Themes: The Big Bang
Exploring the implications as TV becomes increasingly competitive with global tech platforms across data, performance, outcomes measurement and buying experience.
Television is marrying its brand-building superpower with outcomes-driven performance capabilities that are truly competitive with global tech platforms. It is becoming easier to buy. Within the next 12-24 months, we could experience a ‘Big Bang’ moment when it becomes clear how far the advanced TV transformation has come.
Buyers will have access to a medium that offers brand safety, wide reach, high attention, behavioural-based audience segmentation, intent-driven targeting, commerce activations, and instant links to incremental business impacts.
The Future of TV Advertising Global explores the opportunities this presents to media buyers and media owners. We consider the use of AI, and its impact, as part of this cocktail.
Is television about to live its best life? Will premium video increase its share of the digital advertising market? Are we witnessing a generational leap in the efficiency and effectiveness of the world’s No.1 profit-generating medium? Are brand boardrooms going to notice? Most of all, we want to know what advertisers and media agencies can do with an increasingly digital and data-driven TV offer to grow brands and generate profit.
This unrivalled thought-leadership event explores the key opportunities and challenges ahead. As usual, it combines visionary thinking, strategic detail and operational implementation, attracting the global leaders who make things happen.
Making sense of the TV distribution landscape
What macro business trends explain global sports streamer DAZN acquiring the Australian Pay TV operator Foxtel, the broadcaster RTL Group acquiring Sky Deutschland (the DACH-region Pay TV platform), Warner Bros. Discovery splitting its studio-streaming business from its global TV networks, Comcast spinning off its cable networks but keeping NBCUniversal (including Peacock), and Netflix hosting TF1 linear channels (and on-demand content) on its French service? After a year of landmark announcements, we investigate the rationale driving M&A and partnerships. While we make sense of the fast-changing TV distribution landscape, we also review the market for sports rights.
Connected TV as the engine for growth
We explore innovations across BVOD, SVOD ad-tiers, AVOD, Smart TV OS platforms and FAST as buyers look for effective reach across an increasingly heterogenous premium video landscape. Expect the latest thinking on how to use live events and especially sport to power marketing objectives. How can sport be harnessed to meet performance objectives, and will programmatic open up premium sport to smaller advertisers? We consider the role of video sharing platforms as homes for premium and brand-safe video, and review strategies for success when broadcasters distribute long-form content on YouTube, supported by their own ad sales.
The next chapter in programmatic TV
The growth in premium streaming supply increases the pressure to ensure programmatic demand reaches all suitable and effective inventory, so we explore the barriers that may prevent this. We consider ways to ensure buyers have the transparency and signals needed to optimise against media provider, content, environment and performance. How do we ensure media owners who invest in the best content are rewarded with higher CPMs and budget allocations? Some broadcasters fear their inventory could be homogenised in bundled pools of non-comparable video inventory, or that intermediaries will reduce their control, so what does great programmatic look like for them?
TV as a performance and full-funnel powerhouse
How TV can marry its brand-building superpower with a turbo-charged performance offer – and what best practice full-funnel TV campaigns look like. We are interested in how TV delivers against short-term KPIs and explore the behavioural, exposure and outcomes signals that make this possible. What is the potential for TV commerce, and what data collaboration ecosystems will ensure any media owner can compete with companies that boast content, audience, DSP and retail under the same roof? There is a focus on how data-poor brands get invited to the data-driven television party.
How TV nails the SMB advertiser opportunity
How TV can take meaningful market share in the small medium business (SMB) advertiser segment, with a look at the technology and processes that make this possible. The ‘fat end of the long-tail’ of advertisers have smaller budgets than traditional TV buyers so this event explores the creative, planning, buying and execution efficiencies needed. Expect discussions on self-serve and shared buying platforms. How many SMBs are looking for alternatives to the global tech platforms – and how much budget could be unlocked? How do we maintain TV standards of creative, but at low cost? You will hear use-cases and success stories from SMBs on television.
The road to outcomes-based TV measurement
This event considers the possibility that TV moves to outcomes measurement as the primary indicator of its value, and asks what that journey would look like – including the data, measurement and currency innovations required. Can we ever achieve a position where reach and frequency metrics no longer matter? Starting today, how do we accurately credit each TV provider for its contribution to a final business outcome in a complex omnichannel world? What innovations in ‘classic’ cross-platform TV measurement will contribute to better outcomes attribution in 2026-27? How do we forecast business outcomes? We look for solid, practical answers.
Coping with rejection
TV is the undisputed No.1 profit-generating medium, so there is a tendency to dismiss its rejection as irrational unless there is an affordability hurdle. We explore the reasons why CMOs and media buyers do reject the medium, considering the KPIs and incentives that can lead to alternative media choices. Can TV influence corporate cultures that focus on shorter-term outcomes? Will TV’s improved performance capabilities change the conversation? Would a better TV buying experience make a difference? We hear views on which media are under-invested and which are over-invested, based on effectiveness.
How agencies and clients grow market share
We explore best practice in finding new customers for brands, getting existing users to spend more, expanding market share and reducing price elasticity. We review how media buyers are improving their ability to plan, execute and measure, and where agencies can differentiate from rivals. Expect discussions about the role and impact of AI (including agentic AI) across insights, creative and planning. Are we on the cusp of a generational leap in planning efficiency and effectiveness, and what are the implications if buyers can achieve their objectives with less effort and budget?
