November 12, 2019

Key panel speakers and topics: HbbTV Symposium 2019 to focus on broadcast future

Geneva, November 12, 2019 – Current developments, prospects and challenges of the global broadcast and broadband industry are key issues discussed at the HbbTV Symposium and Awards 2019, taking place on November 21-22 in Athens.

The conference panels will include presentations by Jon Ducker (Freeview), Anders Hebert (SVT), Xavier Redon (Cellnex Telecom), Stathis Michail (epeegee) and Yiannis Vougiouklakis (ERT) about HbbTV success stories while Peter Neumann (CBC), Oliver Botti (Fincons Group), Moritz F. Wuttke (Iponweb), Kai Mysliwiec (ProSiebenSat.1), David Uhlmann (Google) and Timocin Bilgor (BUBA Ventures) will focus on targeted advertising solutions. The development of HbbTV in Iran, the Czech Republic and Lithuania will be reviewed by Fereidon Akhavanmalyeri and Fatemeh Fallahiviskaei (IRIB), Daniel Grunt (FTV Prima) and Mikko Karppinen (Icareus).

The role of HbbTV in future environments such as DVB-I and 5G Broadcast will be evaluated by Klaus Merkel (IRT), Peter MacAvock (EBU), Jon Piesing (DVB) and Michael Schäfer (Tara Systems) while Alexandre Gabriel (TNO), Martin Fähnrich (Panasonic), Ralph Edeine (Eutelsat) and Erik Gazzoni (SmarDTV) will discuss the value of HbbTV for operators. HbbTV and other interactive standards will be reviewed by Madeleine Noland (ATSC Forum), Jerald N. Fritz (Sinclair), Joe Winograd (Verance), Raj Patel (Yotta Media Labs) and Yvan Barbotin (Enensys) while Jason Power (Dolby), Fabian Birgfeld (W12 Studios), Louay Bassbous (Fraunhofer FOKUS), Chiara Pettinelli and Nicolas Afresne (M6 WEB) and Xinwen Xue (Seraphic) will look at ways of improving the user experience.

The current state of the market and future developments will be addressed by Tim Morgan (Eurofins), Francesc Mas (CCMA), Lukas Will (Super RTL) and Antonio Vince Staybl (Couchplay). The conference will also feature a roundtable discussion debating whether HbbTV provides the right tools for broadcasters and operators. Participants include Thomas Follin (Salto), Wilfried Urner (HD Plus), James Jackson (Digital UK), Alberto Sigismondi (Tivù), Robert Curwen (Google), Régis Le Roux (Enensys) and Francesco Moretti (Fincons Group).

The panel and roundtable sessions will be accompanied by keynotes held by Vincent Grivet (HbbTV Association), Giorgos Gabritsos (ERT), Paul Gray (IHS Markit), Wilfried Urner (HD Plus), Ron Wheeler (formerly 20th Century Fox) and Jon Piesing (HbbTV Association).

The HbbTV Symposium 2019 will also host the third edition of the HbbTV Awards, showcasing and celebrating excellence in the HbbTV community. The prices will be awarded at a prestigious ceremony in the evening of November 21. An independent jury of industry experts will select the winners from a shortlist of finalists which has recently been announced.

The online registration form for the 8th HbbTV Symposium and Awards as well as more details on the conference programme, the HbbTV Awards, the event venue and hotel recommendations can be found at www.hbbtv.org/8th-hbbtv-symposium-and-awards-2019/.