportunities this presents to maximize engagement among viewing audiences. Panelists include:
3:40-4:30PM
Dining Room
ATSC 3.0: Local Viewing Data, Measurement, Advanced Advertising
We will be announcing more details about this session in an upcoming issue of the ITVT newsletter. Panelists include:
4:30-5:20PM
Ballroom
Are New Ad Formats Bringing in Revenue?
This has been the year of ad-supported services. We already accept this is now a standard operating procedure, but what about ad formats? What new formats are really working for companies? Come hear leaders discuss what’s working, what’s valuable and what’s not. Panelists include:
4:30-5:20PM
Dining Room
The Ad Campaigns of Tomorrow I: Planning, Buying, Delivering
This is the first of two panels that will explore the future of TV advertising campaigns in an increasingly data-driven and multiplatform media and advertising world. The panels will identify the factors (including evolving audience behaviors, the need for converged linear/CTV/video planning, improved interoperability between different elements of the multiplatform advertising ecosystem, the growth of programmatic, and the emergence of attention measurement, attribution and other new metrics) that are impacting the ways in which campaigns are conceived, planned and managed, and how their success is measured. The goal is for the panels to deliver a holistic, practice-driven perspective on the future of advertising rather than silo’d discussions about discrete areas of adtech. This panel will focus on how the planning, buying and delivery of ad campaigns is evolving and why, while the second panel will focus on how best to measure the effectiveness of those campaigns. Panelists include:
5:20-6:20PM
The Back Lawn & Lounge
Cocktail Reception, Sponsored by Gusto TV
Belgian Liege Waffles from Milk and Waffles!
8:30-9:00AM
Lobby
Registration, Light Refreshments, Schmoozing and Networking
9:00-9:05AM
Ballroom
Welcoming Address by Tracy Swedlow, Editor-in-Chief of ITVT
9:05-9:50AM
Ballroom
The Ad Campaigns of Tomorrow II: Measuring Success
This is the second of two panels that will explore the future of TV advertising campaigns in an increasingly data-driven and multiplatform media and advertising world. The panels will identify the factors (including evolving audience behaviors, the need for converged linear/CTV/video planning, improved interoperability between different elements of the multiplatform advertising ecosystem, the growth of programmatic, and the promise of meaningful metrics, such as attention measurement and attribution, which drive client business) that are impacting the ways in which campaigns are conceived, planned and managed, and how their success is measured. The goal is for the panels to deliver a holistic, practice-driven perspective on the future of advertising rather than silo’d discussions about discrete areas of adtech. This panel will focus on new technologies and methods for measuring the effectiveness of ad campaigns and on their relevance to client success, while the other panel will focus on the planning, buying and delivery of those campaigns. Panelists include:
9:05-9:50AM
Dining Room
TV’s “Operating System”
As traditional broadcast and MVPD television delivery mechanisms give way to an avalanche of direct-to-consumer streaming options, the competition to define the ways viewers experience content via increasingly “smart” TVs is heating up. We discuss the latest innovations with representatives from some of the leading platforms. Panelists include:
9:50-10:20AM
Ballroom
HOT TOPIC: Adding Value via ACR: Planning Ahead from Informed Insights across Linear and CTV
Through enhanced measurement currency, we have the ideal opportunity for advertisers and CTV platforms to work together and maximize brand impact, campaign effectiveness, and ROAS. Join this session where Jae Scarborough, VP of Enterprise and Channel Sales at Simpli.fi, takes a deeper dive into insights that are available to help you drive performance.
9:50-10:20AM
Dining Room
Fireside: Jennifer Mitchell, President of CBS Television Stations, Paramount
In conversation with Bill Hague, EVP at Magid, Jennifer Mitchell, President of CBS Television Stations, will provide insight into the strategies that her company has employed over the past two years to increase its stations’ viewing share in their markets, and will share her thoughts on the current state and future prospects of local TV in general. Issues to be addressed include: the role that experimentation and innovation have played in enabling San Francisco’s KPIX and other CBS-owned stations to grow their audience and advertiser base; how those stations are re-engaging viewers with local news; and more.
