The Global Ecosystem
TV Connect provides a unique opportunity to meet and network with the global connected entertainment community. No other event offers such a unique opportunity to meet such a diverse range of service providers; whether these be broadcasters, telcos, content providers or OTT players. The event continues to have a truly global reach attracting senior level executives from all 6 continents, with 2013′s event having 83 countries in attendance.
Experience, Monetise, Deliver…
The 2013 conference programme reflected the nature of the industry convergence by focusing on three tracks; Experience, Monetise and Deliver.
Over the 3 days, this covered the key challenges and opportunities presented in the industry. A highlight of these tracks were the premium interactive panel discussions, where the key issues were addressed in detail by the major players in the market. Each day kicked off with a keynote session, including Bob Zitter, EVP and CTO of HBO who discussed the future of HBOGo. He was joined by CXO level figures from Google, BBC, Korea Telekom and Electronic Arts all discussing the future of connected entertainment.
New and Enhanced Elements for 2013
In reflection of the increasing convergence of key players we introduced 3 key new sessions free to all on the show floor; Gaming Connect, Devices Connect and Creative Connect. These sessions in the Connected Innovation Theatre were open to all and focussed on 3 very exciting and growing parts of the industry. Online gaming was a major focus of this year’s show and this was reflected in having a day long free session focussed on it.
This year also saw the addition of three new sessions, including the Gaming Connect session where visitors learnt about the opportunity that competitive entertainment offers service providers, operators, content providers, gaming developers, social media networks and publishers. The latest developments were also revealed on how delivery space, cloud innovation and gaming networks can help enhance the real-time experience in a multiplatform world.
TV Connect went from strength to strength as the event had the largest and most exciting exhibition ever seen to date with impressive growth and a diverse spread of companies exhibiting on the show floor. The event witnessed an array of exciting activities from over 250 sponsors and exhibitors, including Tvinci which used the event as a launch pad for its OTT 2.0 platform and Aviion which launched version 4.0 of its Aviion OTT platform. Also at the show, KIT digital teamed up with Digisoft.tv to showcase a working example of its Social Programme Guide application that connects a second screen device with a TV as part of KIT digital’s Second Screen Interaction Suite. Huawei also gave case studies from China showing the way to build revenue through the development of TV app platforms.
A major talking point of last year’s show the TV App Hub will continue to grow, as multiscreen and smart TV apps come to dominate the marketplace. This will give developers, who are an increasing presence at the show, an opportunity to discuss and discover how to have success in the connected entertainment app space.
After the success of the workshop they ran last March, Google have already confirmed to be major partners, and will run the opening Google TV Workshop for the second year in a row. The content will be free to all independent app developers, who wish to gain an understanding of how they can develop and monetise multiplatform applications, across many platforms.
Network with the growing European developer community and test your ideas with them!
Following on from Google, other major big name speakers look set to confirm from throughout the app ecosystem to discuss the huge opportunity Smart TVs and the second screen present to traditional developers. The TV App Hub has expanded its area on the show floor to allow for more interactivity and creativity over the two days of app developer content.
