With more than 100 million people worldwide consuming streaming content, many companies have begun using streaming as a smarter way of doing business. But no one knows for sure what actual Return On Investment (ROI) you can expect for specific streaming applications: advertising/marketing, corporate communications, distance learning, entertainment, customer service, surveillance, and videoconferencing. Streaming Media's proprietary research based on executive interviews on every aspect of ROI has revealed what works, what doesn't, how, and why. If streaming ROI is your question, this report has the answers.

Those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it. In the 1980's the media companies at the time took different positions and strategies in the then-fledgling cable industry. In the 1990's not a new delivery system, but a completely new medium - the Internet - came along to challenge the media companies once again. Who learned from their cable ventures? Which stayed the course? Did their experience in cable affect their positions and strategies in the Internet? These are among the topics that Dick Glover, executive vice president, Internet Media, Walt Disney Internet Group, will address. Also, he will talk about the current state of the Internet and technology industries -- current assertions that the Internet is no longer a viable, important industry are not only premature, but misguided, and patience and perseverance will win out, as it has with other media. As with technology in general, the Internet will evolve continuously in bad times, as well as good. Those who stand by their strategies and "tough it out" stand the chance of reaping exceptional rewards. Glover will show how establishing compelling consumer experiences and positive relationships with guests in the narrow band world will serve as a foundation that can be leveraged into the broadband market of tomorrow. Finally, he will address the keys to surviving today's and tomorrow's Internet.

From early on, the World Wrestling Federation was a pioneer in on-demand video and webcasts, streaming both audio and video segments of its original brand of content to its fans since the summer of 1995. Gerry Louw, CTO WWF New Media, identifies the challenges faced by both the WWF and the broadcast industry, analyzes the trends and pitfalls faced by content providers and streaming distribution partners, and shares his vision regarding the monetization of this unique content offering -- in what is perceived to be an ever-evolving and exciting future for the industry as a whole.

Apple's QuickTime is the digital media standard for capturing, encoding and delivering content on the Internet. After distributing over 150 million copies of the highly successful QuickTime 4 and open source QuickTime Streaming Server 2, Apple has launched the new QuickTime 5 and QuickTime Streaming Server 3. Phil Schiller, Apple's vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, will discuss the latest QuickTime developments and the emergence of open standards in our digital world.

Streaming Media for the Enterprise: A Curse or a Promise?

There is no question that the Internet is moving towards becoming an audio and video medium, but with that move comes incredible challenges and risks for enterprises whose networks are threatened with being inundated with "impolite," bandwidth-intensive streams. Clearly what is required to deliver on the promise of streaming media is an architecture that scales to meet the predicted increased demand for streaming content while providing centralized management capabilities and the ability to efficiently distribute live and on-demand streaming content from any point within a wide area network.

In this keynote presentation, David Peterschmidt, president and chief executive officer of Inktomi Corp., will talk about the showcase applications that will drive streaming media adoption in the enterprise. Included will be a demonstration of the first software-based infrastructure solution that insulates your network against the possible threats of streaming and helps enterprises realize the enhanced productivity and communications gains from rich audio and video content.

As one of the world's largest media companies, Viacom-and its stable of category-killer assets including CBS, Infinity Broadcasting, MTV, VH-1, Blockbuster, Nickelodeon, SportsLine, MarketWatch, and Paramount, among many others-has a keen interest in streaming media as a delivery mechanism for its award-winning content. Russ Pillar, President and CEO of Viacom Interactive Ventures, will discuss streaming media at Viacom, present and planned, with a focus on:

• Streaming Audio: Our perspective on Internet Radio
  - SonicNet
  - Infinity Broadcasting
• Streaming Video: Our perspective on streaming entertainment and news content
  - Video-on-demand and its impact on Blockbuster Entertainment and news on-demand and its impact on MTV, CBS News, and CBS Sports, among others