Cable Media - March 2018 20_CABLE MEDIA 2018 | Page 18

Cable Congress 2018
Cable Europe’s Cable
Congress returns for
2018 in Dublin, with
the two-day programme
packed with top tips
for understanding
and optimising the
opportunities and
challenges of the current
cable broadband market.
D
elegates at the event (March 6-7,
Clayton Hotel, Dublin) will be able
to learn from the biggest names and
most innovative operators in the business,
equip themselves with the knowledge and
power to succeed in a disrupted market,
and gain insight and direction to empower
and delight tomorrow’s digital citizen. Cable
Congress also incorporates the successful
EuroSummit event, following the integration
of CTAM Europe into Cable Europe a couple
of years ago.
Working in close partnership with both
CTAM Europe and CableLabs, Cable Congress
will bring together a mix of plenary sessions
with the brightest stars of industry and
workshop opportunities with the focus on
debate and interaction. It will embrace SME,
start-up and emerging market developments
alongside the biggest players and competitors,
to create the unrivalled meeting place for
cable, content and connectivity. From the core
network out, cable is changing. New industry
dynamics and technological innovations
such as virtualisation, smart cities, IoT, and
machine learning are shaking up the business.
The Official Opening of Cable Congress
2017 takes place at 09.00 on March 6, with
Matthias Kurth, Executive Chairman, Cable delivered by Mads Arnbjørn Rasmussen, CTO
Europe welcoming delegates, followed by of Telco Cloud and Video, Huawei. MSOs are
Manuel Kohnstamm, senior vice president and experiencing low or even negative growth in
chief corporate affairs officer, Liberty Global. classic flow TV package subscriptions. At the
Headlining the first day and delivering a same time, cable broadband customers drive
Keynote address on ‘Hands Across the Water: rapid growth in data consumption due to OTT
Our shared interest in cable’s success’ is video streaming, and the growing use of time
Michael K Powell, president and CEO, NCTA – shift video services is stressing capacity in the
The Internet & Television Association. Powell,
a former FCC Chairman, will look the critical
role cable has in the Information Revolution;
how broadband is the new ‘bread-and-butter’
but requires a light regulatory touch to grow
and evolve, as well as the major challenges
lie ahead: piracy, cybersecurity, and the
dominance of the Silicon Valley giants.
The subsequent Keynote address: ‘The
Near Future: A Better Place’, delivered by Phil
McKinney - president and CEO, CableLabs,
explores a vision of how future technologies
will change the way we connect and interact
with each other in the next three to eight
years. The foundation of this vision is an ever-
evolving network that stimulates innovation
and speeds progress. In these 20 minutes,
delegates are challenged to re-imagine what’s
possible by diving into the technologies
featured in A Better Place.
The morning Keynote Panel: ‘The CEO
Playbook’, moderated by Kate Bulkley, media
commentator and journalist, features Timm
Degenhardt, CEO, Tele Columbus AG; Manuel
Cubero; chief commercial officer, Vodafone
Germany; Tony Hanway, CEO, Virgin Media
Ireland and Robert Redeleanu, CEO, UPC
Romania and UPC Hungary, where these
captains of industry reveal what’s in their
strategic toolbox. As external disruptors and
consumer behaviours shift and turn, how do
they stay ahead and plan forwards?
The subsequent Plenary session, ‘How
Video-Centric Network Strategies will
Revolutionise the Cable Business’ will be
cable networks even further.
Furthermore, as 4K flow TV content is
becoming available, the need for a spectrum
effective alternative to classic DVB-C
technology is increasing. These network
requirements are proposed to be covered by
DOCSIS 3.1 and IPTV over DOCSIS, which, in
addition, opens up for increased innovation
and enhanced customer experiences.
When such a significant upgrade is being
decided, MSOs should at the same time
consider establishing a cloud-based network
architecture supporting network function
virtualisation. This will enable automation of
customer provisioning, self-service and more
effective operation and maintenance.
Highlights of the second and final day’s
sessions include the morning’s first plenary
– ‘Cable in Context: Making Sense of the Key
Market Data’. Unveiling brand new industry
data and accompanying insights, Ted Hall,
research director, television, IHS Markit, will
examine the key trends shaping cable’s future.
This evaluation of the sector’s performance
and strategic direction will be framed by
analysis of a wider telecoms-and-media
market that is more competitive and dynamic
than ever.
Perhaps likely to draw the biggest crowd will
be the subsequent Fireside Chat: ‘Reinventing
the Fan Experience in Formula 1’ where Sean
Bratches, managing director of commercial
operations, Formula 1 will be quizzed by
James Wright, Producer and Presenter,
Marketing Media Money, CNBC.
The morning’s Keynote Panel: ‘Surfing the
content tsunami: the evolving dynamics of
operators and channels’ will be moderated
by Ben Keen – media analyst and advisor,
where Harold Grönenthal, EVP & GM,
AMC Networks International; Bruce Mann,
chief programming officer, Liberty Global;
Jeremy Fox, CEO, Atrium TV and Chairman,
DRG; Carter Pilcher, chief executive,
Shorts International, and Rolf Wierig, VP
entertainment products consumer, Vodafone
Germany, will address such topics as: Does
it make sense for pay-TV operators to invest
in original content? What role will channel
brands have in an increasingly on-demand
world? How will direct-to-consumer OTT
services from channels impact the economics
of pay-TV?
18 Cable Media
ADVANCED TELEVISION