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OTT QUESTION TIME LIVE 2025
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28th & 29th January 2025
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08:30 – 09:10
AI Steering Committee
BREAKFAST PANEL

Whether we like it or not, AI is revolutionising streaming, transforming how content is created, distributed, and experienced.
This panel brings together a diverse group of experts — including filmmaker Ben Field, M&E lawyer Kelsey Farish, Head of Streaming Editorial at Channel 4, Alex Wall and Suzanne Kirkland, Head of Sales and Business Development at AudioShake to explore the AI tools shaping the industry.
What solutions offer the most value today? How can AI drive innovation while protecting creativity and rights? And what ethical and strategic challenges must be addressed to fully harness its potential?
Join moderator Maureen Kerr, Partner at Arthur D Little, for a candid discussion on the practical realities and future possibilities of AI in our industry.
09:10 – 09:35
Warner Bros Discovery: Streaming Challenges & Opportunities
FIRESIDE CHAT

Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) is one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies, combining scaled platforms and local presence in more than 200 countries, with a customer base comprising over 100 million direct-to-consumer subscribers.
This year, WBD will continue to accelerate its rollout strategy for Max, its enhanced streaming service which combines the greatest variety of entertainment, news and sports content, to expand into new markets ahead of launching in the UK, Italy and Germany from 2026.
In this session, Dave Gibbs, SVP Sports Product at Warner Bros Discovery, talks to Robin Boldon, Head of Product at Friend MTS, about the challenges and opportunities in the global sports streaming market.
They’ll discuss:
- Operating a multi-market sports streaming platform at scale
- Developing a differentiated live sports experience for fans
- Monetising platforms and growing subscribers
- Learnings from a record-breaking Olympic Games Paris 2024
09:35-10:00
The Convergence of Streaming & Social with Channel 4 and Google Ad Manager
FIRESIDE CHAT

Liz Ferguson (Google) and Joe Harbinson (Channel 4’s Distribution and Partnerships Senior Lead) discuss the intersection of streaming and social media, focusing on Channel 4’s successful YouTube partnership.
They explore how the broadcaster used YouTube to live stream the Paralympics and election coverage, the different ways Channel 4 uses social platforms to engage new audiences, and the evolving metrics for success that are emerging from these platform partnerships.
10:00-10:25
NOW Streaming Success & What Makes Good TV!
FIRESIDE CHAT

Carli Kerr, Managing Director of NOW & Sky Content, talks to ex-BBC journalist Peter Nunn about a record-breaking year for Sky & NOW and the formula behind talkable TV.
10:25 Coffee & Networking |
10:55-11:35
The New TV Gatekeepers
PANEL

Search, aggregation, and user experience platforms are now the pivotal gatekeepers of the streaming ecosystem, shaping how audiences discover and consume content.
Our expert panellists, Fahad Durrani, Head of Content, Product Discovery & Monetisation at Google TV, Gabriel Cosgrave, GM EMEA & SVP Global Sales at TiVo, Hilary Goldsmith, Chief Customer Officer at Nexxen, and Rose Hulse, CEO at ScreenHits TV, delve into the evolving influence of these platforms on content discovery, competition, and regulation.
Key topics include the role of AI-driven recommendations in navigating audience fragmentation and strategies for content providers to achieve visibility in a crowded landscape.
The panel will also examine the growing data potential for gatekeepers, exploring future-facing monetisation opportunities such as CTV display advertising, first-party data, and ACR data, and how these innovations are reshaping the business model for streaming.
As new OS manufacturers and app ecosystems rise in prominence, the conversation will address how power dynamics are shifting among gatekeepers and what this means for the future of TV.
Ben Keen guides the discussion.
11:35-12:00
Hendrik McDermott, MD, Hayu, EMEA Networks & International DTC, NBCUniversal
FIRESIDE CHAT

Single Genre SVOD. Specialty service. Mass market niche. Specialist OTT. Whatever term you use, there’s something very sticky about a well-defined, concentrated VOD offering when it comes to attracting and keeping subscribers. And, because these offerings target loyal super-fans – who want more of the type of content they really love – they are complementary in nature to broad, general entertainment services. It’s not an either or – which is exciting for consumers and an opportunity for operators.
As Hayu approaches its ninth birthday – having grown from 3 to 45 markets – Hendrik McDermott, MD, Hayu, EMEA Networks & International Direct-To-Consumer, NBCUniversal talks to Kauser Kanji, host of OTT Question Time Live, about the growth trajectory of this single genre, all-reality SVOD service.
12:00-12:45
Specialist OTT Services
PANEL

