MIPCOM KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Gerhard Zeiler, president of international at Warner Bros. Discovery, will give the opening keynote at the 39th edition of TV market Mipcom, which runs Oct. 16-19 in Cannes.
Zeiler is expected to share insight into WBD’s transformation post-merger as well as lay out the company’s worldwide content and streaming strategy.
Zeiler’s responsibilities for WBD span strategic oversight of brands and joint responsibility for direct-to-consumer activity (including streaming service Max) across more than 220 markets. He is also responsible for local theatrical production, acquisitions, and country and region-specific networks and businesses in Latin America, Europe, Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific.
Zeiler said: “Our industry is facing heightened disruption and undergoing a process of transformation. These are times of change but it’s also a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to architect the media ecosystem for the next generation. I’m looking forward to speaking at Mipcom about how WBD is putting storytelling first and refining and innovating to drive agility and flexibility to emerge in an even stronger position.”
More than 250 exhibitors from over 40 countries are confirmed for Mipcom. These include Disney, MGM, NBCUniversal, Paramount, WBD, Fox, Fremantle, All3Media, Banijay, Federation, ITV, ZDF and Studiocanal.
HOT LIST
Kelly Day, head of international and VP of Amazon Prime Video, Kevin Mayer, co-CEO of Candle Media, and WBD’s CEO and president of streaming JB Perette are among the headline speakers set to present at APOS, the annual media, entertainment and finance conference. Organized by consultancy firm Media Partners Asia, the conference this year returns to Bali, Indonesia, for the first time since the pandemic and will be held Sept 26-28.
Other speakers announced at this stage include Uday Shankar (Bodhi Tree Systems), Mike Sneesby (Australia’s Nine Entertainment), Patrick Delaney (Foxtel), Ajit Mohan (president of Snap), Manoj Punjabi (Indonesia’s MD Pictures), Phil Hardman (BBC), Rob Gilby (Dentsu), Harit Nagpal (Tata Play), and Janice Lee (Viu). From the finance sector speakers include Joe Ravitch from specialty investment bank Raine and Wall Street analyst Michael Nathanson. Sports will be represented by Anurag Dahiya of the International Cricket Council and Laliga president Javier Tebas.