Debate #1: TO AI, OR NOT TO AI? — AI: Boon or Bubble?

Monday, May 20: 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

The AI buzz reached deafening levels in 2023 across every sector of the media, business, and technology worlds, and the question of AI’s enduring impact on streaming remains an open one, from both a live operations angle with the delegation and automation of various tasks to increasing personalization of the OTT experience (Joan Is Awful, anyone?). But how much of AI’s insurgency is fad, and how much is the actual future of streaming?

Debate #1: TO AI, OR NOT TO AI? — The Real Value of Artificial Intelligence

Monday, May 20: 2:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.

Too much of the AI debate throughout our industry and others focuses on “It’s coming for our jobs” fearmongering. But there are more important questions for streaming and M&E stakeholders from content and channel creators to live producers to tech vendors to brands: How will AI/ML make my workflows more efficient and effective? How will it grow or refine my reach? And how will it boost my bottom line?

Debate #2: PREMIUM VS. SOCIAL — CTV vs. Mobile: Where Is the Value?

Monday, May 20: 3:30 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.

Today, we see streaming and media entertainment split into two distinct platforms—mobile and CTV. This means technology developers and media stakeholders must approach them in different ways, recognizing generational and cultural differences in who, how, and where viewers consume their content and in how user experiences and monetization strategies are crafted for each platform. What is the value proposition for each in the current landscape, and where do the key content categories of premium, niche, and social factor into the equation?  

Debate #2: PREMIUM VS. SOCIAL — What Is Premium Now?

Monday, May 20: 4:30 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.

Much of the media conversation centers around the creation, licensing, distribution, and monetization of premium content—as well as the ROI of investing in it through one means or another. But in a world where the lines between niche and mainstream media companies are increasingly blurred, and YouTube, a platform associated with UGC and influencers, is emerging as the largest media channel on the planet, what really constitutes premium content? What makes the distinction meaningful for those with a stake in streaming?

VIP Welcome Reception

Monday, May 20: 5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

All VIP Access Pass and Up Stream! Pass holders, speakers, and sponsors are invited Monday evening to our VIP Welcome Reception. Join us for drinks and light bites to unwind and connect after an afternoon of stimulating discussions. (Not included with the Two-Day Pass.)

The Pivot Point: Mastering the Art of Career Transformation

Monday, May 20: 1:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m.

In the ever-evolving landscape of media and entertainment, staying adaptable is key. This panel is designed not only for those looking to navigate personal career pivots, but also for anyone aiming to refocus their entrepreneurial efforts. Join us for a transformative discussion that aims to empower, inspire, and provide practical pathways for career transformation.

Choose Your Purpose-Driven Vision

Monday, May 20: 2:30 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.

This interactive and expansive workshop inspires and supports participants to access, identify, and connect with their unique purpose and use that to inform their bigger vision. Through a thought-provoking and creative process, participants clarify what they want to bring to fruition in their lives 5 years from now and why this is important to claim now. Choosing your purpose-driven vision provides a road map to maximize potential and soar to new and impactful heights with ease and joy!

Remodeling Your Future

Monday, May 20: 3:30 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.

Agility, resilience, and flexibility are crucial to thrive in this challenging economy. So, how do you change course so that you’ll flourish in your next career phase? Whether your new path is forced or fated, we look at five steps that can help you move in a different direction without losing your way.

The Lead With Your Brand!™ Branding Lab

Monday, May 20: 3:45 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

In your career, are you coffee, or are you Starbucks? Are you a commodity-based worker who is interchangeable with others and defined by your current job or company? Or, are you a super-premium brand that has others lined up to support your next opportunity and who are willing to pay for your value?

In this hands-on working lab, you build, refine, and document your winning, super-premium, professional brand using a real marketer’s toolkit. Roll up your sleeves and build a plan to stand out from the crowd by turning up the volume on your best, authentic self. Walk away with a toolkit so you can further define your brand DNA as you grow your network and career.

As a result of this session, you will:

• Define your career audience avatars and plan how to super-serve your super fans.
• Identify your unique actions and behaviors that propel you forward in your career.
• Create a word bank of super-sized brand attributes to leverage in your networking and digital marketing efforts.

Marketing You & Networking for Keeps

Monday, May 20: 4:30 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.

