The Challenge of Monetizing Content In A Changing Era

Tags: Content/IP

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For a report summarizing the conference written by Laura Littman, Chelsea Carr, and Chris Meier, Click Here.

The video programming industries remain an exception to the dynamic of the Internet’s disruption of established distribution channels for content. For the music, newspaper, and, increasingly, the publishing industry, the Internet has presented a major challenge to their business model and the ability to monetize content. For the video programming industries, however, movies and TV offerings continue to enjoy popularity—and traditional providers continue to enjoy healthy revenues—even as the Internet expands its reach and impact.

The question for established video programming providers—and would-be disruptive upstarts like YouTube, iTunes, and Hulu—is whether they can successfully add value (e.g., personalized advertisements), raise quality, and/or cut costs to attract consumer interest. For the owners of high quality content, moreover, there is a high stakes question as to whether such upstarts are friend or foe. After all, once consumers start receiving high quality content for free, it is difficult to later monetize those offerings.

In this conference, we will frame the challenges and opportunities facing the established and upstart video programming distribution providers. After so doing, we will focus on the strategic issues facing the content owners, who are seeking to maintain the best of the legacy distribution arrangements and leverage opportunities based on the networked digital environment. Finally, we will take a look at the video programming industry from the perspective of the music industry to evaluate what lessons can be learned.


Sessions

Welcome
  • Phil Weiser
    Hatfield Professor of Law, University of Colorado Law School
Keynote Address
  • David Bonderman
    Founding Partner, TPG
Panel 1 - The Incumbent Distribution Platforms: Keeping Control of a Legacy Business Model
  • Paul Glist — Moderator
    Partner, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP
  • Allan Singer
    Former Senior Vice President, Charter Communications, Inc.
  • Stanton Dodge
    Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary, DISH Network
  • Julian Farrior
    Founder, Backflip Studios
  • Maureen O'Connell
    Senior Vice President, Regulatory and Public Policy, 21st Century Fox
Break

Panel 2 - The Insurgents: How to Disrupt the Legacy Model and Provide Valued Content
Break

Panel 3 - The Programmers' Dilemma: Keeping the Incumbents Happy While Reaching Out to the Insurgents
  • Phil Weiser — Moderator
    Hatfield Professor of Law, University of Colorado Law School
  • Matt Bond
    Chairman, Content Distribution, NBCUniversal
  • Michael Fricklas
    Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, Viacom Inc.
  • Jim Packer
    President, Worldwide TV and Digital Distribution, Lionsgate
  • Glenn Curtis
    President, Starz
Panel 4 - Lessons Learned
  • Jonathan Sallet — Moderator
    General Counsel, Federal Communications Commission
  • Mark Cooper
    Research Director, Consumer Federation of America
  • Justin C. Konrad
    Partner, Hutchinson Black and Cook, LLC
  • Cary Sherman
    Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Recording Industry Association of America
  • Susan Butler
    Executive Editor and Publisher, Music Confidential
  • Linda Kinney
    Senior Vice President, Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA)
Reception

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