As Head of Corporate IT at Prudential, Paul Costelloe oversees their extensive internal webcasting function and manages their relationships with providers and suppliers. Get an inside glimpse into how a major corporation uses streaming technology effectively and handles the business side of relationships with suppliers. Learn how one IT manager handles the purchasing of technology services, manages the risks, relationships and responsibilities and what his expectations are for delivery and performance. Understand how a large enterprise webcasting operation scales to operate efficiently using a combination of in-house and outsourced resources in this thoughtful opening keynote.

With widespread broadband access, IPTV appears to be on the verge of changing the delivery landscape for both telcos and content creators. Learn which technology platforms and business models are most likely to prevail, who is partnering who and whether another disruptive technology may supplant the major players. Hear a debate about who is likely to win the competition between the cable and phone companies.

Making choices between Windows Media 9, Real 10, H.264 and QuickTime can be complicated when you are trying to choose the best codec. In this session you will learn how to narrow your options and see live examples of encoding strategies that will help you decide which codecs are right for your work based on different types of video content and your target viewers.

In the past year, the online video advertising industry has matured as more campaigns incorporate in-stream and in-page video advertising. Hear panelists discuss and demonstrate some of the innovative new campaigns they are using to acquire and retain customers. Learn about challenges of the uncertain metrics for determining rich media marketing ROI and for reporting on customer usage. Hear how various business models may further encourage the adoption of this technology by the marketing world.

Regardless of the content, a good audio recording is one of the most important components of any online video offering. Recording and encoding audio for the web requires some traditional techniques and new processes. Find out why and learn what tools you need to create the best possible streaming audio content in a bandwidth-limited world. This session will demonstrate new tools, technologies and concepts for creating high-quality audio for streaming.

Explore the best models for revenue generation from online streaming of sports content and learn about technical developments and emerging market trends for delivering sports content to new audiences with broadband and mobile access platforms. Discover how placeshifting, or the phenomenon of getting sports content anytime, anywhere, is driving the need for streaming services. Understand business models between portals, mobile operators and rightsholders in this rapidly exploding segment of the streaming industry.

This global investment banking firm uses streaming on a global scale to create and deliver thousands of pieces of content direct from the analysts to their customers. Hear how they make it happen, how they outsource the production, get participation and buy-in internally and use analytics to prove the ROI, all on a global scale working with offices around the world.

The ability to stream content to wireless devices is not new, but realistic revenue models are now becoming a reality. This session will enlighten you about what type of content is suitable to stream to a wireless device and how to create a revenue stream. How should content creators prepare their content for wireless devices? What are the colour or display considerations for wireless devices? What are the chances of wireless revenue models being threatened by the codec and platform wars?

So, your organisation has decided to implement streaming on your intranet and you’re in charge, but you’re not sure where to start. Or perhaps you’ve just been charged to manage an existing streaming intranet and need to get up to speed. This session examines the basics of setting up and managing a streaming network, from staffing needs and equipment acquisition, to asset management and storage. Learn the components in deploying an internal streaming network such as server capability, setting security standards and the methods of storage, hosting and delivery that are most appropriate for your content.

Learn the results of a recent survey of the FTSE 100 and the latest trends and developments in the use of webcasting and interactive online presentations for financial reporting by these major British and European companies. Following an in-depth analysis of what they are broadcasting, the quality of the productions and the level of innovation, hear from companies and vendors about how they are using streaming to inform shareholders, investors and analysts.

No longer just a conduit for corporate communications, webcasting offers exciting ways to engage targeted audiences. Whether it’s for internal training, sales and marketing or investor relations, effectively reaching your audience requires an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of existing technologies, guidelines for assembling event resources and selecting the best channel for message delivery. Hear several case studies of webcast events and gain valuable insights into webcasting best practices.

