Convention Programme
The RTS London Convention 2022 will take place on Tuesday 27 September at King's Place, London.
08.30 Registration opens
09.30 Opening
Jane Turton, RTS Chair and CEO, All3Media
Priya Dogra, RTS London Convention Chair and President & Managing Director, EMEA, Warner Bros. Discovery
09.40 Session One: International Keynote: Gerhard Zeiler
Gerhard Zeiler, in conversation with Nina Hossain, discusses the vision for the new company, his passion for storytelling and how Warner Bros. Discovery plans to harness its stable of brands to engage audiences wherever they are.
Chair
Nina Hossain, Journalist and Newscaster, ITN
Speaker
Gerhard Zeiler, President, International, Warner Bros. Discovery
10.10 Black Britain Unspoken: The Nod – Tell Me You Got Me
Film from new Warner Bros. Discovery’s initiative Black Britain Unspoken
The Nod – Tell Me You Got Me is an ode to the nod exchanged between Black males and its significance in the building of unity and brotherhood, exploring what it means and why it is important to Black males in modern day Britain.
10.15 Session Two: Follow The Eyeballs, Follow The Money: Winning In The Attention Economy
How does the industry adjust to a world in which the squeeze on household budgets is making growth harder? As consumer behaviour changes, which business models and strategies will prove to be the most resilient? And how do we capture and keep eyeballs in the first place? Warner Bros. Discovery’s Priya Dogra leads the discussion with fellow execs Jan Koeppen (The Walt Disney Company), Maria Kyriacou (Paramount International), Ben McOwen Wilson (Google Play) and Stephen van Rooyen (Sky).
Chair
Priya Dogra, President & Managing Director, EMEA, Warner Bros. Discovery
Speakers
Jan Koeppen, President, The Walt Disney Company EMEA
Maria Kyriacou, President, Australia, Canada, Israel and UK, Paramount International
Ben McOwen Wilson, Managing Director, Google Play EMEA
Stephen van Rooyen, EVP & CEO, UK & Europe, Sky
11.05 Coffee
11.25 Session Three: UK Keynote: Alex Mahon
Channel 4 CEO Alex Mahon in conversation with Amol Rajan about the current economic challenges as well as the company’s corporate strategy in the light of government proposals to privatise the channel.
Chair
Amol Rajan, Journalist & Presenter
Speaker
Alex Mahon, CEO, Channel 4
11.45 RTS Bursary Students
Film 1 [details to follow]
11.50 Session Four: The News Evolution
Investigative journalism is evolving fast. CNN’s forensic journalism team will show how, in an era of weaponised disinformation, combining the use of forensic Open Source Intelligence tools with on the ground reportage is helping journalists more effectively challenge official narratives. Using recent investigations in Ukraine, Sudan, Russia and Nigeria, the team will unpack how they hunt down the truth.
Chair
Nima Elbagir, Chief International Investigative Correspondent, CNN
Speakers
Barbara Arvanitidis, Senior Producer, CNN
Gianluca Mezzofiore, Investigative Producer, CNN
Katie Polglase, Investigative Producer, CNN
12.40 RTS Bursary Students
Film 2 [details to follow]
12.45 Session Five: UK Keynote: Tim Davie
Tim Davie, BBC Director-General in conversation with Amol Rajan about future BBC funding, impartiality and a probable government review of the licence fee.
Chair
Amol Rajan, Journalist & Presenter
Speaker
Tim Davie, Director-General, BBC
13.05 Lunch
14.05 Session Six: A Traveller’s Guide To The Metaverse
What really is the “metaverse”? Should we embrace it as an inevitability, or is our online destiny decidedly unknown?
Broadcasters and brands are investing heavily in intangible realms, aiming to reach new markets and untapped audiences. All are hoping to carve their slice of an industry speculated to be worth eight trillion dollars.
Whilst concepts and mediums like augmented, virtual, mixed and extended reality pave the technological pathway to a new frontier of entertainment, which doors does the metaverse unlock and what could be behind them?
