ABOUT ME
An outstanding content creator specialising in the TV distribution and TV/premium video advertising sectors, with a long track record of first-class, on-time delivery for complex editorial projects. Flexible and solid work ethic, well suited to working as an extra resource for your team.
CONNECTED TV WORLD SUMMIT 2024
I wrote the agenda again for this world-leading two-day thought leadership conference, which attracted another full house. I have written all but one of the Connected TV World Summit agendas since its launch in 2010.
ADTECH CUSTOMER ROADMAP EVENT
A leading adtech vendor hired me to present at their group-wide customer roadmap event and then chair a discussion about their vision for the marketplace and specific technology challenges and solutions. The autumn 2023 event included over 60 people from across Europe.
TECHNOLOGY VISION PAPERS
During 2023-24 I wrote a technology vision paper focused on making it easier for platform operators to onboard streaming services and other apps to their set-top boxes, and another looking at the market for Pay TV operator Smart TVs and the different implementation models available.
Future of TV Advertising Global
I have been writing the agenda for this world-leading conference, focused on the advanced TV advertising transformation, since 2010. The 2024 edition is at Kings Place in London, December 10-11.
REPORT FOR INDUSTRY REGULATOR
In 2024 I was hired by a technology vendor to be lead analyst for a major new report that was commissioned by a European regulator. After two weeks we presented initial findings and the project concluded two months later with a 70-page document and a presentation to 15 senior regulator executives. I worked closely with the vendor team, including their data scientist.
EDITOR OF STREAMIFICATION
Streamification is a 2024 launch title focused on the transition to an all-streaming TV future and the pivotal 10-15 years ahead during which every media company, large and small, must secure its distribution, content discovery, aggregation, audiences and monetisation for this environment.
ceo-level private conference
I was hired by a leading tech vendor to consult on, and help create, a large private conference that was attended by 70 executives including over a dozen CEOs. This was a premium event, hosted in summer 2024.
DVB Scene
I interviewed some of the leading players in the development and implementation of DVB-I in Europe for a feature in DVB Scene (Issue 64, September 2024), the DVB's highly respected bi-annual publication.
Royal Television Society
In October 2024 I chaired the Royal Television Society's evening focused on the future of TV measurement, including a panel featuring Disney, ITV and PHD (the OMG media agency).
IBC AWARDS JUDGING
I am a judge for the IBC Accelerator Project of the Year Awards (2023 and 2024). The awards champion initiatives that look to address some of the most pressing technology needs across the TV production and distribution sectors.
monthly column in digital tv europe
Before it closed in 2024, I was writing a monthly column in DTVE focused on stand-out developments in the TV industry and why they matter.
THE MEDIA LEADER
I provided an assessment of the most important trends from IBC 2024 in a show round-up spanning cloud video processing innovations through to AI and non-interruptive advertising formats.
ACHIEVEMENTS
tv distribution & consumption
I wrote all but one of the agendas for Connected TV World Summit from its launch in 2010 to 2024, helped produce them from 2020-23, and was event producer in 2023. Firmly established as one of the most important conferences in the global calendar, this event is dedicated to TV distribution business and technology strategy, spanning everything from content discovery to low-latency live streaming, to how broadcasters can increase their share of digital viewing time. As Editor-in-Chief of Videonet (2010-23), I wrote, produced and chaired dozens of sponsored reports, webcasts and roundtables.
advanced TV advertising
I led the content strategy, and wrote every agenda, for The Future of TV Advertising Global from 2010-2024. This event is firmly established as the No.1 thought-leadership conference for the advanced TV advertising transformation. I wrote all the agendas for the Australian and Canadian editions of this global brand, which attracts 800+ people each year. This conference unquestionably helped the TV industry to articulate and pursue its vision for modernisation in the face of growing digital competition.
NEW technology champion
I have closely tracked TV developments from the multichannel digital TV explosion to the emergence of Pay TV operator private-labelled Smart TVs. Along the way, I have spotted technology trends early and helped to articulate them. I am dedicated to understanding and conveying the technology strategies, the tech solutions and their practical implementation to help TV executives address the next big challenges. I have championed next-gen TV technology across market-leading magazines and multiple industry awards.
understanding business strategy
In an industry that is perpetually disrupted, I have excelled at grasping market opportunities and threats, and linking business drivers to implementation strategy and technology. The drive towards super-aggregation to keep consumers in front of Pay TV, and the way studios have launched direct-to-consumer streaming services while still partnering with traditional distributors, are just two recent examples. New paradigms come with new partners and new tech ecosystems, and I understand the dynamics of market formation.
