Radio ITVT

TOPICSThe key topics discussed in the conversation include: AI, TV content, interactive content, generative AI, AI-powered filmmaking, democratizing content creation, AI as a tool in the creative process, controlling AI in content creation, and the future of AI in television and media.PANEL DESCRIPTIONIs content crafted all or partly through artificial intelligence the next giant TV programming leap? Will viewers embrace live-action or animated series, specials and made-for-TV movies produced this way? Hear from and interact with executives at new ventures pioneering this AI direction. Panelists include:Alejandro Matamala-Ortiz, Co-Founder and Chief Design Officer, RunwayJohn Attard, Founder, Showdog StudioRob Bralver, Co-Founder and Creative Director, DreamFlareSimon Applebaum, Host, “Tomorrow Will Be Televised” (Moderator)

TOPICSThe key topics discussed in the conversation include: monetizing connected TV, innovations in CTV advertising, challenges and opportunities in CTV, live sports and personal shopping on CTV, and the future of CTV and advertising.SESSION DESCRIPTIONWith Connected TV (CTV) advertising projected to be the fastest-growing segment of the media landscape over the coming year, this session will explore how CTV is giving rise to new monetization opportunities through interactive ad formats, shoppable TV/tcommerce, data generation, granular targeting, and more. Panelists drawn from companies at the forefront of the fast-evolving CTV economy will address such questions as: What innovations in advertising and other forms of CTV monetization are proving effective, and why? What kinds of programming are generating the most viewer engagement with CTV advertising and commerce? And, as CTV and FAST inventory grow, how will CTV advertising and commerce opportunities evolve and mature? Panelists include:Chris Pfaff, CEO, Chris Pfaff Tech Media (Moderator)Dallas Lawrence, CSO, TellyDavid Apostolico, Chief Distribution Officer, QVC/HSN+Fred Godfrey, CEO, OriginJennifer Monson, VP of Sales, FuboMark Lee, Head of North American Content Business Development, LG Electronics

December 15, 2022Talk Back to Television welcomes our friend Gabriel Berger, Head of Media and Entertainment Industry Solutions for Cognizant. As we all know, Cognizant helps companies modernize technology, reimagine processes and transform experiences so they stay ahead in a fast-changing world. In five minutes, Gabe tells us what's gone wrong in the media and entertainment industry, and what we need to do to fix it going into 2023.

November 29, 2022ITVT/TVOT is pleased to present a new episode of “Televisionation,” our video/audio podcast exploring the advanced/interactive-TV industry.This episode features writer and director, Sheldon Epps (directing credits include episodes of Netflix's “The Upshaws,” “Frasier,” “Friends,” “The George Lopez Show,” “Everyone Loves Raymond” and many others), who for two decades was also artistic director of the Pasadena Playhouse. Among other things, he discusses “Christmas Party Crashers,” his new film for BET+, and his new book, “My Own Directions: A Black Man's Journey in the American Theater.”

December 1, 2022Talk Back To Television welcomes Gerard Kunkel, Founder and Managing Partner of Next Media Partners, LLC. Gerard appears IRL (In Real Life) to continue the conversation we started with Chris Falkner (also of Next Media Partners) to replace the Mystery of the Metaverse with the Reality of the Opportunity.

December 8, 2022Sometimes you just can't take yourself too seriously. And that's why we welcome Patrick Donoghue from Next Media Partners to this week's episode of Talk Back to Television. It's all about the Reality of the Metaverse (which is an oxymoron if we've ever heard one), getting “a Ph.D in **** I don't understand” to be able to design content for the Metaverse, and of course those *** **** Goggles!

December 9, 2022Televisionation: Friday Fireside, the #1 television industry Webcast, features Rick Howe, The iTV Doctor, in conversation with prominent figures from the advanced-TV/video industry.Like many of you, I have an old WebTV box somewhere in the attic. 25 years ago, it felt like the concept of playing hit games shows like “Jeopardy” and “Wheel of Fortune” on TV would usher in the Era of Interactive Television. And for the most part, we're all still waiting for the ushers to find our seats. But this week's Friday Fireside guest Jamie Parker, Chief Product Officer at Gamestar+, might finally have cracked the code. It's not about the device or the platform: It's about THE GAME! Watch, and learn.