Whether you like it or not, everyone is a brand. That means that no matter what level you're on or where you are in a job search, you'll need to get out there at least a little bit and make a name for yourself. So, how do you do that? How can you expand your network without it being transactional? What can you do to build a clientele for a new business? We discuss all of this, show you how to network for the long run, and much more. Join us.

VIP Welcome Reception

Monday, May 20: 5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

All VIP Access Pass and Up Stream! Pass holders, speakers, and sponsors are invited Monday evening to our VIP Welcome Reception. Join us for drinks and light bites to unwind and connect after an afternoon of stimulating discussions. (Not included with the Two-Day Pass.)

FIREBRAND LIVE: Laura Florence, Fremantle

Monday, May 20: 1:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.

FIREBRAND LIVE: Scott Reich, Pluto TV

Monday, May 20: 1:40 p.m. - 2:10 p.m.

FIREBRAND LIVE: Albert Lai, Google Cloud

Monday, May 20: 2:20 p.m. - 2:50 p.m.

FIREBRAND LIVE: Katie Haniffy, PepsiCo Beverages

Monday, May 20: 3:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

FIREBRAND LIVE: Walker Jacobs, DAZN

Monday, May 20: 3:40 p.m. - 4:10 p.m.

FIREBRAND LIVE: Rob Caruso, Google TV

Monday, May 20: 4:20 p.m. - 4:50 p.m.

VIP Welcome Reception

Monday, May 20: 5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

All VIP Access Pass and Up Stream! Pass holders, speakers, and sponsors are invited Monday evening to our VIP Welcome Reception. Join us for drinks and light bites to unwind and connect after an afternoon of stimulating discussions. (Not included with the Two-Day Pass.)

Welcome & Opening Keynote: Beat the BUZZR! How Microsoft & Fremantle Are Gamifying FAST & Capitalizing Interactive TV

Tuesday, May 21: 9:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.

Could retro content reimagined reshape the future of interactive TV? Reinvigorating Fremantle’s deep back catalog of TV game show classics by bringing FAST viewers fully into the game, Fremantle’s data and AI-powered Beat the BUZZR platform may well transform how streaming channels engage audiences and generate revenue. Developed in collaboration with Microsoft, NVIDIA, and other key technology partners, Beat the BUZZR is largely the brainchild of Microsoft CTO Andy Beach and Fremantle SVP, global channels, Laura Florence. In Streaming Media NYC’s opening keynote, they reveal Beat the BUZZR’s fascinating backstory, explore its underlying tech, and discuss how its innovations might revolutionize streaming monetization. Game on!

Keynote: Beyond Tomorrow: Future-Proofing Your Video Strategy

Tuesday, May 21: 9:45 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.

The video streaming business is complex. It's full of requirements that consistently change at the whim of viewer consumption trends, is drowning in technical complexity, and is struggling to balance operational efficiencies with innovation and growth. What is it going to take to gain back control?  Less vendor management? Agile systems? Flexible monetization? More data? Where have we been, and where are we going ... complex to simple, simple to innovative. It's really about cutting through the clutter and embracing a future where our video business thrives.

Keynote: Streaming Media Debate: Brand vs. Retail

Tuesday, May 21: 10:45 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Programmatic and addressable campaigns combined with the power of big tech have upset the balance between brand and performance marketing, between awareness and shopability. Trade Desk says nearly $6 billion in retail media will come to CTV by 2028. In a world of increasingly commoditized impressions and audiences, where is a marketer’s money best spent—premium TV environments for brand awareness, but less attribution, or performance marketing? Can TV publishers compete with social video on performance-based advertising? Should they, or are they risking brand damage?

Keynote: Fireside Chat With Steve Ellis, COO, Paramount Advertising

Tuesday, May 21: 11:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

This is a Fireside Chat between Steve Ellis, chief operating officer, Paramount Advertising, and Evan Shapiro, media cartographer. Ellis has a storied history at the forefront of media disruption, as the founder of the groundbreaking influencer platform WhoSay. Ellis and Shapiro discuss premium versus social, the measurement economy, and the growing importance of the creator economy.

A101. Fandom 101

Tuesday, May 21: 1:00 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.

Learn best practices for building, engaging, serving, and sustaining sports franchise and esports fanbases, curbing churn and developing stable and inviting apps and UIs. We also take a closer look at how sports streamers can leverage innovative content strategies and what they can learn from the gaming world’s success, particularly with Millennials.

