Friday, January 7 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM Session B - DH16: TV Networks and Interactivity: Evolving Content & Business Models TV networks have embraced interactivity for almost a decade, both with standalone website content and synchronized, Enhanced TV content. Much has changed over that time, including technological barriers, assumptions about consumer preferences, business models, and the economic climate for interactive experimentation. What's working and what's not? What can the industry expect to see over the next 24 months? Is there a future for synchronized content, or is "interactive TV" destined to be only about VOD and SVOD? In this session we bring together top programming executives and creators who are dealing with what it means to leverage and extend their on-air television programming to the Internet or into the Interactive TV space. Marcia Zellers, Director, Enhanced Television, American Film Institute Tanya Van Court, Vice President and General Manager, ESPN Broadband and Interactive Television , ESPN Frederic V. Bien, Technologist Anton Wahlman, Media Analyst, Broadband Access Technology, Needham & Co Ryan O’Hara, President, TVG Network, Gemstar-TV Guide Mickey Kalifa, Managing Director, PlayJam-OpenTV Jeff Binder, President, Broadbus Technologies, Moderator Tanya Van Court joined ESPN in April 2004 as the vice president and general manager, ESPN Broadband and Interactive Television. In this role, Van Court oversees the content development and business strategy for ESPN’s broadband and interactive television initiatives. In this, she works closely with the Affiliate Sales and Marketing team, and with both the editorial and technology groups at ESPN.com. Van Court reports to John Skipper, executive vice president, ESPN. Among Van Court’s responsibilities are oversight of content served to users via high-speed residential Internet networks (DSL and cable internet), and converged media devices (such as media center PC’s). Additionally, Van Court oversees content created for all interactive television, including personal video recorders (PVR) and digital cable set-top boxes. She also oversees ESPN’s home networking, or "e-home" initiatives, and all two-screen interactive media efforts, known as "verge." Van Court is a 10-year veteran of the cable communications and networking industries, having joined ESPN from Cablevision where she most recently served as vice president, product management – Optimum Voice. In that role she was responsible for long-term product development, financial planning and oversaw the launch of Voice Over IP (VOIP) to 4.4 million homes. Prior to that she held the post of vice president, operations and customer experience, digital products and was responsible for Cablevision’s launch of digital cable operations in New York, Connecticut and New Jersey. Preceding her stint at Cablevision, Van Court worked for Covad Communications and held positions as vice president of international operations, process design and business development and integration – all at separate times. While there she oversaw the launch and management of DSL for international affiliates in Japan, India and Europe. She has also served in various roles for US West Communications and for Ameritech Corporation. Van Court received both her Master of Science (1994) and Bachelor of Science (1993) degrees in industrial engineering from Stanford University. While a candidate for her M.S., Van Court was a National Science Foundation Fellow. Marcia Zellers is the Director of Enhanced Television for the American Film Institute (AFI). Beginning its sixth year, AFI’s Enhanced TV Workshop has produced 40+ enhanced TV prototypes. AFI’s eTV Workshop has become the gathering place for the American eTV creative and technology communities, and is renowned as the premier environment for eTV exploration and development. Zellers has pursued the challenge of a cutting edge, consumer-friendly marriage of television and interactivity since she joined MTV Interactive’s New York headquarters as a founding member in 1994. As a Senior Producer and Director heading up all MTV’s music-related Web strategy, programming and development, creative direction, talent relations, and convergence programming with MTV’s on-air operations, Zellers created and produced some of the earliest enhanced TV programming. Early pioneering examples, which aired on TV, include a split screen production incorporating simultaneous live Web chat with Michael Jackson, Jackson videos, and highlights of Jackson’s career; the Red Hot Chili Peppers live at Madison Square Garden, with simultaneous roaming backstage cameras broadcasting live to the Web; and Janet Jackson on MTV’s Total Request Live interacting on air with viewers on the Web. In 1999 Zellers moved to Los Angeles, where she spearheaded Warner Bros. Online’s Entertaindom project, one of the Web’s then-highest profile entertainment destinations and the first planned broadcast-style distribution model. (Entertaindom was intended to showcase both Time-Warner and non-Time-Warner programming.) As Supervising Producer, she oversaw all aspects of the department and helped develop original programming intended for eventual cross-platform and enhanced development. Zellers has been a new media consultant for entities like New Line Cinema and composer Giorgio Moroder, and previous to AFI was the Vice President of Web Development and Creative Director for Greater Relations Worldwide, a nascent dotcom. Zellers is also a published writer and editor, and has an eclectic background that includes publishing, marketing, advertising, fundraising, and stock brokerage. Frederic Bien was until Dec 2004 Senior Vice President of Advanced Media Technology for Turner Broadcasting System, a division of Time Warner Inc. Bien was charged with accelerating the digital transition strategy for the company's cable TV networks and the integration of new technology platforms, such as games on TV set-top boxes, advertising localization, video-on-demand, interactivity, broadband video, HDTV, and digital video recorders. In addition, he was a founding member and chaired for three years the Time Warner Media Asset Management Committee, which develops strategy and architecture and fosters creative alliances across the Time Warner portfolio of networks and businesses. Previously, Bien founded the company which produces and markets one of the very first online