July 5, 2022ITVT/TVOT is pleased to present a new episode of “Televisionation,” our video/audio podcast exploring the advanced/interactive-TV industry.This episode features Josh Ellingson, a San Francisco-based artist whose work employs and explores television and video in multiple ways. Among other things, he discusses why he is passionate about experimenting with analog television sets and archival video in his art; explains how he creates “floating” video objects using an old technique called “Pepper's Ghost”; shows us multiple examples of his artwork; outlines some of the projects he'll be working on in the future; and more.Site: https://ellingson.tvETSY Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ELLINGSON

August 12, 2022The Friday Fireside welcomes Madeleine Noland, President at Advanced Television Systems Committee. In a very personal conversation, Madeleine shares how she first came to the television industry, then to advanced television, to LG Electronics and finally to ATSC. We discuss the creation of the NEXTGEN TV branding, the importance of CONTENT to the successful deployment of NEXTGEN TV and the broad future of ATSC 3.0 and its place in the future of the television industry. A glimpse inside TV from a true TV Insider.

August 26, 2022Today's guest on The Friday Fireside is Jeff Greenfield, CEO of Provalytics. Provalytics unifies all media, including walled gardens, CTV, TV, OOH, radio, direct mail, and print, providing deduplicated, privacy-compliant reporting which includes synergies, carryover, ad stock and consumer sentiment, and separates incrementality from the baseline. With an extensive advanced advertising background at WideOrbit, C3 Metrics and 1st Approach, Jeff is truly prepared to help his expanding list of customers to fix what's broken!

August 11, 2022Today's episode of Talk Back to Television, sponsored by Mediaocean, welcomes Jon Giegengack, Principal at Hub Entertainment Research. Jon addresses a comment from Lisa in Los Angeles: “I have all these channels AND I CAN'T FIND ANYTHING!”

August 18, 2022Today's guest on Mediaocean's Talk Back to Television is Matthew Durgin, Senior Director/Smart TV Business Team Leader for LG Electronics North America. Matthew picks up on the conversation started last week with Jon Giegengack, answering the concerns of Lisa in Los Angeles, who has a ton of channels and services AND STILL CAN'T FIND ANYTHING TO WATCH!

November 3, 2022Talk Back to Television welcomes Serena Xu, product designer (and one of the winners of the 2014 TVOT Hackathon). Serena gives us pointed CONSUMER feedback on the state of the streaming business: Who's doing it wrong, and who's doing it right—with specific recommendations for how to fix the whole mess! Instructive and fun!

November 18, 2022The Friday Fireside welcomes popular media veteran, Larry Samuels, who after a career in advanced advertising for Kenzan, GroupM, DISH Network and Cablevision, is venturing into the world of podcasting. It's actually a return to “radio” with a group of friends which whom he had successful sports talk show on Sirius XM. A fun and informative conversation.

Welcome to the August 4th edition of “Talk Back to Television,” sponsored by Mediaocean. Our guest is Scott Ehrlich, Chief Innovation Officer for Sinclair Broadcast Group. The format is simple: One question from a TV viewer. One answer from an industry expert. About 5 minutes in length. Published by Tracy Swedlow and The TV of Tomorrow Show.

LOTS OF VISUALS!This episode features Svana Gisla, Co-Producer, and Baillie Walsh, Director of ABBA Voyage, a hybrid virtual/IRL concert series centered on “ABBAtars,” digital avatars of the Swedish super-group, ABBA, which portray its members as they appeared in 1977, the group's heyday. The concerts take place in the ABBA Arena, a purpose-built facility at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London's East End.Gisla and Walsh provide us with an in-depth overview of the ABBA Voyage project, which employed a range of motion-capture and graphics technologies, was “filmed” with 160 cameras, took five years to realize, involved collaboration with ILM and many other partners, and cost $175 million. They also tell us why they think this shared, immersive experience has proven so popular with audiences; describe how those audiences “fall in love” with the ABBAtars, share their thoughts on the project's implications for the future of storytelling, and more.