HIGH-LEVEL B2B JOURNALISM
Some of the industry leaders I have interviewed on-stage are: Linda Yaccarino, then Chairman, Global Advertising & Partnerships,
NBCUniversal Media. Irwin Gotlieb, Chairman of GroupM Global. Patrick Béhar, Chief Business Officer UK & Europe, Sky (and Global CEO, Kantar Media, from September 2023). Rhys McLachlan, Director of Advanced Advertising, ITV. Jeff Eales, Director of Systems Strategy, Sky Media. Radha Subramanyam, Chief Research and Analytics Officer, CBS Corporation.
people i have worked with
Among others, I have been lucky to work with: Justin Lebbon, Founder, Hubble Media, which became part of Mediatel Events and then Adwanted Events (that's the company behind Connected TV World Summit and The Future of TV Advertising Global). Katrina Coyne, Head of Commercial, Adwanted Events. Derek Jones (then CEO & Chairman, Mediatel). Steve Scaffardi, Head of Events and now MD at Adwanted Events. Ian Johnson, Founder and MD, Junction Group (the company that built IPTV World Forum). Gay Bell, Founder and CEO, Platform.
RELATED EXPERIENCE
B2B PUBLISHING & pr
Over 20 years of B2B publishing and 14 (simultaneous) years in B2B events. Over six years in tech PR (including 18 months in the TV distribution marketplace).
EDITING & AWARDS
Launch editor, Cable & Satellite International (now CSI) (1999); CSI Awards launch (circa 2003); Launch editor and Editor-in-Chief, Videonet (2010-2023); Videonet Awards launch circa 2014.
CLASS-LEADING EVENT AGENDAS
Content strategy and all agenda writing for Connected TV World Summit (2010-2024, except for one year) and The Future of TV Advertising Global from 2010 to 2024 (and its Sydney and Toronto editions from launch, circa 2015, to 2024).
conference interviews - some links
Video: Fireside Chat with Linda Yaccarino, Chairman, Advertising and Client Partnerships, NBCUniversal, The Future of TV Advertising Global 2019
Video: The future of viewing, and research-led transformation at CBS, Radha Subramanyam, Future of TV Advertising Global 2022
Video: Benefits of Sky Glass Entertainment OS and the global syndication programme, Michelle Reglinski, Connected TV World Summit 2023
Video: Fireside Chat with Irwin Gotlieb, Global Chairman of GroupM, Future TV Advertising Forum Canada
tech stories - some links
Global ad marketplace could raise the bar for broadcaster collaboration. Read
ViewersLogic combines STB syncing, Wi-Fi triangulation and GDPR data portability rights to disrupt TV attribution market. Read
TiVo Smart TV OS could dramatically boost UX in value-brand television set market. Read
The big opportunities and challenges in content discovery, 2023-25. Read
DVB says TV needs a channel surfing experience that bypasses apps. Read
Synamedia’s Iris addressable advertising solution: the deep-dive. Read
The next step in digital advertising: Fusing direct and programmatic sales and inventory management. Read
Sky AdVance enables truly unified multiplatform advertising. Read
Planet V goes live at ITV, combining progressive ad-tech with full broadcaster sovereignty. Read
market development stories - some links
Sky explains the details of its Sky Glass international syndication programme. Read
How broadcasters increase their share-of-time in digital. Read
Belgian and Swiss Pay TV operators accept the end of ad-free time-shifting on STBs. Read
Turbo-charging super-aggregation: pay TV in the 2020s. Read
Channel 4 welcomes ‘off-platform’ viewing, despite investment in owned-and-operated BVOD. Read
GroupM increases the pressure for addressable TV advertising. Read
Swisscom exemplifies the changing face of Pay TV distribution. Read
The purpose of aggregators in the 2020s, and how they differentiate themselves. Read
How Pay TV can counter the aggregation ambitions of CE device makers. Read
Budget will drift to the TV innovators in Canada, GroupM warns. Read
webcasts & SPONSORED REPORTS - some links
Webcast: The VOD-like catch up experience – How Liberty Global raised the bar for UX. Listen
Webcast: The future of streaming audience measurement. Listen
Webcast: How Proximus built a best-in-class TV platform using Android TV Operator Tier. Listen
Webcast: Implementing Broadcaster Addressable TV using HbbTV. Listen
Webcast: Broadband and beyond: The next steps for communications service providers. Listen
Report: Why the 5G era relies on a new breed of CDN. Read
Report: Delivering the Entertainment Platform of the Future. Read
Report: The future of streaming delivery – beyond the inflection point. Read