What can mainstream streamers learn from niche platforms that tap into identity, loyalty, and passion?
Featuring insights from Emma Keith, MD Digital at The National Theatre, Ed Humphrey, CEO, Marquee TV, Yannick Ferrero, SVP Digital / AVOD Distribution, Hasbro Entertainment, Gerry O’Sullivan, (former) Director, Digital Product Development, FIFA, aided and abetted by Linette Zaulich, Director Unscripted at ZDF Studios, this panel examines how specialist OTT services build deeper connections with their audiences.
Whether it’s National Theatre at Home subscribers viewing their membership as patronage or football fans subscribing to follow their team rather than a platform, these services foster identities and emotional ties that mainstream platforms rarely achieve.
Join us to explore how mainstream streamers can adopt these strategies to cultivate stronger audience loyalty and create brands people connect with, not just consume.
12:45 Lunch |
13:45-14:10
Japan Anime: it’s Real and it’s Spectacular!
FIRESIDE CHAT

Anime is one of the biggest growth areas in OTT, says Larry Mahl, President of Japan Digital Entertainment.
Japan media franchises, manga, games and anime are the most significant sources of popular IP outside of English language film and TV. Think Pokemon, One Piece, Mario, Attack on Titan, Demon Slayer, Gundam, Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, Transformers, Sonic, Alice in Borderland. Loyal, passionate fans, broadening audiences who watch a lot and buy a lot. Deep universes that speak to people across borders, languages and cultures.
Let’s peek into the anime portion of that universe. What’s popular. Why it’s popular. Where it comes from. Who’s making it. Who’s distributing it. And who’s watching it. With various data on Anime in Europe from Ampere Analysis, the conversation is in a compact 25 minutes.
You may not be coming for anime, but anime may be coming for you!
14:10-14:35
FAFO – ITV Adlabs. ITV’s Approach to Ad Innovation in the Streaming Era
FIRESIDE CHAT

Experiments, prototypes, pilots, happy accidents; From Dynamic Weather targeting to KERCHING via the UK’s largest off-platform Retail Media proposition, in the last 3 years ITV has pioneered a path for broadcaster innovation in advertising.
ITV’s director of Advanced Advertising, Rhys McLachlan, talks to Marion Ranchet and lifts the lid on their process, the pitfalls, mistakes, successes and what his team are lining up for 2025.
14:35-15:15
Streaming Wars Update
PANEL

At last year’s show, Ben Keen boldly declared Netflix the winner of the Streaming Wars. But a year on, with YouTube’s dominance in ad revenue, creator content, and global reach, many are questioning if Netflix’s crown is secure — or if YouTube is poised to emerge victorious.
This panel, featuring Joe Harbinson, Distribution and Partnerships Senior Lead at Channel 4, Matt Westrup, CTO of Hearst Networks EMEA, independent consultant Jo Redfern, Pranab Kapadia, founder and director at Moviegoers International and host, Kauser Kanji of VOD Professional, takes a closer look at the battle between the giants, while also considering the roles of Disney, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and others in shaping the streaming landscape.
Who’s winning, who’s adapting, and what does the future of this rivalry mean for the industry?
15:15 Coffee & Networking |
15:45-16:10
Jane Stiller, Chief Viewer Officer, ITV, on The Journey of ITVX
FIRESIDE CHAT

Since its launch in December 2022, ITVX has experienced a 35% increase in viewer hours, surpassing other major streaming platforms in the UK, including BBC iPlayer, Netflix, Disney+, Channel 4, and Amazon Prime. In June 2024, ITVX set a new monthly record with 375.8 million streams, marking a 54% year-on-year increase. And the service now offers over 21,000 free-to-view hours of programming and films, a substantial increase from the 4,000 hours available on ITV Hub at the beginning of 2022.
In this session, Jane Stiller, ITV’s Chief Viewer Officer, talks to Renato Bonomini of ContentWise about ITVX and reflects on the journey so far and what the broadcaster has learned along the way.
16:10-16:50
All Things Content
PANEL

Liz Bales, CEO of BASE (the British Association of Screen Entertainment) is joined by an all-star panel of Tushar Jindal, Amazon Prime Video’s Head of Content UK & Ireland, Kathery Needham, MD of STUDIOCANAL UK, Tim Richards, CEO of Vue Entertainment, and Ewa Voigt, Director of Digital Distribution & International Licensees at Warner Bros Discovery, to talk about OTT content.
They’ll discuss:
- The current state of content production in the UK / Europe
- How much new content is now being made, especially for streamers, and what the outlook might be in the next 12-24 months.
- Consumers’ understanding of the chronology of pay windows.
- The value of content
- And content as a revenue centre for broadcasters / streamers who then sell / licence to others.
16:50-17:15
BBC iPlayer: Adapting for Audiences of the Future
FIRESIDE CHAT

We started OTT Question Time Live 2025 with a discussion about future audiences and, neatly, we end with one now too with our final keynote from Kerensa Samanidis, GM of BBC iPlayer.
In conversation with Ben Keen, Samanidis tells us that within an increasingly competitive and evolving digital environment, the BBC must ensure it continues to meet the needs and expectations of all British audiences.
For BBC iPlayer, this involves ensuring retention of core audiences whilst understanding and adapting to the needs of new audiences. The challenges and opportunities this presents will be discussed in this conversation along with examples of how the BBC proposes to tackle them.
17:15-17:20 Close of OTTQTL25 |
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