The Future of TV

Last Tuesday TV producers, media startups, channel execs and the general technorati met up at Tech Talkfest to hear the expert panel discuss the hot topic that is "The Future of TV".

The panel was split 50:50 between traditional TV broadcasting and online video startups. On the right we had Channel 5 Digital Media Director, James Tatam, and "Mr iPlayer" - Head of iPlayer and BBC On-Demand, Daniel Danker. Heading up the online challenge we had Industry Manager Daniel Solomons from the original online giant YouTube and Liz Rice, the founder of emerging digital player, TankTop TV.

It was no surprise to see opinions split across the panel, and the session was dominated by intense debate around how quickly digital would take over and how important channel branding would be in the future. Horse & Country TV exec Richard Burdett gave us his opinion on how niche channels are faring in the current environment and questions from the audience ranged from the difficult topic of how to make money from digital video to how to retain the traditional story in new media.

Tickets were limited and the event sold out a few weeks before. If you weren't lucky enough to get a ticket, a full video of the event will be available online in a few weeks' time. If you'd like to sign up for the next Tech Talkfest event, tickets are free and available at http://www.techtalkfest.com/next-event.html.