ITVT/TVOT is pleased to present a new episode of “Televisionation,” our video/audio podcast exploring the advanced/interactive-TV industry.This episode features Jason Kyle, co-founder of the Creators Writing Room (the other co-founder is Lee Aronsohn, co-creator of the sitcom, “Two and a Half Men” and Executive Producer of “The Big Bang Theory”) and Head of Development at CWR Productions, discussing the process of pitching content to the networks and other outlets, and explaining how the CWR trains writers to do this.

Talk Back to Television welcomes Jesse Redniss, Co-Founder and CEO of Qonsent. Jesse answers a question from Bob in Buffalo about streaming services: “They know what I watch. What else do they know, and what do they DO with that information?”

Televisionation: Friday Fireside, the #1 television industry Webcast, features Rick Howe, The iTV Doctor, in conversation with prominent figures from the advanced-TV/video industry.The Friday Fireside is pleased to welcome Marc DeBevoise, CEO and Board Director for Brightcove. In a broad-reaching conversation, Marc talks about starting one of the industry's earliest streaming services—CBS All Access—and the pure enjoyment of working with the team that brought “Star Trek” back to television with “Star Trek Discovery.” Marc also gives his forecast on the future (and need for) bundling of the wide spectrum of streaming services. A great Friday Fireside with one of the pioneers of the streaming industry!

ITVT/TVOT is pleased to present a new episode of “Televisionation,” our video/audio podcast exploring the advanced/interactive-TV industry.ITVTs episode features producer/writer/actress and Hollywood royalty, Hope Juber. She discusses “Created By,” a new series she's producing about the life and career of her father, Sherwood Schwartz, creator of “The Brady Bunch” and “Gilligan's Island”; shares memories of her father and insights into his career (he had originally wanted to study medicine at Harvard, but was rejected as a result of that university's Jewish quota); recalls what it was like to grow up surrounded by figures from the golden age of television; and offers her thoughts on the current state of television as a medium and as an industry.

Televisionation: Friday Fireside, the #1 television industry Webcast, features Rick Howe, The iTV Doctor, in conversation with prominent figures from the advanced-TV/video industry.The Friday Fireside welcomes Tony Goncalves, former Chief Revenue Officer of WarnerMedia and lead executive behind HBO Max. We are pleased that Tony chose The Friday Fireside as his first post-Warner Bros. Discovery interview. Our opening topic tells you everything you need to know about this timely and controversial interview: “Leadership when companies have lost their connection to their own people.”

ITVT/TVOT is pleased to present a new episode of “Televisionation,” our video/audio podcast exploring the advanced/interactive-TV industry.This episode features Pip Brignall, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of The Round, a company that describes itself as “the world's first Web 3.0 platform for live entertainment in Augmented Reality (AR), with unique virtual venues for broadcasting live intimate and multiplayer holographic performances and collecting exclusive NFTs and Meta-merch from your favorite creators.”Among other things, Brignall describes his origins in the world of theatre, where he experimented with immersion and interactivity; explains how The Round's platform enables live, immersive performances and storytelling using “risk/reward” mechanisms and how it is employing Web3 concepts to develop new funding methods for content experiences and ownership; discusses the company's recent project with Liam Payne of One Direction; and more.

Chris Falkner, Partner at Next Media Partners, LLC, joins Talk Back to Television to answer a question that is on everybody's lips: “What the F&*K is the Metaverse?”

Televisionation: Friday Fireside, the #1 television industry Webcast, features Rick Howe, The iTV Doctor, in conversation with prominent figures from the advanced-TV/video industry.The Friday Fireside is pleased to welcome Orlando Wood, Chief Innovation Officer for the UK-based System1 Group. Orlando shares his perspective on the nature of human attention; how different advertising styles achieve different types of business effect; and how styles have changed and why this now undermines advertising's effectiveness. It's a fascinating discussion that has immediate applicability as streamers like Netflix look to not only introduce advertising, but to essentially re-invent the way advertising communicates with consumers.

Tim Hanlon, Founder and CEO of The Vertere Group, joins Talk Back to Television to address a question that we hear for EVERY CONSUMER: “How can I manage my streaming services to get what I want without paying a fortune?”

