Ian has over 20 years’ experience in the communications, IT and media sectors, specialising in defining, developing and delivering internet, IPTV, interactive TV and broadband services for global blue chip organisations and start-ups.

Prior to joining Virgin Media he spent four years as a consultant for organisations including the Digital TV Group, working to develop the industry association’s connected TV strategy. He worked on the launch of Freesat and IP Vision’s Fetch TV and also advised Capita plc on the UK’s Digital Switchover Help Scheme.

Ian has held senior digital media and technology positions at Home Choice (now TalkTalk), the BBC where he worked on the early development of what became Freeview, and at Cable and Wireless plc.

Digital media and entertainment experiences can now be delivered from the network cloud to users on different devices and displays in the connected home and beyond. What are the implications for traditional media businesses and how far will global players like Intel, Microsoft, Apple and Google determine how we engage with entertainment experiences in the home? What opportunities are there for new entrants enabled by commoditised connectivity?

• The rise of the new networks in the global media economy
• Enabling new entertainment experiences in the connected home
• Delivering an integrated user experience across different screens
• A compelling vision of the digital home of the future 

What is the current consumer experience and what do users really want and expect in the connected home environment? There is evidence that people are increasingly sophisticated in their media habits, watching television while using the web, downloading and streaming programmes, but is it still all too hard for the average user? How representative are the early adopters and what can they tell us about the connected home of the future? Consumer and market research experts reveal the reality beneath the rhetoric.

• Evidence of emerging consumer demand and expectations
• Levels of adoption and changing behaviours in consumption
• Propensity to pay for choice, convenience and control
• Usability and accessibility of products and services

The connected home is underpinned by an array of cryptic standards and confusing technical terminology, apparently all designed to make things simple but meaningless to most consumers. How can open standards help to advance the connected home and allow multiple devices to interoperate? How can we plug these things together so that they just work? Various standards groups expand on the acronyms and explain their vision.

• Standards for bringing together broadcast and broadband networks
• Competing technologies for networks within the home
• The role of DLNA in the digital living room network
• UltraViolet and the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem

Major consumer electronics manufacturers see new business opportunities in the connected home. Once a dumb terminal, the television is becoming a smart screen, connected through the internet to a new world of media and entertainment possibilities. Is the telephone the new remote control and will tablets replace laptops as secondary screens? How will these devices enable new revenue streams?

• The retail market opportunity for connected devices and displays
• Moving from selling products to delivering networked services
• How smarter televisions will change the viewing experience
• The interaction of televisions, telephones and tablets

Traditional telcos and broadband service providers aspire to enter the media business, while pay-television operators are bundling broadband with their offering. How can they best compete to deliver a combination of connectivity and compelling media? What are the economics of delivering digital media and communications to the connected home and where does the value lie?

• Intelligent networks and content distribution strategies
• The role of home gateways and service management
• Fibre networks extend further to the connected home
• Enhancing customer experience and increasing customer value

Broadcasters have long had a central place in the heart of the household but are now able to reach the connected home with new services to establish a direct relationship with individual viewers and listeners. From extending their scheduled services with catch-up on-demand offerings, they are now bringing together broadcast and broadband in new hybrid platforms such as YouView. Should broadcasters view the connected home as a threat to their traditional supremacy or a new commercial opportunity?

• The changing role of broadcasters in the connected home
• Moving from mass audiences to specific users
• YouView and other connected television platforms
• The challenge presented by other over the top services