Future TV Show Focuses on Industry Changes

NYConvergence ORIGINAL

The Future TV Show 2009 kicked off yesterday at the Hilton Hotel in NYC. The show, gathering top executives from the television and media industry, began with two keynotes by Colleen Fahey Rush, Executive Vice President Research, MTV Networks and Shelly Palmer, Managing Director, Advanced Media Ventures Group.

Speaking on “The Multi-Platform Consumer of Today and Tomorrow,” Fahey Rush began her presentation with a promotional MTV Networks video that acted as a highlights reel for the company. She then went on to discuss the ways that consumers, especially the young target audience of MTV Networks, are consuming their media. Apparently, the “tween” set spends more than eight hours a day with media, in addition to going to school, doing homework and still obtaining more than eight hours of sleep. The majority of TV is still taken in through the physical set box, but mobile is vastly expanding. Gone are the days of daydreaming at the ATM, she said, now people change their Facebook status while they wait.

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Shelly Palmer followed with his keynote panel “Assessing the Impact of the Digital Switchover: 14 days and counting.” A terrific speaker, Palmer began by stating that a source of his in Washington has confirmed that the switchover will be delayed, resulting in more sales problems for retailers, but the same reaction from consumers—they will wait until their TVs don’t work to realize that something has changed.

Throughout the rest of the day, the conference continued to focus on changes in consumer behavior, the recession and what it means for the TV industry, as well as online video. Today, day two, will focus on content and advertising, closing with The Future of TV Super Panel hosted by Simon Applebaum, President/Host of Tomorrow Will be Televised.

[Editor's Note: The Future TV Show is a client of Trylon SMR.]