NEM Dubrovnik turns 10: What the next decade holds for the TV industry (Part Two)

As NEM Dubrovnik wraps up its 10th edition today in Croatia, 10 key industry speakers including execs from Deutsche Telekom, Sony Pictures Television and Warner Bros. Discovery share how they see the evolution of the TV industry during the next decade.

Haymi Behar, CMO & CDO, SPI International

“Over the next decade, the TV landscape is expected to evolve into a hybrid model, blending linear and on-demand viewership experiences. The platforms that can effectively aggregate content and deliver unique experiences will be the ones to succeed. AI-powered technologies will play a larger role in content creation, distribution, personalization and audience measurement.”

Sanja Božić-Ljubičić

Kenechi Belušević, VP of business development & distribution, Warner Bros. Discovery

“Two things will continue to define the TV industry evolution: Great content and Technology. Both elements will align more closely to influence user behavior and value proposition to serve consumers.”

Sanja Božić-Ljubičić, CEO of Pickbox, Mediatranslations, Mediavision and NEM

“If we thought the last 10 years were dynamic, wait until you see the upcoming decade. With Smart TVs and due to AI, virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR), the viewing experience will reach another level, bringing even more transformation. TV and the internet will continue to merge. Original content will be vital for attracting and maintaining subscribers. Local content will experience even bigger success due to a greater need and interest for cultural diversity.”

Branko Čakarmiš, general director, Pro Plus

“The next 10 years of television in our region are REAL: Relevant due to strong news; Entertaining with local fiction and other content; Adoptive to tech and UX changes; and, Lasting due to local language and culture.”

Jan Maxa, director of content & new media, Czech Television

“The TV industry will change beyond recognition in the next 10 years. The main driver will still be content – stories and emotions – but there will be a strong impact from new technologies, especially gaming, virtual/augmented reality and artificial intelligence. ”

NEM Dubrovnik’s closing party

Maria Rua Aguete, executive director, technology fellow, Omdia

“Distribution and discoverability will dominate viewer choice, content will not be King, Data is king and new ways to produce cheaper content will be key to success. The big transformation in the next ten years will come from AI and generative AI! This will affect everything from storyboarding to production, scripting and dubbing/subbing. AI will make content easier to produce and more ubiquitous. Talent will face an extreme shakeup as in-demand skills shift. Traditional search will be by generative AI-type interfaces, with personal data profiles being an increasingly powerful tool.”

Mathias Settele, general director at TV Markíza and member of editorial board, CME

“Customer is king: Users decide. Targeting everywhere: Ads, consumption, and shopping individualized. AI all around: Robotic writing, filming, editing, voice over, translating and distribution for the usual stuff. And high-quality programs as cream on top. Local content? Hope Europe is smart enough to keep its identity with great human made creative local formats … ”

Iza Piotrowska, director of affiliate sales and business development, DuckTV

“From the content creator and distributor point of view – the necessity and ability to go directly to consumer – so continuation of the D2C trend and the challenge for content creators to market and make our products relevant – so discoverability, visibility, and relevance.”

Peter Wassong

Peter Wassong, head of TV content Europe, Deutsche Telekom

“I believe that over the next ten years, no stone will be left unturned as all elements of the TV industry will undergo significant changes – from M&A activity, market consolidation, regulation, content monetization or technological evolution. Looking a little more specifically at the user experience, apart from the usual evolution of platforms, devices, and processing power, which can almost be taken for granted, the rise of AI will have a disruptive impact on several levels. For example, content recommendation – with limitless possibilities if you go beyond content consumption history and feed the recommendation engine with all available personal data and preferences. AI will also impact content search, content localization, even content production, and also targeted advertising when it comes to monetizing content.”

Mark Young, EVP, distribution & networks, EMEA, Sony Pictures Television

“We have seen huge change, expansion and evolution in our industry over the past few years alone, however through it all there has always been a demand for great content. Our focus is to produce hit content which connects with audiences the world over. Whatever new platforms launch and however our existing partners diversify their services over the next decade and beyond, exploring the best ways to connect with audiences and partner with our clients will continue to be at the heart of what we do.”