Sportel Monaco Presentation Lineup Focuses on FAST Channels, AI, and More

Masterclasses, keynotes, and case studies are on the busy schedule

With less than a month to go, SPORTEL Monaco (Oct. 23-25) is at full throttle preparing to host a content-packed international conference summit, presented by a melting pot of sports-industry decision-makers and technology innovators. Besides a thriving market floor with more than 2,000 executive participants, the three-day event will offer a series of exciting Masterclasses, visionary keynotes, innovative presentations, and successful partner case studies around the latest trends revolutionizing the sports-media and -broadcast industry.

Sportel Monaco will feature presentations and panel discussions designed to educate attendees.

Keynotes come in the form of SPORTEL favorite and legendary LALIGA President Javier Tebas, who will share the latest insight into the iconic Spanish league’s hottest developments, and Professional Fighters League CEO Peter Murray, who will participate in a fireside chat about PFL’s global growth and how it is creating the champions league of MMA.

Setting the stage for discussions between sports-business executives, eight thought-provoking Masterclasses are designed to provide the SPORTEL community with vital insights into the future of the industry and important details to aid in decision-making.

Two panels produced in collaboration with SportBusiness will focus on media rights, content, and business tech. Addressing whether D2C is the way to go to engage fans, monetize dark markets, and sweat archive assets, “Sport as Entertainment: Creating Content, Building Platforms” will be moderated by SportBusiness Editor in Chief Callum McCarthy and feature Peter Bellamy, chief commercial officer, Endeavor Streaming; Melissa Lawton, chief content officer, SailGP; and Meg Yodfat, head of revenue, Infront Labs. “India: A Major Global Market for Sports Media & a Tech Driver in Our Industry” will discuss how the region is poised to play an even greater role in the industry over the coming years, with moderator Editor, SportBusiness Media, Imran Yusuf and panelists Aarti Dabas, chief media officer, Formula E Operations; Sunil Manoharan, VP, media rights, International Cricket Council; and Gaurev Mehta, co-founder, Quidich.

A deeper look at tech from a business perspective will be provided by three Masterclasses offered in collaboration with Sports Video Group and moderated by SVG Executive Director, Editorial, Ken Kerschbaumer. “Sport Making Sense of AI: Limits & Possibilities” will debate whether AI can transform the way the sports-media industry understands audiences and can deliver the content they want. Joining the debate will be Meghna Krishna, chief revenue officer, Magnifi; Ali Russell, managing director, Extreme E; Ian Wray, senior partnerships sales director, Spiideo; and Raj Mannick, head of digital, Sunset + Vine.

The second panel, “A FAST Track to FAST Channels” will feature panelists Chris Gregory, strategic content partner lead, Samsung TV Plus; Alan Bruno, head of business development, ATP Media; Anna Lockwood, head of EMEA/Americas, Telstra Broadcast Services; and Sandrine Durand, VP, channels distribution, SoFast. It will discuss key considerations, both technical and financial, for rights owners, broadcasters, platforms, and aggregators seeking fast success in the FAST world.

The third panel in collaboration with Sports Video Group will be tech talk “Making the Most of Automated Productions.” Panelists Ashwin Limaye, CPO, Magnifi; TK Gore, head of sports development, Kiswe; and Gary Warech, head of sports and entertainment, Veritone, will examine how to make the most of AI tools — cameras, content-publishing systems, commentary systems — to enhance production and provide great fan moments.

SPORTEL will host two Masterclasses. “Digital Evolutions for Content Delivery & Monetization” continues the business-tech theme, further exploring how OTT, streaming, and cloud-based services enable dynamic shifts to distribute and manage content whether live, VOD, or social. On the panel will be Greg Burns, head of media products, Arqiva; Alex Kaplan, CEO, EverPass Media; Tiago Maranhão, country manager, Stages; and Peter Shackleton, commercial director, Capture.

The second of the SPORTEL-led panels, “A Country Focus: Italia” will highlight Italian sports media on a domestic and international level, which evokes a passion from fans of all ages and nationalities throughout the world. The panel will comprise Andrea Marini, CEO, Deltatre; Frank Leenders, director general, FIBA Media and Marketing Services; Anna Guarnerio, international media rights director, Lega Serie A; and special guest, legendary Italian footballer Lega Serie A Ambassador Fabio Cannavaro.

New SPORTEL partner, Unofficial Partner, will round off with “Sports Napster Moment” with series producer Richard Gillis hosting a conversation with industry experts on the lessons of the sports industry’s battle with illegal streaming services.

Throughout the program, presentations by Sportall, LiveU, ViewLift, Pixellot, Spalk, Harmonic, Veritone, Laliga Tech, Studio Automated, Wurl, WSC Sports, Spiideo, Kiswe, Globant, Capture, Sword Venue, and Altman Solon — a number of whom are new to the conference — will engage the audience with diverse solution-based topics and customer-shared sessions. Topics will cover AI’s impact on the sports industry: content montetization, video innovations for use in live productions to broadcast more content and reduce costs, driving fan engagement, managing sports assets, AI automations, and more. Other presentations will offer insight into how the cloud can produce world feed and multilingual virtual commentary studio, the latest in D2C, management of media assets, event-planning tools, more on FAST and the future of sports streaming, plus an exclusive global sports survey. A special presentation by SPORTEL CEO Laurent Puons and Argentinian partner Jorge Strika, CEO, J&S Entertainment Group will introduce participants to Buenos Aires as a new destination for SPORTEL Rendez-vous May 14-15, 2024.

Click here for a list of SPORTEL Monaco confirmed companies. Click here for the full program and a list of speakers.