 The evolution of the cheap and cheerful webcast into IPTV pitches IP-delivered video against high quality, simple and reliable satellite, cable and terrestrial television services.  Richard Griffiths identifies the cost, qualityand complexity issues of delivering entertainment over IP and discusses how the solutions that service providers are developing will transform the behaviour of viewers.

Size, distance and language are only a few of the challenges faced by global businesses as they attempt to communicate with employees in distant locations. SAP is communicating worldwide using an IPTV system that is installed at 100 locations on all the continents and that is available for live and on-demand transmissions. iSOFT faced a complex language problem as it developed video programmes to showcase operations to employees around the world. Hear how both companies are managing global corporate communications with the assistance of their technical partners.

It’s one of the most well known axioms of streaming. The more popular your content; the more it will cost you to deliver. The costs of streaming are such that every new viewer and every new listener adds to your overall costs. Peer-to-peer technology offers the option to stream at a much lower cost to you and with much less strain on your infrastructure. How does this technology work? What are the benefits and the drawbacks? Is it a viable solution in the enterprise space? Are there security issues you need to know about?

GlaxoSmithKline recently implemented internal web TV in offices in 46 countries. Hear a report on the practical implications, the challenges of adoption, the people and behavioural aspects and, most importantly, the value proposition of using this technology to improve internal communications at this pharmaceutical giant. At NorgesGruppen, one of Norway’s largest food retailers, an e-learning programme about food safety for nearly 25,000 employees located in more than 2900 stores is based on game technology, video and traditional e-learning methodologies. Learn how the power of streaming content can expand the impact of traditional human relations programmes.

User-generated content has taken off dramatically in the past few years, starting with blogs and user-modifiable reference sites, such as Wikipedia. Now, with increasing bandwidth and more advanced devices, such as video phones, the sharing of content has expanded to video. Flextech has expanded its Trouble network by launching a user-generated content network, the Homegrown project. Trouble viewers are able to upload their own homemade videos via their PCs or mobile phones. Separately, another project allows users to upload, pay for and distribute videos and get statistics to track popularity.

Government organisations worldwide have discovered that they can reach directly into citizens’ homes and offices with broadband technology and digital media. Whether it’s streaming sessions of Parliament, news broadcasts from 10 Downing Street or video clips on EU websites, streaming technology has dramatically changed how governmental organisations connect with their constituencies. Hear case studies and understand decision points and procurement strategies for this special sector.

The business of content distribution and delivery can be confusing for content owners and providers as multiple distribution mediums like streaming, progressive downloads and podcasting all play a vital role. This panel session examines digital media delivery and distribution options and gives you the know-how to effectively choose the right combination of delivery options for your content. Panelists will discuss the pros and cons of each service and the costs associated with each.

Broadband Internet and continually changing viewer habits have combined to make the old models of print and 24/7 broadcast news obsolete. Neither can keep up with the demand for instant access to dynamic content and the influx of new portable content delivery devices. Hear from executives in two news organisations about how they are meeting this challenge.

Learn how to encode and produce mobile video, how to select the right codecs and how to fine-tune the settings for optimum AV performance and end-user acceptance from the R&D manager at one of the largest telcos in the Baltic region. Dig into the nuts and bolts of how to reach 3G mobile phones and PDA devices, see a demo of encoding and broadcasting content to 3G phones and get more encoding tips for mobile delivery from a senior technical manager at RealNetworks.

Streaming video technology and webcasting enhances educational opportunities for many types of students, ranging from young children to university students in Singapore. Learn how deployment of a centralised webcast operation in a university environment supports campus activities efficiently and effectively, then hear from a school educator how a variety of video technologies including conferencing, streaming, live webcasting and TV broadcasting can expand students' horizons.

The issues of managing digital assets and rights management are tough, behind-the-scenes challenges for new media managers. In this practical session learn how organisations are tackling problems including organising rich media content, metadata creation and integration with search and content management. Hear about options and solutions for the rights management dilemma that haunts everyone from the BBC to the smallest webcast operation.