Welcome to the 2023 DTG Summit programme!
From immersive experiences to IP delivery, FAST explosions to funding models we’ll give you the real-world examples and the reality checks as we consider the Bigger Picture.
Sasha Twining is a journalist and presenter, currently heard worldwide on the BBC World Service (global audience figures 97 million).
International audiences can hear her presenting the flagship programmes ‘Business Matters’ (also broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in the UK) and ‘World Business Report’.
Previously, she has presented for both national and international broadcasters, both TV and radio, including Sky News, ITV, and Nine Network (Australia)
She also works as a debate facilitator across Europe, working in fields including energy security and transition, food sustainability, eco-design, and communications. She works with both public and private sector organisations.
Sasha is an advocate of new technology – she has an embedded NFC chip in her hand, and has presented a BBC programme about the innovation.
With 30 years of TV industry experience, Richard drives the DTG’s unique collaborative culture placing it firmly at the centre of UK television.
A design engineer by profession, Richard spent 15 years in senior design and later, senior marketing and strategy roles at Sony, Toshiba and Pace.
Richard has a track record of supporting UK world-firsts in flat-panel, widescreen, digital and interactive TV. He launched the world’s first free-to-view digital devices into the UK market at Pace in 2002, joined the DTG in 2004 to lead public affairs in preparation for digital switchover, and later picked up the mantle of Commercial Development Director for Freesat’s launch in HD in 2006. He returned to the DTG as CEO in 2008, where he continues to drive innovation in next generation media, distribution and end-user experience.
Passionate about the alchemy of people, products and technology, and always looking out for the next big thing in television, Richard was named one of the top 50 most influential people in 2021 and honoured as a SMPTE Fellow.
The pandemic gave organisations a huge boost to their digital journey and kickstarted a number of trends – but which business models and partnerships will win out and how do you craft and accelerate a winning strategy which positively impacts the bottom line? We’ll unpack the current landscape and examine how to future-proof your business for the next era of television.
The UK’s broadcasting system needs to be dynamic and relevant if it is to meet the needs of audiences in the future. Yet, as broadcasting and streaming increasingly converge, does the UK’s broadcasting legislation need overhauling for the digital age?
We’ll hear thoughts on the current state of the television and streaming ecosystem at large
Lisa Rousseau is head of Amazon Freevee UK, Amazon’s free, ad-supported video on demand (AVOD) service. Lisa joined Amazon in March 2021 to oversee business and marketing functions for IMDb TV (the former name for Amazon Freevee), and lead the first international launch of the service in the UK in September 2021, as well as the rebrand to Amazon Freevee in April 2022.
Prior to joining Amazon, Lisa spent seven years at Google. As head of TV and film EMEA at YouTube and Google Play, Lisa built content partnerships across the region to drive the transactional (TVOD) movies and TV business, launched Google Play Movies & TV across 15 markets, and led the film/TV partnership strategy for YouTube EMEA. She also led YouTube business and partnerships across Northern Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa. Lisa was previously at the BBC and BBC Studios in a number of commercial and digital business development roles.
Lisa is passionate about supporting career opportunities for women, and is a trustee of the Young Women’s Trust charity in the UK. She is based in London.
Shahina O’Mahoney is head of licensed content at Amazon Freevee UK, overseeing all content strategy and acquisitions for British territories of Amazon’s premium free streaming service.
O’Mahoney has been with Amazon for more than 10 years, and has previously served as Prime Video territory expansion content strategy lead for the Nordics and Turkey (2019-20), on a sabbatical in the fashion sustainability team (2019), as Prime Video global kids lead (2016-18), and as content acquisitions lead in the UK (2011-15). O’Mahoney was one of the founding Prime Video team members.
Before joining Amazon, O’Mahoney spent two years at the British telecommunications company Vodafone, where she oversaw content acquisition for European mobile and IPTV devices. Prior to Vodafone, she worked as digital content consultant for linear and VOD platforms BT Vision and TalkTalk (formerly Homechoice), managing content negotiations and strategy, led programming teams for cable networks Virgin Media (formerly NTL) and Cable & Wireless, and was one of the founding launch team members for Disney Channels in Europe.
O’Mahoney graduated from the University of Plymouth with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computing and Informatics. She has two children and is based in London.
With programming spanning all genres and with a mix of acquired content and original productions, Amazon Freevee launched to UK audiences in August 2021.
We speak to Lisa Rousseau, Head of Amazon Freevee UK and Shahina O’Mahoney, Head of Licensed Content for Amazon Freevee UK about the reaction has been since the service launched and how they are engaging with audiences to capitalise on the soaring demand for advertiser-funded streaming.
We’ll also put the spotlight on how saving Aussie soap Neighbours fits into streamer’s content and marketing strategy, the process to save the long-running series and what we can expect from the new Neighbours coming this fall.
With the goal of turning challenges into opportunities, businesses are experimenting with products, pricing, and value propositions in an attempt to reduce risk and unlock growth. In this session, we discuss what success looks like and how you measure that. Our leading panel will share what their role entails and how they are developing products and continuously improving the proposition to keep viewers engaged.
Free ad-supported television (FAST) is currently one of the most rapidly-growing spaces in the TV and streaming industry and increasingly businesses are realising the potential of FAST as a lucrative revenue stream.
So, do FAST Channels have staying power and are they profitable?
We take a deep dive into the FAST space and hear from the players who have incorporated a FAST strategy into their existing business model. We discuss what the triumphs and challenges have been thus far, what’s resonating with viewers and what does it really take to succeed in this market ?
The resurgence of ad-supported models as part of premium OTT video has made video advertising a key talking point across the entire industry. This panel explores the latest in ad innovation including new solutions and formats for the streaming era, as well as how to expand the ad-supported TV universe.
How can we get ahead of consumer needs, particularly future generations, so that we are able to inform, entertain and service the next generation?
This talk gives a unique perspective on how companies can remain competitive in the 21st century and delivers provocative insights into evolving consumer behaviours.
Is the metaverse buzz dwindling, whilst AI soars? How personalised could TV get – and where should we draw the line? Could we soon be in a future where viewers are shown content that features digital versions of themselves, or avatars that are most likely to generate a specific positive response? Will the rise of Chat GPT impact the viewing experience and could content creation at the point of use be on the horizon?
Audiences are looking to be part of a fan experience and brands can benefit from strategies to maximise the lifetime value of content.
As the distribution of media changes, where will we watch it next? Immersive car experiences are coming. We’ll find out just how close we are to reality