10:20-10:25AM
Break, Sponsored by Breakaway Communications
10:25-11:15AM
Ballroom
Audience Measurement: Methodology and Application
It’s clear that the measurement industry is moving from reliance on a single measurement provider to a multi-currency world. Join a panel of leaders from Comscore, iSpot.tv, Nielsen, Samba and VideoAmp to discuss the new world of measurement. The panel will discuss each company’s core approach to measurement and why they’ve taken that approach, their roadmap for cross-platform, the benefits and challenges of dealing with a multitude of trade organizations, including the new US Joint Industry Council (JIC), and what their future development plans are. Panelists include:
10:25-11:15AM
Dining Room
Disruptions in the Converging World of Streaming and Linear TV Ads: Data, AI, New Currencies and Big Tech Streamers
This session will explore a range of ongoing and still-emerging disruptions in the advanced-advertising space, addressing such questions as: How quickly will streaming ads overtake linear? Will they coexist, and if so, for how long? What is going on in TV and streaming ad measurement—will the “alt measurement movement” dethrone Nielsen? What about identity and data used for targeting and measurement—how do we know if it’s accurate and true? Does data quality matter? Will the world of streaming and TV ad buying operate just like ads on Google or Meta? And what about AI—will it transform how viewers find and navigate TV content? Will it create the ads we see? Will it change the way we think about advertising? Panelists include:
11:15-11:25AM
Ballroom
Spin to Win at Advanced TV
Brought to you by Centriply’s Tango Media Systems
Entertaining and informative, these fast-paced questions will be hosted by The iTV Doctor, Rick Howe. He’ll be tossing out questions on Advanced TV proposals, ROI on TV campaigns, and offering advertisers Performance TV. And yes, there will be prizes, so bring your “A”(dvanced TV) game.
11:25AM-12:35PM
Ballroom
How Does Status Impact Brands and Content?
For a brand, having status generally means it is perceived as having a high level of prestige, recognition, and desirability. Traditionally this was associated with quality, luxury, and exclusivity. Is this still true today? Does this hold true across generations? Has Brand Status been redefined for entertainment? And if so, what does this mean for the business of TV and advertising, what is the impact, and where are the opportunities and obstacles? Concepts and terms to be defined and discussed in this session include: quality and prestige content, platforms, celebrity, influencer, reputation, “must-watch/use/be on,” “can’t live without” and more.
The session will feature the presentation of new research, followed by a panel discussion. Presenters and panelists include:
11:25AM-11:50AM
Dining Room
Data-Driven Advertising: Too Much of a Good Thing?
Data-driven advertising and hyper-targeting are the hallmarks of today’s marketing. With data we can finally solve the John Wanamaker paradox. But have we gone too far? Have we forgotten the importance of building a strong brand to be memorable to as many people as possible? A short but opinionated talk arguing for a rebalancing of media. Presenter:
11:50AM-12:35PM
Dining Room
The Future of Data Collaboration
As advertising becomes increasingly data-driven, this session will attempt to determine what’s going right with data collaboration and the advertising it enables—and what needs improvement. Questions to be addressed include: What new technologies (e.g. AI) and methodologies are emerging that could reshape data collaboration and data-driven advertising? How can agencies, brands and other players make more effective use of data? How, as media become increasingly multiplatform, do we avoid data fragmentation and accelerate collaboration? What has been the impact of data clean rooms on data collaboration? How is the industry addressing inevitable consumer privacy issues, and how much of a regulatory threat does it face as a result of these issues? And can an argument be made that advertising campaigns are actually becoming over-reliant on data? Panelists include:
12:35-1:35PM
Lunch, Schmoozing and Networking
1:35-2:25PM
Ballroom
The Future of Streaming Monetization
This session will explore the current state of streaming monetization, and its likely trajectory over the coming months and years. Panelists will review recent and ongoing changes in consumer attitudes and behavior that are impacting usage of streaming services, examine the underlying economics (ARPU trends and more) of AVOD/FAST vs SVOD, debate the respective role each is likely to play in streamers’ business models going forward, and discuss the increasing importance of ad-supported tiers as a gateway to subscription-based services. In addition, they will examine new marketing strategies for differentiating services in an increasingly crowded market, for driving viewership and subscription and for countering churn, and highlight emerging technologies intended to accelerate the monetization of streaming libraries. Panelists include:
1:35-2:25PM
Dining Room
Reinventing Shoppable Video: The Magical Marriage of Data and Sell-Through
The cash register cha-ching rings sweetly for shoppable video by any of its names, permutations or delivery platforms. Whether we examine tcommerce, livestream shopping, classical direct response, mobile video clicks or bridges to/in retail, analysts forecast a happily-ever-after for this sector. Elements to the harmonious union between data and TV/video yielding a passel of profits include: supercharged targeting beyond basic demographics to include psychographics, tribes, reward and affiliate programs; harnessing the power of pop culture and lifestyle—trends, events, celebrity, brand ambassadors; predictive analytics that help campaign creative stay ahead of the curve; the Power of Good—converting affiliated cause organizations, philanthropic efforts and initiatives; the Power of Messaging—all hail retail therapy! 360 platform integration; and more efficient ways to offer CTAs (Calls-to-Action) just-in-time.