A102. Sports Streaming—Bubble or Boon?

Tuesday, May 21: 2:00 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.

Sports streaming experts discuss the state of sports streaming and offer actionable insights on how to build a robust sports streaming operation and invest in the business wisely.

A103. How to Succeed With Large-Scale Live Sports Streams

Tuesday, May 21: 3:15 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Key practitioners and providers discuss the demands, costs, challenges, and upsides of live sports streaming at scale on all platforms, and how to deliver experiences that make fans and brands take notice.

A104. Reality Check: Real-Time Live Sports Streaming

Tuesday, May 21: 4:15 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

How critical is ultra-low-latency “real-time” sports streaming delivery in 2024? Who is demanding it, when does it matter, and how can you deliver it reliably and cost-effectively?

B101. OS, OEM, Oh My!

Tuesday, May 21: 1:00 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.

From live linear to FAST to SVOD/AVOD/SVAD, how will the OEM and OS wars change the way TV is distributed and monetized?

B102. The FAST Track

Tuesday, May 21: 2:00 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.

FAST experts offer best practices and lessons from running FAST channels in a crowded field of 2,000 competitors.

B103. The Subscription Prescription

Tuesday, May 21: 3:15 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Here, we explore how market shifts and strategic innovations are changing the mechanics of subscription to increase value and create a better experience.

B104. Strategic Trends in CTV Advertising and Monetization

Tuesday, May 21: 4:15 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Key developments in ad and monetization strategy coming to CTV in 2024 and beyond with insight from key platform players.

C101. Lining the Cloud for Live & VOD

Tuesday, May 21: 1:00 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.

Cloud streaming workflows offer flexibility and economies of scale (not to mention straight-up scalability) that are increasingly hard to match with on-prem infrastructure. But cloud migration rarely happens all at once. What are today’s most practical and forward-looking strategies for effective streaming workflows and infrastructure?

C102. Back End Is the New Front

Tuesday, May 21: 2:00 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.

Backend streaming technology that can scale on demand is the not-so-secret ingredient of live streams that reach the last mile of streaming delivery robustly and reliably. How do you assemble an airtight and affordable streaming back end that withstands bursts and spikes and makes it all look easy?

C103. Securing Your Streams

Tuesday, May 21: 3:15 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

In an era of new and ever-more-clever piracy schemes and CDN leeching, streaming security is always a moving target. Which security solutions will scale and preserve ownership rights for low-latency live streams as well as for VOD? And what are the next-generation strategies and technologies that will keep high-stakes streams safe?

C104. Pain in the Apps

Tuesday, May 21: 4:15 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

What are the major pain points in streaming app design and user experience in streaming today across its multiple platforms—given ongoing fragmentation in the CTV and connected device space—and where are content providers likely to find the best remedies?

Keynote: The Future of Live Sports Streaming Ad Experiences

Wednesday, May 22: 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

In March 2021, Amazon acquired the exclusive rights to Thursday Night Football (TNF) from the NFL through 2033. In 2022, the second year of the deal, Amazon introduced the first ever Black Friday football game in NFL history and concluded the 2023 season with record audience gains. Along the way, the retail giant has introduced innovative adtech solutions and audience capabilities that utilize millions of Amazon first-party shopping and entertainment signals—including demographics and geo-signals—allowing brands to reach the right customer with the right message. Available to live sports advertisers for the first time last year, Amazon Ads introduced an innovative product called audience-based creative. Brands could now tailor advertising creative for different audience segments within the same ad slot, increasing ad relevance for viewers highly engaged in a live sporting event. Audience-based creative introduced the ability for brands to engage audiences at scale to reach a more specific demo. How do flexible and data-based strategies like Amazon’s audience-based ad approach suggest future directions for streaming advertising in live sports? Amazon head of U.S. live sports and video sales Danielle Carney and Media Universe cartographer Evan Shapiro discuss these issues and more in this exclusive fireside chat.

Keynote: Fireside Chat with Charlie Collier, President, Roku

Wednesday, May 22: 10:30 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.

This fireside chat between Charlie Collier, President of Roku Media, and Evan Shapiro, Media Cartographer, is a must-see conversation. Collier is one of the most consequential and innovative TV execs of the last 20 years, having run AMC during its heyday of Mad Men, Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead, and he is now making his mark at the #1 streaming TV platform in America as the leader of Roku Media. Shapiro will get Collier's perspective on how he sees media today and where he sees the CTV universe going.

