RTS London Conference 2018
Viacom
RTS Cambridge Convention 2015
The challenges of a shifting TV landscape will be discussed by television executives at this year's RTS Cambridge Convention, chaired by BBC Director-General Tony Hall.
Click here for the latest programme and news about Cambridge 2015
The Real Succession: Sumner Redstone, the billionaire entertainment mogul and his embattled family
“Sumner’s constant demands on Brandon, not to mention his pursuit of some of the same women, contributed to a sometimes awkward relationship between grandfather and grandson.” (Unscripted, page 46)
Some 20 years ago, at an RTS dinner, I found myself sitting next to a billionaire entertainment mogul, a man few people would have recognised if they had passed him in the street, but whose influence over what we watched on television and in the cinema was huge.
Public Service Broadcasting: Facing Failure or the Future? | RTS Cambridge Convention 2021
How radical do we have to be to protect public service broadcasting? Ex BBC and New York Times boss Mark Thompson argues that PSB will die in the UK unless huge change happens. He debates his solutions with a distinguished panel.
Chair
Kirsty Wark, Journalist and Writer
Introduction
Mark Thompson, CEO, Ancestry.com
Speakers
Maria Kyriacou, President, ViacomCBS Networks UK, Australia and Israel
Alex Mahon, CEO, Channel 4
Fraser Nelson, Editor, The Spectator
Key industry figures discuss what the future holds for linear TV in a world of streaming
Will the future of streaming be defined by SVoD (subscription video-on-demand) or free, advertising-funded video-on-demand – or can they both prosper? Those were the big questions addressed by BritBox launch director Reemah Sakaan and Viacom International Media Networks chief David Lynn.
Speaking on the day that the “best of British” SVoD announced a deal with Channel 5, Sakaan was asked by session chair Wayne Garvie how she was going to “persuade my mum and dad to spend £5.99 a month on BritBox”?
Will 5G change TV?
Chicago and Minneapolis may not seem like the homes of cuttingedge technology but, on 3 April, they became the world’s first two cities with commercial 5G mobile services serving 5G-enabled smartphones.
The service was launched by US carrier Verizon, keen to beat several Korean rivals to the bragging rights for commercialising 5G first, if only by a few hours.
Viacom chief Bob Bakish discusses future streaming possibilities
It was Viacom founder Sumner Redstone who coined the phrase “content is king”. The company’s President and CEO, Bob Bakish, is also associated with a term that defines a media era: he dubbed the streamers, such as Amazon and Netflix, “frenemies”. He used the description recently to explain the fact that, although big producers and channel owners fear the streamers for eroding viewing figures, they can also make money by supplying the tech giants with shows.
New speakers announced for RTS London Conference 2018
As leader of one of the world’s largest media and entertainment companies, Bakish will share his views on global media trends, how Viacom is capitalising on shifts in consumer, technological and market dynamics, and his expectations for the future.
The reinvention of Channel 5
British public service broadcasters proved relatively resilient in 2017, despite strong competition from SVoD and other digital distractions.
The best performer was the smallest of the PSBs, Channel 5. The channel’s audience share rose by 2.2% – comfortably ahead of ITV, up 1.2%, and Channel 4, down 0.2%. The audience for Channel 5’s portfolio of channels grew by 5%, led by 5Spike, which jumped by an extraordinary 27%.
Watch highlights from the RTS Cambridge Convention 2017
The three-day Convention featured keynotes from James Murdoch, Ofcom chief Sharon White and the Secretary of State Karen Bradley MP, as well as some lively panel discussions.
Watch highlights from the event below, or scroll down to watch the sessions in full. You can read more about this year's RTS Cambridge in the October issue of Television magazine.