This session will bring together established leaders and emerging innovators in shoppable TV to explore this union and its implications. Panelists include:
2:25-3:15PM
Ballroom
JICs, MOCs, and Other Changes to US Audience Measurement
In January 2023, a group of TV sellers announced the formation of a Joint Industry Committee (JIC) to validate and certify alternative currency providers in the U.S. The announcement was cause for curiosity, in both the U.S. and elsewhere as to whether this was truly a JIC, or a MOC (Multi-company Organizing Committee) or simply an industry coalition. But what did not seem in doubt was that the audience trading currency in the US, long dominated by one company, and based on average program commercial ratings, will be changing. This panel will discuss whether and how best to set up currency measurement now and in the future. Panelists include:
2:25-3:15PM
Dining Room
ATSC 3.0: Enhanced Experiences – Bringing New Value to Broadcasters
We will be announcing more details about this session in an upcoming issue of the ITVT newsletter. Panelists include:
3:15-4:10PM
Ballroom
Branding in a Peak TV World: The Growing Influence of IP, Creators, and “Universes” on Subscriber Growth
Led by Jon Giegengack, Principal and Founder of Hub Entertainment Research, this session will explore how show, IP and creator brands are changing not only which content viewers choose, but also which providers they sign up for. You’ll see new data on the success of shows like Yellowstone and The Last of Us, and the panel will address questions including: What new technologies are influencing viewers’ discovery process? How can providers make the most of their investment in content (licensed or original)? To what extent do programming franchises drive subscriptions? And how should the relationship between distributors and platforms take this into account? Panelists include:
3:15-4:10PM
Dining Room
Driving Audience Engagement with Interactive Streaming
Real-time interactive video streaming has become a greater part of the video landscape in the past few years, due to audience behaviors shifting during the pandemic and improvement in ultra-low latency streaming. From esports to betting and i-gaming to virtual theater and immersive experiences, the application of live platforms and engagement tools is driving greater audience participation. Panelists include:
4:10-5:00PM
Ballroom
Innovation in Streaming and CTV
Connected TV is one of the fastest growth areas in video advertising, forecast to grow 21% in 2023 to $25 billion in the US alone. This session will highlight areas of innovation within CTV such as identity, data collection, advanced audiences and representation. We will discuss how advancements in these areas will help advertisers to better target, engage and measure audiences, as well as better quantify campaign success. Panelists include:
4:10-5:00PM
Dining Room
Turning Discovery into a Revenue Earner for Your Service
Are you tired of hearing the same discovery discussion about how better to connect viewers to new shows and movies they will enjoy? This panel-in-the-round discussion will reveal how discovery solutions can do so much more. You will learn how discovery can win you new viewers, become addictive for your users, and help uncover new value in your content where there was none before. We will also discuss how discovery can transition from a cost of doing business into a revenue earner. Join us for this highly interactive session to close out TVOT SF 2023. Panelists include:
