#MWCA18 Media & Entertainment Conference: Partnership, Distribution and Monetization
The media and entertainment (M&E) market is one of the most varied, vibrant and fast-growing sectors in the Americas region. In the US alone, the M&A industry is valued at $703 billion, and expected to hit $804 billion by 2021. (PWC) This spans everything from motion picture production and distribution, TV programs and commercials, as well as content streaming, music, broadcast, radio, publishing and video games.
With half of the world’s population owning a smartphone and that number set reach 5.9 billion by 2025, or 71% of the world’s population, connecting with your customers has never been more pertinent. (Source: GSMAi, Mobile Economy 2018) Look around: How common is it to see someone deeply engrossed in a video on their mobile device? Mobile is the first screen.
Costs of production and the reach of distribution, means mobile is fundamental to media, content and entertainment engagement. While the change has been constant, the biggest transformations in entertainment and media are yet to come. Some recent stats really help to highlight this transformation:
• Internet video traffic will account for 80% of all internet traffic by 2021
• Over 500 million watch video on facebook everyday, mostly on mobile networks and devices
• Every second, a million minutes, or almost 17,000 hours of video content will cross the network by 2021, according to Cisco
Wednesday September 12 2018
Media & Entertainment Conference: Partnership, Distribution and Monetization
Moderator: Sam Evans, Associate Partner, Delta Partners
Los Angeles is the traditional beating heart of to all things media and content – join us in LA for day one of the Media & Entertainment Conference as we explore three key areas of the content discussion: Partnership, Distribution and Monetization, through four focused and interactive sessions:
1-2:00pm Distribution in a Digital Era
Technology innovation is transforming content distribution on three primary levels: Networking Technology, OTT Platforms and Content Discovery. The opportunities for content producers and rights holders are broadening as they are no longer constrained by traditional distribution models. Sports organisations can distribute their content direct-to-fan online, traditional broadcasters are partnering with online brands to reach increasingly targeted audiences, and telcos are becoming an increasingly attractive distribution partner. Distributors must also understand how to leverage technology evolutions to remain relevant in the digital content era.
Confirmed Speakers:
• Mike Toppo, Vice President and Senior Editorial Director, CNN Digital
• Alex Wallace, VP, OTT Video Production & Distribution, Oath
• John Curbishley, SVP, Distribution Strategy, Viacom
• Darcy Antonellis, CEO, Vubiquity
2:15–3:00pm Evolving Content Partnerships
Many mobile operators developing media and entertainment propositions are doing so through partnership. Working with platform providers in primarily video and music, Telco’s are using entertainment to transition their market position from network provider to digital experience provider. In doing so, it is critical for operators to identify and on-board partners to create mutual value and ensure investment in the network to deliver the required quality of experience.
Confirmed Speakers:
• Christa Carone, President, Group Nine Media
3:15-4:00pm Monetizing Media, Content & Entertainment
As opportunities for distribution evolve, the potential options to monetize content, media and entertainment diversify. Depending on content category, audience and platform, advertising, subscription and transactional models can all be leveraged to generate value. On one side, given the increasing complexity of the media ecosystem identifying the optimal monetization model for content can be challenging. Whilst on the other, increasing diversity of monetization options is opening-up greater opportunities for content producers impacting the investment process. In such a complex and evolving ecosystem, how can players across the entertainment value chain ensure an ROI?
Confirmed Speakers:
• Fred Santarpia, Chief Digital Officer, Condé Nast
• Chris Pantoya, Senior Vice President, Global Head of Mobile & Direct-to-Consumer, NBA
4:15–5:00pm Original Content Strategies
Original content, traditionally the bastion of television broadcasters, is undergoing a fundamental transformation. International OTT platforms have been able to change the economics of content investment creating super-productions with the cost-per-hour of content reaching $10m, whilst smartphone technology advancements and social media platforms have democratised production. As a result, there is ever-more original content competing for audience engagement, and for content investors it can be increasingly challenging to pick the ‘winners’.
Confirmed Speakers:
• Gunjan Bhow, SVP / GM Digital, Disney
• Nick Verkroost, COO, Seenit Digital
• Nicole Jackson, Deputy Head of VR, The Guardian
