Programme
08.30 Registration Opens
09.30 Opening
Jane Turton OBE, RTS Chair and CEO, All3Media
Anna Mallett, RTS London Convention 2024 Chair and Vice President, Production, EMEA/UK, Netflix
09.45 Session One: International Keynote: Ted Sarandos
Netflix’s Co-CEO, the man behind the transformation of the company from DVD rental to the world’s leading entertainment service, shares his thoughts on the UK’s creative edge.
Chair
Kirsty Wark, Journalist and Writer
Speakers
Ted Sarandos, Co-CEO, Netflix
10.25 Session Two: How To Win Audiences And Influence Them
Executives from four eminent international media houses pick up on the challenges described by Ted Sarandos and debate their personal approaches to streaming, production, and winning audiences and subscribers.
Chair
John Gapper, Chief UK Business Columnist, Financial Times
Speakers
Cécile Frot-Coutaz, CEO, Sky Studios and Chief Content Officer, Sky
Andrew Georgiou, President & MD, Warner Bros. Discovery UK & Ireland and Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe
Nami Patel, Senior Vice President, Strategy and Business Development, The Walt Disney Company EMEA
Sarah Rose, President, Channel 5 and UK Regional Lead, Paramount
11.05 Break
11.25 Session Three: UK Keynote: Tim Davie CBE
BBC Director-General Tim Davie discusses the BBC’s support for regional economic growth and renewal, and the backing they are giving home grown storytelling; how the PSBs are at the heart of the UK’s creative industries; successfully navigating the shift to internet first and accelerating the transformation of the BBC in the digital/AI age.
Chair
Amol Rajan, Journalist and Presenter
Speaker
Tim Davie CBE, Director-General, BBC
11.50 Session Four: In Conversation With Steven Knight CBE
Steven Knight is a writer, executive producer and director but he’s also passionate about the creative economy and the opportunities it affords for regeneration of cities and promoting the next generation of talent. He and Katie Razzall discuss his personal investment in the studios in Digbeth, Birmingham, creating hits both sides of the Atlantic and where his next big idea is coming from.
Chair
Katie Razzall, Culture and Media Editor, BBC News
Speaker
Steven Knight CBE, Writer, Executive Producer and Director
12.15 Session Five: UK Keynote: Alex Mahon
Alex Mahon reflects on the first nine months of the Fast Forward policy to transform Channel 4 into a public service streamer by 2030, on the importance of truth and trust in our media, her plans in the Nations and Regions and how to support the growth of the indie sector so it can reap the rewards of its cultural exports.
Chair
Amol Rajan, Journalist and Presenter
Speaker
Alex Mahon, CEO, Channel 4
12.40 Session Six: In Conversation With David Beckham
David Beckham discusses the development of his content studio, his ability to connect directly with audiences through digital and social media and how these platforms enhance his role as an entrepreneur and global brand ambassador.
Chair
Jane Featherstone, Co-Founder and CCO, SISTER
Speaker
David Beckham, Former Athlete, Football Club Owner, Entrepreneur and Co-Founder of Studio 99
13.05 Lunch
14.20 Session Seven: The Hitmakers
From Happy Valley to Last Tango In Halifax, The Grand Tour to Clarkson’s Farm, Andy Wilman and Nicola Shindler have presided over programmes which resonate hugely with their audiences. What do they look for in new ideas, and how do they develop them?
Chair
Camilla Lewis, CEO, Curve Media
Speakers
Nicola Shindler OBE, Executive Producer and CEO, Quay Street Productions
Andy Wilman, Television Producer and Writer
14.50 Session Eight: How Do We Value Our Industry?
How do you value a creative company? Is a topline price dependent on its strategic value or the worth of its Intellectual Property? With the recent takeover of All3Media by Redbird, what are investors looking for, and is consolidation the only way forward? What does this mean for the media landscape and could consolidation compromise creativity?
Chair
Kamal Ahmed, Director of Audio, Presenter of The Daily T podcast and Columnist, The Telegraph
Speakers
Jane Featherstone, Co-Founder and CCO, SISTER
Harry Hampson, Global Chairman - Investment Banking/Corporate & Investment Bank EMEA, J.P. Morgan
Richard Sharp, Partner, SW7 and Former Chair, BBC
15.30 Session Nine: UK Keynote: Dame Carolyn McCall
ITV CEO Dame Carolyn McCall discusses ITV’s digital transition to being a streamer, how ITVX is integrated alongside linear broadcasting, growing ITV Studios and why they invest in shows like Mr Bates vs The Post Office.
Chair
Amol Rajan, Journalist and Presenter
Speaker
Dame Carolyn McCall, CEO, ITV
15.55 Break
16.15 Session Ten: How Safe Is Our News?
With the relationship between news providers and tech platforms coming under increasing scrutiny from governments and regulators worldwide, is carefully produced news potentially being buried? With audiences increasingly online, does the right news reach them or could it be lost in a sea of misinformation, or not carried at all? Can we learn from global examples where policy has polarised the two groups – or can big tech and traditional news providers learn to work together?
Chair
Barbara Serra, Sky News Presenter, Documentary Filmmaker and Author
Speakers
Iain Bundred, Head of Public Policy for UK and Northern Europe, YouTube
Madhav Chinnappa, VP, Partnerships, Human Native AI
Rachel Corp, CEO, ITN
Dame Melanie Dawes, Chief Executive, Ofcom
17.00 Session Eleven: Secretary of State Keynote
The RT Hon Lisa Nandy MP, the new Secretary of State for Culture, Media & Sport, outlines her priorities for the creative industries.
Chair
Anna Mallett, Vice President, Production, EMEA/UK, Netflix
Speaker
The RT Hon Lisa Nandy MP, Secretary of State for Culture, Media & Sport
17.30 Session Twelve: The Rest Is Television
Marina Hyde and Richard Osman review the day’s sessions in a special edition of their podcast The Rest is Entertainment.
Speakers
Marina Hyde, Columnist and Writer
Richard Osman, Author, Producer and Television Presenter
17.50 Convention Closes
Anna Mallett, RTS London Convention 2024 Chair and Vice President, Production, EMEA/UK, Netflix
Theresa Wise MBE, Chief Executive, Royal Television Society
17.55 Drinks Reception sponsored by Netflix
(Battlebridge Room)
The Society thanks its sponsors:
Netflix – Principal Sponsor; Networking and Lunch Breaks; Post Convention Drinks Reception
Accenture – Convention App
The RTS London Convention is accredited by the CPD Standards Office, giving delegates the opportunity to formally recognise what they have learnt.