FOCUS ON FAST CHANNELS AT 2023 PUBLIC MEDIA TECHNOLOGY SUMMIT

The Public Media Venture Group (PMVG) has added an important session to the program for the Public Media Technology Summit (PMTS), which will take place immediately prior to the 2023 NAB Show in Las Vegas. The event will be held at the Renaissance Las Vegas, adjacent to the Las Vegas Convention Center (site of the 2023 NAB Show), on April 13-14, 2023.

On April 13, noted industry analyst—and creator of the term “FAST Channel”—Alan Wolk will present a comprehensive talk on the rapidly expanding FAST (Free Ad-supported Streaming TV) ecosystem. The presentation will examine the various types of FAST platforms, their place in the greater TV environment, myths about FAST channels, where local broadcasters and news fit into this ecosystem, and why FASTs are poised to be a leading advertising vehicle of the future.

Mr. Wolk is co-founder of the media-industry consulting firm TVREV, and is author of the best-selling Over The Top: How The Internet Is (Slowly But Surely) Changing The Television Industry, which is used as a textbook at a number of top business schools. A much sought-after writer, speaker and consultant, Wolk has established himself as one of the industry’s most influential thought leaders. He is a contributing writer at Forbes, NextTV, FierceVideo and other industry news sites, and has been interviewed and quoted by NPR, The New York Times and other media.

Other recently added speakers on the Summit program include John Burgett, a partner at the highly respected law firm of Wiley Rein LLP, and Joonyoung Park, senior vice president at the Korean manufacturer and software developer DigiCAP.

Also highlighting the Summit are “A Master Class on Configuring the ATSC 3.0 Physical Layer,” by well-known consulting engineer and trainer Gary Sgrignoli, and a presentation entitled “AI: Beyond the Hype,” by Chad Davis, Chief Innovation Officer at Nebraska Public Media, who will demystify AI and provide a practical and realistic perspective on its applications, benefits, and challenges.

Day 1 of the Summit also includes a session on “Differentiating and Innovating with NextGen TV Content,” focusing on the system’s 4K/Ultra HD and interactive capabilities, plus a panel on “Improving Coverage with SFNs and On-channel Repeaters,” providing a sneak peek at new products in this sector that will be unveiled at the NAB Show. Rounding out the first day’s program are “Moving to the Cloud,” featuring a presentation by Google Cloud, “Public TV’s Early Lessons with ATSC 3.0,” in which early adopting public TV stations will present real-world NextGen TV implementations currently on the air, and a keynote address by SMPTE President Renard Jenkins, Senior Vice President, Production Integration & Creative Technology Services at Warner Brothers Discovery.

The program for Day 2 of the Summit includes “ATSC 3.0 and the Future of Connected Cars,” by Roger Lanctot of technology analyst firm TechInsights, and “Navigating the Transition to NextGen—

Also on April 14, the Summit features a panel on “ATSC 3.0 Datacasting” including Skip Flenniken of Sinclair Broadcast Group, Guy Hadland of UniSoft, Erik Langner of Information Equity Initiative, and Joonyoung Park of DigiCAP, along with a unique presentation on “Working with Joint Master Controls for ATSC 3.0” by Shadi Sabra of CentralCast Alliance and Joe Walker of Crispin Corporation (representing the Public Media Management [PMM] platform).

Day 2’s keynoter is ATSC President Madeleine Noland, and the day’s program also includes a panel on “Emergency Alerting and Information over NextGen TV” moderated by John Lawson of the AWARN Alliance, featuring panelists Oliver Botti of Fincons Group, Jerome McDonald of Western Sanders County (MT) TV District and Matthew Straeb of Global Security Systems LLC. Dave Arland, Executive Director of the Indiana Broadcasters Association will moderate a panel on “CE Trends: NextGen Televisions and Accessory Receivers,” including panelists from LG, Sony, Tolka, and Pearl TV.

The Summit will close with a frank discussion of regulatory and policy topics, featuring NAB’s Robert Weller and Wiley Rein’s John Burgett, along with a unique insight on recovering from a ransomware attack, from David Lowe of KVIE, Sacramento and John Reilly of KQED—two public stations that have suffered such hacks in the past.

Registration for the Summit is offered for either one or both days, and includes breakfasts, lunches and refreshment breaks and a concluding reception on Day 1. Summit registrants also receive a $150 discount to the NAB Show Conference registration, and/or free access to NAB Show exhibits. Early registration discounts are available through March 31. A full program and online registration are available at www.publicmediaventure.com/tech-summit.

Comprised of 25 leading public media organizations, PMVG’s sole focus is leveraging NextGen TV and developing scalable use cases to help sustain public media’s vital services in the long term. Public broadcasting is an essential part of American media, and PMVG is committed to ensuring the system’s central role in the nation’s future social ecosystem. PMVG member organizations own and operate over 100 public stations that collectively reach 250 million people.