Going global with cross-media measurement
As Origin moves to ‘expanded availability’ in the UK and the U.S. looks towards an early 2026 launch for Aquila, we consider the potential for WFA North Star inspired cross-media measurement to revolutionise measurement and planning in other global markets including Western Europe. What buyer use cases stood out during the UK’s Origin beta trials, which ended in July? What efficiency and effectiveness lifts were recorded for cross-media total campaigns – and where could saved budget be re-invested? We review UK broadcaster and streamer attitudes to collaboration with Origin. We ask European broadcasters and media buyers for their views on potential WFA-inspired or other cross-media measurement frameworks in their markets.
Making sense of the TV distribution landscape
What macro business trends explain global sports streamer DAZN acquiring the Australian Pay TV operator Foxtel, the broadcaster RTL Group acquiring Sky Deutschland (the DACH-region Pay TV platform), Warner Bros. Discovery splitting its studio-streaming business from its global TV networks, Comcast spinning off its cable networks but keeping NBCUniversal (including Peacock), and Netflix hosting TF1 linear channels (and on-demand content) on its French service? After a year of landmark announcements, we investigate the rationale driving M&A and partnerships. While we make sense of the fast-changing TV distribution landscape, we also review the market for sports rights.
Connected TV as the engine for growth
We explore innovations across BVOD, SVOD ad-tiers, AVOD, Smart TV OS platforms and FAST as buyers look for effective reach across an increasingly heterogenous premium video landscape. Expect the latest thinking on how to use live events and especially sport to power marketing objectives. How can sport be harnessed to meet performance objectives, and will programmatic open up premium sport to smaller advertisers? We consider the role of video sharing platforms as homes for premium and brand-safe video, and review strategies for success when broadcasters distribute long-form content on YouTube, supported by their own ad sales.
The next chapter in programmatic TV
The growth in premium streaming supply increases the pressure to ensure programmatic demand reaches all suitable and effective inventory, so we explore the barriers that may prevent this. We consider ways to ensure buyers have the transparency and signals needed to optimise against media provider, content, environment and performance. How do we ensure media owners who invest in the best content are rewarded with higher CPMs and budget allocations? Some broadcasters fear their inventory could be homogenised in bundled pools of non-comparable video inventory, or that intermediaries will reduce their control, so what does great programmatic look like for them?
TV as a performance and full-funnel powerhouse
How TV can marry its brand-building superpower with a turbo-charged performance offer – and what best practice full-funnel TV campaigns look like. We are interested in how TV delivers against short-term KPIs and explore the behavioural, exposure and outcomes signals that make this possible. What is the potential for TV commerce, and what data collaboration ecosystems will ensure any media owner can compete with companies that boast content, audience, DSP and retail under the same roof? There is a focus on how data-poor brands get invited to the data-driven television party.
How TV nails the SMB advertiser opportunity
How TV can take meaningful market share in the small medium business (SMB) advertiser segment, with a look at the technology and processes that make this possible. The ‘fat end of the long-tail’ of advertisers have smaller budgets than traditional TV buyers so this event explores the creative, planning, buying and execution efficiencies needed. Expect discussions on self-serve and shared buying platforms. How many SMBs are looking for alternatives to the global tech platforms – and how much budget could be unlocked? How do we maintain TV standards of creative, but at low cost? You will hear use-cases and success stories from SMBs on television.
The road to outcomes-based TV measurement
This event considers the possibility that TV moves to outcomes measurement as the primary indicator of its value, and asks what that journey would look like – including the data, measurement and currency innovations required. Can we ever achieve a position where reach and frequency metrics no longer matter? Starting today, how do we accurately credit each TV provider for its contribution to a final business outcome in a complex omnichannel world? What innovations in ‘classic’ cross-platform TV measurement will contribute to better outcomes attribution in 2026-27? How do we forecast business outcomes? We look for solid, practical answers.
Coping with rejection
TV is the undisputed No.1 profit-generating medium, so there is a tendency to dismiss its rejection as irrational unless there is an affordability hurdle. We explore the reasons why CMOs and media buyers do reject the medium, considering the KPIs and incentives that can lead to alternative media choices. Can TV influence corporate cultures that focus on shorter-term outcomes? Will TV’s improved performance capabilities change the conversation? Would a better TV buying experience make a difference? We hear views on which media are under-invested and which are over-invested, based on effectiveness.
How agencies and clients grow market share
We explore best practice in finding new customers for brands, getting existing users to spend more, expanding market share and reducing price elasticity. We review how media buyers are improving their ability to plan, execute and measure, and where agencies can differentiate from rivals. Expect discussions about the role and impact of AI (including agentic AI) across insights, creative and planning. Are we on the cusp of a generational leap in planning efficiency and effectiveness, and what are the implications if buyers can achieve their objectives with less effort and budget?
Going global with cross-media measurement
As Origin moves to ‘expanded availability’ in the UK and the U.S. looks towards an early 2026 launch for Aquila, we consider the potential for WFA North Star inspired cross-media measurement to revolutionise measurement and planning in other global markets including Western Europe. What buyer use cases stood out during the UK’s Origin beta trials, which ended in July? What efficiency and effectiveness lifts were recorded for cross-media total campaigns – and where could saved budget be re-invested? We review UK broadcaster and streamer attitudes to collaboration with Origin. We ask European broadcasters and media buyers for their views on potential WFA-inspired or other cross-media measurement frameworks in their markets.