Televisionation: Friday Fireside, the #1 television industry Webcast, features Rick Howe, The iTV Doctor, in conversation with prominent figures from the advanced-TV/video industry.Today's Friday Fireside welcomes Tim Mulligan, EVP and Research Director for UK-based MIDiA Research. Tim tells us what are the real hot buttons that streamers need to pay attention to, to get their arms around and not lose their shirts with everybody buying for a month and then going to the competition!!

Adam Gaynor, newly named interim President of Gamut, joins Talk Back to Television to answer one of the MOST ANNOYING questions about advertising on streaming services. Megan from Memphis says, “When I'm streaming, I keep seeing the same ads OVER and OVER!!”

Televisionation: Friday Fireside, the #1 television industry Webcast, features Rick Howe, The iTV Doctor, in conversation with prominent figures from the advanced-TV/video industry.The Friday Fireside is pleased to welcome Manik Bambha, President and Co-Founder of ViewLift, the global business-to-business software company that offers clients end-to-end, on-demand and live video streaming solutions, globally across Web and all major over-the-top devices. ViewLift has created and operates digital channels native to each device platform for content owners in sports, entertainment, broadcasting, publishing, fitness, gaming and more. The company offers an all-inclusive video platform to deploy ready-made as well as customized streaming services for live and on-demand video and related content. Its proprietary IP constitutes a full tech-stack, providing extensive functionality at a reduced time to market.

Today's Talk Back to Television welcomes Mike Nagle, General Manager of Streaming for Gannett USA Today. Mike provides his perspective to help our friend Lisa from Los Angeles find factual and relevant news information without cable or satellite. With an astonishing wealth of news outlets in 46 states, plus one of the top news brands in the county with USA Today, Gannett's news is the cornerstone of any streaming service or platform.

This week's Talk Back to Television welcomes Evan Tracey from National Media Research Planning and Placement—one of the largest Republican advertising agencies. Evan answers a question we are ALL asking this week: “Did all the money (some $10B) spent on the mid-term elections in 2022 make any difference?”

ITVT/TVOT is pleased to present a new episode of “Televisionation,” our video/audio podcast exploring the advanced/interactive-TV industry.This episode features Albert Thompson, Managing Director of Digital at full-service agency, Walton Isaacson. Among other things, he discusses Walton Isaacson's pioneering work in multicultural marketing and explains how and why the agency treats this work as something fundamental, not as an “add-on”; he also shares his thoughts on how younger consumers are using media platforms, on the prospects for shoppable TV, QR codes, AR, interactive CTV apps, and moreNote: Albert Thompson will be moderating and speaking at TVOT SF 2022 (October 12th and 13th in San Francisco).

ITVT/TVOT is pleased to present a new episode of “Televisionation,” our video/audio podcast exploring the advanced/interactive-TV industry.This episode features Philip Gilpin, Jr., CEO and Executive Director of the Catalyst Story Institute, a Duluth, Minnesota-based organization that aims to “advance the literary and visual arts by generating long-term professional career opportunities for storytelling artists.” The organization produces an annual content festival in Duluth, which allows creators of episodic and narrative works, such as TV series, Web series and podcasts, to showcase their work to industry executives, agents and producers. Among other things, Gilpin explains the Institute's origins in the ITV Fest, which was originally based in LA (and subsequently moved to Vermont); discusses the various services it provides in addition to its content festival, including workshops on how to pitch and market content; and casts light on its plans for the future.

Televisionation: Friday Fireside, the #1 television industry Webcast, features Rick Howe, The iTV Doctor, in conversation with prominent figures from the advanced-TV/video industry.The good doctor is thrilled beyond belief to welcome the inimitable Marshall Cohen to the Friday Fireside. We've uncorked his industry perspective like a fine single-malt scotch, as he regales us with stories of the earliest days of MTV, The Movie Channel, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and more. But as his current C-level consulting prowess demonstrates, Marshall Cohen ain't done yet! Lots to learn here, folks!

Today's guest on Talk Back to Television is Perianne Grignon, VP Strategy at Mediaocean (a Talk Back Sponsor!!!). Her question comes from Alan in New York: “I get so many ads thrown at me, it's like sticking my head in a hornets' nest. I wish someone would talk to ME about what I'm interested in.”

