Banff Puts Focus on Future of TV in the Digital Age

TORONTO: This year’s Banff World Media Festival is to feature a panel discussion on the roles that traditional television and new digital technologies will play within the future media of consumption.

The panel will be moderated by Michael Hennessey, the chair of the Banff World Media Festival Foundation and senior VP of regulatory and government affairs for Telus. The speakers include David Purdy, the VP and general manager of television for Rogers Communications; Donagh O’Malley, the global head of content at Google TV; Gary Maavara, the executive VP and general counsel for Corus Entertainment; Avner Ronen, co-founder and CEO of Boxee; and Norm Bolen, the president and CEO of the Canadian Media Production Association. The panel will discuss the future of traditional linear TV in this time of unprecedented change in the way audiences interact with and consume media.

"For over thirty years, Banff has remained committed to exploring the high-impact, high-stakes issues shaping the media landscape," said Ferne Cohen, the executive director of the festival. "Interest in the evolution of over-the-top video services is definitely top-of-mind for many in the industry right now. As debates around the future of TV and digital video make front-page headlines around the world, we are certain that our delegates will be eager to hear this panel of industry leaders cut through the spin and have a frank conversation about these complex issues."