Pushing TV technology for more efficiency, getting a handle on cloud costs, tackling new cybersecurity challenges and exploring the potential — and pitfalls — of generative AI: These are just a few of the issues with which broadcast technologists will grapple in 2024. A panel of top executives will prognosticate which will be most important and transformative for the industry in Technology Leaders on Trends in 2024, a TVNewsCheck Working Lunch Webinar on Dec. 5 at 1 p.m. ET.
Leaders from Fox Corp.’s Tubi, Tegna, Sinclair, Cisco Systems and Lawo will discuss streaming, cloud hybridity, the 2110 standard, IP networking and NextGen TV’s uncertain trajectory in the wide-ranging discussion.
“Our annual webinar predicting next year’s tech trends is always one of our most popular and thought-provoking sessions,” said Michael Depp, NewsCheckMedia chief content officer and TVNewsCheck editor. “With so many high stakes dynamics in place and AI looming over everything, this year’s discussion will have plenty to dig into.”
Panelists:
Paul Cheesbrough, Chief Executive Officer, Tubi Media Group — He oversees the operations and strategy of Fox’s standalone digital businesses including Tubi, Credible and Blockchain Creative Labs, as well as the digital platforms and teams that underpin Fox’s wider digital business in news, sports and entertainment.
Under Cheesbrough’s leadership, Tubi Media Group encompasses three lines of business that focus on streaming, advertising and engineering services: Tubi Streaming, Fox’s AVOD business; AdRise, a large-scale video advertising network that incorporates all of Fox’s video inventory; and Fox Digital Platforms Group, which contains Blockchain Creative Labs, Credible and platform services that support Fox’s news, sports and entertainment products.
Cheesbrough previously was chief technology officer and president of digital where he led the Fox Corp.’s technology teams and operations and oversaw the acquisition and management of Tubi.
Before the 2019 establishment of Fox as a standalone public company, Cheesbrough served as chief technology officer for 21st Century Fox, where he oversaw the company’s technology operations globally. Prior, he served as chief technology officer for News Corp, overseeing the enterprise technologies and digital products and platforms across the business as well as the technology investment portfolio. In these roles, Cheesbrough has led significant change and transformation through the implementation of modern technologies using internal teams and a range of established and earlier stage technology partners.
Before joining News Corp, Cheesbrough served as chief information officer at the Telegraph Media Group, where he pioneered the development of a wide range of new digital products. Earlier, he was the controller of digital media for the BBC, having started his career in IBM’s media division as a software engineer.
Kurt Rao, SVP and CTO, Tegna — He is charged with working across Tegna to drive the development and implementation of the company’s next-generation client and customer technology solutions in content, advertising, data and insights and media distribution.
Previously, Rao was chief information and technology officer for Time Inc., where he led the transformation and growth of the media publishing organization into a digital content platform company. In addition, he optimized technology operations across the organization and built platforms to support content across video and digital while enhancing consumer data analytics.
Mark Aitken, President, ONE Media, SVP of Advanced Technology, Sinclair — Mark Aitken joined Sinclair in 1999. He has responsibility for development and deployment of NextGen technologies such as ATSC 3.0 and 5G. Aitken joined Sinclair following 25 years of industry experience with CCA Electronics and Comark.
Aitken is also president of ONE Media, Sinclair’s Innovation subsidiary, and is a board member for Saankhya Labs (Indian based chip designer and SDR leader). He additionally serves as a board member for the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) the Advanced Television Broadcast Alliance (ATBA).
He is a recipient of several prestigious industry awards including the 2008 Broadcasting & Cable Technology Leadership Award, 2013 recipient of the ATSC Bernard Lechner Outstanding Contributor Award, 2018 awardee of Future’s Industry Innovator Award, the NAB 2018 Television Engineering Achievement Award, the 2019 ATBA Award for Perseverance and Endurance, the 2020 TVOT (TV of Tomorrow) Leadership Award and was named a Fellow of SMPTE in 2023.
Aitken is a member of the Association of Federal Communications Consulting Engineers, the Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers and the Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers.
Bryan Bedford, Head of IoT & Verticals, Cisco Systems — Throughout his over 25-year career in IT, services, sports, media and retail technology, he has launched and scaled industry-changing technologies and services in high growth businesses’ including mobile, content and customer experience focused areas. Bedford is also very active as an industry speaker and communicator on X (@Bryan_Bedford) discussing tech, media, retail, sports and the future of customer experience as often as he can.
In his current position with Cisco Systems, as head of iot & verticals, Bedford’s team drives innovation, enablement, new offers and drives the programmatic scaling efforts for the Cisco Partner Community for IoT and is helping to incubate a new route to market focused on operational technology (OT) suppliers to address new industries and new buying centers. Bedford joined Cisco in 2011, serving as the global industry lead for sports, retail and media for the first seven years at Cisco including time serving as a member of the executive steering boards for sports, retail and media industries inside and outside of Cisco.
Before joining the team at Cisco, Bedford was XOS Digital’s vice president of sales & business development and before that director of sales & business development, both roles focused within the sports and media industries spearheading all facets of external business development for the firm including forging strategic “go-to-market” partnerships with major manufactures, technology companies and industry leaders including working with nearly every major professional and college sports program throughout North America. Bedford’s time at XOS Digital included record revenue growth, expansion of the sales/marketing force, net new product/solution launches and drive towards additional profitability.
Prior to joining XOS Digital, Bedford was groomed in the sports world and spent time working for three sports teams in various roles (sales, coaching, marketing) over seven years, including time on staff at Texas Christian University, Southern Nazarene University and for the Oklahoma RedHawks Baseball Club.
Bedford also serves as CEO & managing director of The Bedford Agency, a college sports recruiting company. Bedford earned his master’s degree from the University of Central Oklahoma and his Bachelor of Science from Southern Nazarene University in Bethany.
Jeremy Courtney, Senior Director, CTO Office, Lawo — He oversees and facilitates all aspects of the company’s product management and R&D activities. With 28 years of experience within broadcast engineering, Courtney has held a variety of R&D, product management and business leadership roles, all with a strong focus on video and image processing.
He has a proven track record of introducing and successfully launching world-class products into the market. His career includes position at Snell & Wilcox, Snell Advanced Media and Grass Valley.
Glen Dickson, Contributing Editor, TVNewsCheck (moderator)
Register here.
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