Televisionation: Friday Fireside, the #1 television industry Webcast, features Rick Howe, The iTV Doctor, in conversation with prominent figures from the advanced-TV/video industry.Be honest: most conversations about metadata are stratospherically over the heads of most of us! But Stuart Kurkowski, Distinguished Engineer and Software Architect for Comcast Technology Solutions, explains it all in this week's Friday Fireside. Watch this program and share it (confidentially if necessary) with your senior management. They need to understand what makes today's media business click.

Ladies and Gentlemen, introducing THE TELEVISION HEAVY USER! Industry tech and business veteran, Mick Darling (who also happens to be another of the winners of the 2014 TVOT Hackathon), joins this week's Talk Back to Television. He turns out to be a streamer's FAVORITE CUSTOMER: Lots of services, 2 hours of viewing a night, (pretty much) loves everything and is willing to juggle all the promotional deals to make it happen. Watch and learn if you made HIS favorites list!

This episode features Dana McGraw, SVP of Audience Modeling and Data Science at Disney Advertising, and Lauren Wetzel, COO of data-collaboration platform, InfoSum. Among other things, they discuss the demise of cookies; the Disney Audience Graph; Disney Select (a suite of audience segments that employ Disney's first-party data to improve audience targeting); new developments and ongoing challenges in the Data Clean Room space; what is meant by “data collaboration”; and much more.

This episode features Willie Williams, Co-Founder of, and Lizzie Pocock, Producer at Treatment Studio, the London-based creative agency behind one of the most talked-about elements of Queen Elizabeth II's recent Platinum Jubilee celebrations: the illusion of the Queen's younger self riding in her 260-year-old gold carriage. Among other things, they explain that the illusion wasn't—as widely reported in the press—a hologram, but rather was created via LED technology; they also discuss Treatment's other work for such acts as U2, Elton John, The Rolling Stones and The Eagles; describe how the company is using AR to produce new kinds of video experiences; and more.

This week's Friday Fireside welcomes Mike Nagle, newly appointed General Manager of Streaming for Gannett USA Today. With an astonishing wealth of news outlets in 46 states, plus one of the top news brands in the county with USA Today, Gannett's streaming services are currently well-distributed and poised to explode under Mike's leadership. We believe that news is the cornerstone of any television service—national or local—and USA Today Streaming is right there, right now.

Today's Friday Fireside guest is Elana Sofko, Chief Strategy Officer for Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment. We go through the company's various business sectors (which are more varied and complex than the good doctor realized), and then into a DETAILED discussion of their acquisition of Redbox. In a word: FASCINATING. And a smart move for Chicken Soup for the Soul. Watch, and learn.

Today's Friday Fireside welcomes industry firebrand, Bill Mobley, Founder and CEO of FreeCast. Bill has been “fighting the good fight” to aggregate streaming services for over a decade, and he shares (actually leaks) a major strategic announcement about FreeCast's SelectTV service. Watch and learn.

If you attended the NABSHOW 2022 (or if you decided NOT to attend), you MUST WATCH this week's episode of the Friday Fireside with the folks who made it happen! Chris Brown, EVP of Business Operations , and Jonathan Toomey, VP of Content Design and Development for The National Association of Broadcasters. You'll hear their own analysis of the 2022 show, their forecast for NABSHOW 2023, a look forward to NABNewYork 2022, the plans to connect the Las Vegas Convention Center with Exhibitor Hotel Suites with another TeslaLoop (!!!!!) and the eventual return to the South Hall (note that the Good Doctor will be first in line to get the Motorized Skate Board concession . . .).

Today's Friday Fireside welcomes Shelley Stansfield, Founder and Director of Special Ops at Centriply, an independent media agency that specializes in advanced, audience-driven TV campaigns. Shelley explains that the #1 benefit for brands is the ability to get their message on TV to the same audience as their digital campaign: wherever the consumer turns, they see the same targeted message. Same audience segments. Same creative. Maximum impact. Watch, and learn.