dating and relationship web site: Flirt.com. Bien managed the technology and business development teams that forged partnerships with Elle.com and Roadrunner, among others. When Flirt.com was acquired by Playboy Enterprises Inc. in 1999, Bien joined that company as vice president of business development. From 1993 to 1997, Bien was CEO of Bien Logic Inc., an Internet software company he founded, and whose clients included Netscape, Oracle, Wal-Mart, Xerox, Hewlett-Packard and the Smithsonian Institute. Bien Logic was the largest Web design agency in San Diego and Orange County, California when it was sold to SiteLab International in 1997. The software product line of Bien Logic - web traffic analyzers SurfReport and ProxyReport - was sold to Netrics, also in 1997. From 1986 to 1996, Bien was an assistant professor at Princeton University, then a tenured associate professor of mathematics at the University of California at San Diego. He has published a book: D-Modules and Spherical Representations, and 13 papers in international mathematical journals; has been honored with the President's Award for Distinguished Teaching at Princeton University; was named Presidential Young Investigator by the National Science Foundation; and was awarded two Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowships. Bien earned undergraduate degrees in mathematics and education at the University of Brussels, Belgium and a doctorate in mathematics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Mickey Kalifa, General Manager, PlayJam Worldwide. A division of OpenTV Inc. (in turn a subsidiary of Liberty Media), PlayJam is the world’s leading interactive TV games channel with distribution in 6 countries, available on 9 cable and satellite operators. The PlayJam games channel averages over 19 million paid game plays each year. Kalifa is based in London and has been with OpenTV for close to 4 years. He is responsible for all OpenTV’s gaming activities worldwide. Games account for a very large proportion of overall activity in interactive TV, and game playing via interactive TV is set to grow further over the coming years, as digital TV penetration increases. Prior to PlayJam-OpenTV, Kalifa was with BSkyB, Time Warner, Disney, Young & Rubicam and PriceWaterhouseCoopers covering a variety of roles including general management, business development and finance. Ryan O’Hara is president of the TVG Network, Gemstar-TV Guide’s interactive horseracing network. He was appointed to the position in June 2004, after having served as the network’s chief operating officer since February 2004. Mr. O’Hara oversees the network’s wagering, financial, legal and advertising sales operations, manages TVG’s development activities with track and on-line partners, and coordinates with Gemstar-TV Guide’s Affiliate Sales group to secure long-term carriage deals. Available in nearly 13 million homes and having recently celebrated its fifth year anniversary, TVG Network is the nation’s premier horseracing network, combining live horseracing with in-home account wagering. Prior to joining TVG, Mr. O’Hara spent two years as the senior vice president of Business Development and Strategic Planning for Gemstar-TV Guide, TVG’s parent company. In that role, Mr. O’Hara was responsible for business and operational planning, strategic development and corporate deal making for the Company’s publishing, cable and satellite and consumer electronic offerings. Before joining the Gemstar-TV Guide in June 2002, Mr. O’Hara was director of Interactive TV Strategy and Development for another News Corporation related-entity, BSKYB, based in London. Mr. O’Hara focused on the integration of the 400-person company Open, which was purchased by BSKYB in June of 2000 and later became the interactive TV unit for BSKYB. He also worked with broadcasters, such as MTV, Sky Sports and Disney, and technology companies, such as NDS, OpenTV and Astra, to build out BSKYB's interactive television offering. Additionally, he managed the launch and marketing of several interactive television products that increased revenues, improved customer satisfaction and helped reduce churn, thereby assisting BSKYB’s core television distribution business in achieving its growth objectives. Prior to BSKYB, Mr. O’Hara worked for Fox Cable Networks and its predecessor, Fox/Liberty Networks. As director of Business Development, he helped launch the Regional Sports Report on 17 Fox Sports Nets. Additionally, he worked on rights acquisitions/partnerships such as NASCAR, ACC basketball, Major League Baseball and various regional sports buys that aired on FSN, FX, Speedvision and Fox Sports. He also assisted the senior management at Fox Cable Networks in network-related operational analysis evaluating growth opportunities and efficiency measures. Finally, he focused on extending the Fox brands through new media initiatives via the Internet and interactive TV. Earlier in his career, Mr. O’Hara worked in brand management with Nestle and was an entertainment management consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers. Mr. O’Hara holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Stanford University and received a Masters of Business Administration from the Harvard Business School. Jeff Binder, President, Broadbus: Jeffrey Binder is a Broadbus founder and serves as President. He was previously CEO of Magic Music, where he managed development of three generations of DRAM based server technology, overseeing the overall operations of the company from start-up to 30%+ market-share in just two years. He was formerly founding CEO of the Leading Golf Companies, successfully delivering frequency marketing client/server technology and systems in partnership with the top 500 golf courses in the US and major airlines, including American Airlines and TWA. Binder is a named inventor to several Broadbus patents and continues to collaborate and innovate with the Broadbus team. He has authored key vision documents published in major industry journals regarding television-on-demand (TOD®), and frequently presents at major audio and cable industry events. In addition, he serves on the boards of Greater Chicago Bank (a regional FDIC Banking), and FastenerOasis, Inc., (the e-commerce arm of one of the largest fastener distributors in the US). He is a member of NCTA, CTAM, SCTE and has been a member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences since 1988.