Keynote: Harnessing Chaos

Wednesday, May 22: 11:15 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

The ever-expanding multi-screen landscape has exponentially complicated the audience experience. For advertisers, this creates troubling impression fragmentation, preventing most campaigns from gathering a critical mass of viewer attention on a regular basis. However, there are solutions to these problems. There are ways to de-complicate audience aggregation and increase focus on outcomes. But you need to be where viewers are spending their time well. Using a combination of data from across the industry, SVP, marketing, at Spectrum Reach, Michael Guth, reframes the current advertising debate by asking and answering one simple question: Where do today's audiences go for most of their television, most of the time? Guth shares Spectrum's multi-screen, interoperable approach to reassembling fractured attention and delivering codifiable outcomes. If you are having trouble solving the fragmented attention problem, this session will be a must-watch.

A201. Demand, Distribution, Measurement, and the Rise of Independent Streamers

Wednesday, May 22: 11:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

This session features key members of the Independent Streaming Alliance (ISA), which was formed to promote the value of independent streamers’ premium programming and focus on key areas to ensure diverse programming is maintained. These include identifying and meeting the challenges of demand, distribution, measurement, and ensuring these programmers’ ability to survive and not be suffocated or leveraged out by media giants

A202. Data, Identity, & the Privacy Economy

Wednesday, May 22: 1:30 p.m. - 2:15 p.m.

How can content stakeholders and streaming services and channels use data safely to improve user experiences across media? Media thought leaders also explore permission marketing and the cost and value of personal data.

A203. Mastering the Mechanics of Ad Insertion

Wednesday, May 22: 2:30 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.

Engaging viewers with streaming ads isn’t just about content and delivering the right ads to the right viewers. It’s also about timing, inventory frequency, achieving seamless ad insertion performance that never distracts the viewer, and gathering the right metrics to assess your ads’ success and maximize value for brands. What technology solutions—AI-enabled or otherwise—can you use to automatically serve up ad experiences that satisfy viewers and profit stakeholders?

B201. Computing While Cooling

Wednesday, May 22: 11:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Leading streaming technology providers and innovators discuss how to make media’s tech stack more cost- and energy-efficient and implement sound and sustainable best practices throughout the media supply chain.

B202. Creating Low-Latency Custom Multistream Experiences in 2024

Wednesday, May 22: 1:30 p.m. - 2:15 p.m.

This session provides a comprehensive overview of the latest techniques for creating seamless, real-time streaming environments. It explores how Zixi’s advanced production system enhances efficient ingest and production workflows and showcases the Red5 platform’s capabilities in delivering outstanding user experiences through innovative WebRTC-based streaming solutions, then reveals how these technologies come together to power Formula Drift’s immersive new fan experience, from live race-day coverage to monetizing content through VOD using metadata. Attendees will leave equipped with actionable insights and a technological blueprint to elevate their own live-streaming projects, ensuring captivating experiences for their audiences.

B203. The Future of Content Delivery

Wednesday, May 22: 2:30 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.

As the walls between cloud compute and content delivery continue to fall, CDN infrastructure becomes increasingly commoditized, more legacy CDNs fall by the wayside, and the ongoing adoption of sustainable practices mandate infrastructure changes, is there a future for traditional CDNs? And if not, what’s next?

C201. Leadership Now

Wednesday, May 22: 11:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Pick up 21st-century leadership strategies for the media industry from the business’s best and brightest.

C202. Diversity Is Not Equity

Wednesday, May 22: 1:30 p.m. - 2:15 p.m.

The ABCs of DEI in the media industry—it’s more than a numbers game.

C203. Unlocking Diverse Audiences Through FAST

Wednesday, May 22: 2:30 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.

Multicultural audiences make up approximately half the U.S. population and wield a buying power of $7 trillion. For brands looking to grow their presence in the multicultural marketplace, FAST quickly connects them directly to these viewers, and at scale.

Closing Keynote: Next Is Now: The State of the Streaming Media Industry

Wednesday, May 22: 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

This is the fourth-wall-breaking, gloves-off, must-attend closing keynote with Streaming Media NYC conference chair and official/unofficial media industry cartographer Evan Shapiro. Speakers, vendors, and attendees re-convene for hot takes, key takeaways, forward looks, what we learned, and where we’re going.