Join us for an interactive, lively session chaired by Marc Cieslak (BBC Technology Correspondent) and featuring Vicki Dobbs Beck (ILMxLAB), Jatin Aythora (BBC) and Mundi Vondi (Klang Games).
Chair
Marc Cieslak, Technology Correspondent and Broadcaster, BBC News
Speakers
Vicki Dobbs Beck, VP Immersive Content, Lucasfilm & ILMxLAB
Jatin Aythora, Director of Research & Development, BBC
Mundi Vondi, CEO & Co-Founder, Klang Games
14.50 Black Britain Unspoken: Too Autistic For Black
Film from new Warner Bros. Discovery’s initiative Black Britain Unspoken
Too Autistic for Black explores what it's like to be Black, British and marginalised in the autism discourse through the eyes of TV presenter Tee Cee, who talks openly about her own and other’s experience.
14.55 Session Seven: UK Keynote: Carolyn McCall
ITV Chief Executive Carolyn McCall in conversation with journalist Amol Rajan about the company’s commercial and business challenges, competition from the streamers and the upcoming launch of ITVX.
Chair
Amol Rajan, Journalist & Presenter
Speaker
Dame Carolyn McCall CBE, CEO, ITV
15.15 RTS Bursary Students
Film 3 [details to follow]
15.20 Session Eight: Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Global Formats
Do unscripted global formats cut it in a world where top dollar drama is top of the shopping list?
Which formats have been the most successful, which countries are producing them and what can we learn? Could unscripted offer more bang for your buck and how do you create a global hit when older formats continue to fill the schedule?
Chaired by Rob Rinder (Barrister and Broadcaster), this panel with Kevin Lygo (ITV), Clare Laycock (Warner Bros. Discovery UK), Natalka Znak (Remarkable) and Gama Gbio (Expectation) will discuss how to build a global franchise with Media Analyst Doug Wood on hand to quiz the panellists and the audience on what they know, or think they know, about the format landscape.
Chair
Rob Rinder, Barrister and Broadcaster
Speakers
Clare Laycock, SVP Head of Content and Planning, Warner Bros. Discovery UK
Kevin Lygo, Managing Director, Media and Entertainment, ITV
Gama Gbio, Development Producer – Entertainment, Expectation
Natalka Znak, CEO, Remarkable TV Entertainment/Initial/Znak TV
Data
Doug Wood, Media Analyst
16.05 Tea
16.25 Session Nine: In Conversation With Baz Luhrmann
Academy Award nominated and BAFTA winning director, producer and writer Baz Luhrmann (Elvis, The Great Gatsby, Moulin Rouge, Romeo + Juliet, The Get Down) will be joined in conversation with television presenter Edith Bowman discussing the power of creativity. Elvis recently became Baz Luhrmann’s highest-grossing film of all time in the UK.
Chair
Edith Bowman, Radio Broadcaster, Podcast Host & Television Presenter
Speaker
Baz Luhrmann, Writer, Director, Producer
16.55 Black Britain Unspoken: The Power Of Plantain
Film from new Warner Bros. Discovery’s initiative Black Britain Unspoken
Two Black British chefs embark on a culinary journey in the kitchen to explore Pan-African cuisine and its redefining role in gastronomy - sharing their own roots, passion and The Power Of Plantain.
17.00 Session Ten: UK Keynote: Michael Grade
Michael Grade, Chairman of Ofcom speaks publicly for the first time since his appointment to the regulator in May and talks to the Broadcast Editor Chris Curtis about his aspirations in the role.
Chair
Chris Curtis, Editor, Broadcast
Speaker
Michael Grade, Chair, Ofcom
17.30 RTS Bursary Students
Film 4 [details to follow]
17.35 Convention Closes
Priya Dogra, RTS London Convention Chair and President & Managing Director, EMEA, Warner Bros. Discovery
Theresa Wise, Chief Executive, Royal Television Society
17.40 Drinks Reception sponsored by Warner Bros. Discovery
(Battlebridge Room)
Click here to download the full programme.
The Society thanks its sponsors:
Warner Bros. Discovery – Principal Sponsor; Networking and Lunch Breaks;
Post Convention Drinks Reception
Accenture – Convention App