The Friday Fireside welcomes Mike Kelley, President of Americas for Grabyo, the cloud video platform for live clipping, live production and editing. We discuss how Grabyo customers worldwide can share their best moments in real time, with live clipping from broadcast and video feeds and then share to social, mobile and OTT in seconds. And we examine how NBC's broadcast of the Kentucky Derby recorded perhaps the most exciting 54 seconds in sports (the come-from-behind victory of Rich Strike—the 80:1 long shot—recorded from overhead) didn't get posted online until long after the race. With Grabyo's tools, that video could have been on social media instantly, encouraging millions of new viewers to tune-in to the remainder of the NBC broadcast.

For many of us, our health is one of the first things we think about in the morning, and the one of the last things we think about at night. That is the strength of DeepIntent, the rapidly growing healthcare advertising program. Our guest on this week's Friday Fireside is DeepIntent Chief Marketing Officer, Marcella Milliet Sciorra, who picks up where our Friday Fireside guest, DeepIntent CEO Chris Paquette, left off in late 2020. We explore how DeepIntent's targeting can market more than healthcare-related products: everything from shoes to pickup trucks. A fascinating Friday Fireside conversation.#televisionation #fridayfireside @rickhowe @MarcellaSciorra

This episode features Bill Daddi, President of Daddi Brand, a firm that specializes in brand platform development and public relations for data, analytics and consulting companies, as well as for associations in the television and advertising industries (its clients include CIMM, MRC, Magid, Kantar, LG Ads and Cuebiq, among others). Among other things, he discusses Daddi Brand's work and explains the concept of brand platforms; identifies important messages that he feels the television and advertising industries often fail to communicate, whether to consumers or to partner-industries; shares his thoughts on new approaches to advertising; tells us about Daddi Brand's new listing service, IndustryCalendar.com; and more.

This episode features Tom Keaveney, President of TV measurement and analytics company, 605. Among other things, he outlines the biggest challenges facing the measurement industry; discusses 605's services and explains how he believes the company is differentiated in the market; casts light on the company's plans to expand its datasets, and on its roadmap in general; gives us an overview of its new Advanced Audience offering; and more.

This episode features Bill Stratton, Global Head of Media, Entertainment and Advertising at data cloud company, Snowflake. Among other things, he defines key concepts in the data space, including databases, data lakes, data warehouses and clean rooms; explains how audience measurement is being adapted for a cookieless world; stresses the importance of frictionless data connectivity and sharing; discusses Snowflake's work with such clients and partners as NBCU, PlutoTV, LiveRamp, and Horizon Media; and outlines new opportunities and new forms of collaboration that he believes the data cloud will enable going forward.

This episode features Cameron Church, Founder and CEO of WatchingThat, a London-based company which provides an independent monitoring and optimization platform for streaming video, and whose customers include the New York Post and Fox. Among other things, he explains the capabilities that WatchingThat's platform offers its customers and the technology that underpins the platform; describes how the company makes use of both human and artificial intelligence; and casts light on its innovation roadmap.

This week's episode of The Friday Fireside welcomes Jon Giegengack, Principal at Hub Entertainment Research. In a world where the more we know, the less we understand, Jon provides clarity and focus for entertainment decision-makers. Our primary topic (one that is near and dear to The Good Doctor's heart) is how we can cure the increasing consumer frustration over FINDING SOMETHING TO WATCH! We have more choices than ever before, but we literally don't know where anything is. And Jon's research strongly suggests that a very large number of consumers would welcome a return to a modified (e.g. less expensive) form of Cable TV (I think I've been saying that…). Watch and learn.

This episode features Jim Louderback, formerly CEO of, and now Strategic Advisor to, VidCon. Among other things, he discusses the significance of Paramount's 2018 purchase of VidCon; outlines the increasingly important role that independent video creators and the communities they attract are playing both in the entertainment/media economy and in society at large; shares his thoughts on YouTube, TikTok, Roblox and the other platforms that are driving the creator economy; speculates on the impact that the metaverse might have on the space going forward; and more.#creators, #platform, #creator, @vidcon, #people, @youtube, #metaverse, #companies, #build, @tiktock_us, #business, #world, #audience, #community, #influencers, #question, #big, #create, #money, @instagram