With the introduction of myriad screens and technologies like time-shifting, DVR, and on-demand programming, the days of families gathering around the television to watch linear TV are gone. Consumers expect to bend “TV time” to work around their schedules, and they demand an ever-evolving set of intuitive yet cutting-edge features to constantly improve the experience. Philo CTO Ben Chambers walks us through how the team at the nation’s first entertainment-focused OTT service is approaching and exceeding consumer expectations.

Consumers’ video consumption habits are changing dramatically. Generation Z watches video in a completely different way than older generations, and it’s imperative that we reach them on their terms, with the type of content they want, in the formats that speak to them, on the devices they prefer. In this fireside chat, we talk with executives from Awesomeness about what works— and what doesn’t—with the next generation of consumers.

Many consumers are looking for alternatives to traditional cable and SVOD services, as well as skinny bundles that aren’t so skinny after all. Enter free, ad-supported services that offer premium content without the premium price tag. We talk about the challenges and opportunities facing AVOD services in today’s market.

As DRM becomes a global standard for content creators and consumers, the DRM lifecycle becomes more and more important. Implementing DRM into a complex video workflow can be a daunting task. That combined with the mandatory use of DRM for premium content leaves an OTT Operator with a lot of questions. In this session, we explore the “DRM Lifecycle” from content creation to editing to digital dailies to post to screeners and, ultimately, to consumer distribution.

Born with the iPad, Generation Alpha consumes video in ways that are even more radically different than Generation Z. So how do you create content and deliver it in a way that connects with viewers 9 and younger, while being respectful of the fact that these are just kids? Pocket.watch is the studio behind Ryan ToysReview, HobbyKidsTV, and EvanTubeHD, and this discussion with GM/SVP for Channels David B. Williams will shed light on the opportunities and challenges that come with creating content for the next generation.

As video offers proliferate, many have purely on-demand content while others include live programming. Understanding the nuances of consumer interest in live video, especially sports and news, is critical to securing content rights, designing offers, and targeting subscribers. For many consumers, interest in a favorite team or athlete is the primary driver for their live video subscription, while other consumers have virtually no interest in sports or traditional news and often find little value in live TV. This session explores findings from a new consumer survey from Altman Vilandrie & Co., including a deep dive into reasons for consumer adoption of live TV offers, and a panel discussion featuring top executives from the TV industry.

Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu, and other entertainment giants get most of the attention, but that doesn’t mean there’s not a place for niche services to not only survive, but thrive. It’s all about knowing your audience—not just creating a great video offering but building communities that deliver content of all kinds and invite user interaction and participation in curating the channels they’ve always wanted.

As Disney, WarnerMedia, Apple, and NBCUniversal prepare to launch direct-to-consumer (DTC) services—joining existing ventures like ESPN+, CBS All Access, and DC Universe—will existing SVOD and live-linear services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime be able to compete? Or will the DTC offerings falter against the incumbents? This session examines the pros and cons of DTC services and evaluates the likelihood of success in the crowded OTT landscape.

Server-side ad insertion (SSIA) claims to have superpowers: the ability to replace broadcast ads with or without SCTE markers, avoidance of viewer ad blockers, more standardized integration into each platform and better targeting and personalization are the superpowers SSAI brings to the streaming environment. The evil lurking in the wings is ad server ability to dynamically scale, mistaking true scale for fraud and getting standardized measurements to your partners. We also touch on reach, frequency and wholistic ad strategy to arm you with information for talking to business colleagues.

From the beginning of the online video revolution, personalized video has been one of our loftiest and hardest-to-achieve goals. This session examines the state of addressable television for both content distributors and advertisers today, as well as what we can expect in the near future and what sort of privacy and data collection issues pose challenges to truly personalized video delivery.