In late 2023, Tennis Channel brought in AMC Networks and PBS Digital veteran Matthew Graham to spearhead the development of the network’s DTC app. In this exclusive keynote fireside chat, Graham will delve into the app’s content, monetization, partnership, and growth strategy, as well as how Tennis Channel positions the app in relation to its other platforms and leverages data audience insights to measure customer lifetime value, personalize content, and inform future strategic decisions. The conversation will also explore how Tennis Channel approaches the app as a vehicle for helping newer fans to better understand the game and its emerging and established stars, target new audiences, and how they’re leveraging AI to accelerate and automate content generation and app development.

This fireside chat explores how to shift from reactive, after-the-fact piracy mitigation toward proactive, preventative strategies that leverage continuous monitoring, targeted countermeasures, and more to stop pirates before streaming content is stolen. It will also survey the current streaming piracy landscape and the evolving challenges it presents, such as the industrialization of piracy and the disturbing trend toward “piracy-as-a-service.”

The only thing moving faster in high-stakes sports streaming than the action on the field is the pace of innovation in live ad insertion, whether it’s the rise of DAI or new AI agents that have the potential to execute adtech at a scale unimaginable even a few months ago. Come hear how AI and other emerging technologies are revolutionizing ad operations for premium advertising workflows for premium live sports streams.

This panel examines how remote and cloud-native production solutions are decentralizing the live sports control room: collaborative software platforms that synchronize remote teams, cloud-based switching and graphics systems that replace traditional hardware, and the infrastructure required to handle latency, reliability, and real-time collaboration at broadcast quality. Hear about the transition from hardware-centric to software-centric production, the opportunities it unlocks, and the additional costs, challenges, and complexities it incurs.

As regional sports networks navigate the seismic shifts of cord-cutting, direct-to-consumer pivots, and competition from global streaming giants, this session examines how RSNs can leverage hyper-local storytelling and personalities, community-driven content, and flexible rights strategies to remain indispensable to fans. Panelists explore the unique strengths of local sports programming and community ties, regional brand identity and integration, and new monetization strategies—including squeezebacks and other new formats—and ways that RSNs protect their revenue base while expanding their reach in an increasingly fragmented media landscape.

Large-scale live events bring with them unique potential for failure that doesn’t exist in the video-on-demand industry. While new tent-pole releases generate substantial eyeballs, live events all go through a variety of “danger zones” including the “gate-crashing” effect, global versus regional audience impact, peak Internet traffic delays, very demanding customer expectations about low-latency streaming and of course draw pirates out of the shadows into the live event spotlight. This panel explores two proven methodologies for nearly eliminating live streaming piracy which are inserting forensic watermarks inside the content with DRM wrapped around the content. Learn more about how to do this to-scale in an extremely challenging live environment.

One fan wants advanced analytics or tactical analysis; another wants enhanced commentary; another wants live interaction and shoppability; yet another wants player-specific highlights. All want to see these elements at the point they are in the game. This panel explores how next-gen platforms deliver individualized sports experiences: customizable commentary tracks, fan-selected camera angles, in-game ecommerce, personalized graphic overlays and statistics, and even AI-generated highlight reels tailored to individual interests. Learn about the production and technical hurdles of creating individualized and interactive experiences from a single live event and how platforms are making personalization feel natural rather than overwhelming.

When millions of fans tune in for a World Cup match or the NBA Finals, downtime isn't an option. This panel explores how to meet the engineering demands of achieving and maintaining "five nines" (99.999%) uptime on live sports platforms. Learn about redundancy and failover strategies, chaos engineering, and the decision-making frameworks that keep high-stakes sports streams up and running when everything else is failing.

Sports fans expect instantaneous action—and between the explosion of betting culture and shared second-screen experiences, sports streaming demands not only low-latency delivery but seamless sync. This panel dives into the engineering fundamentals—capture, encoding, delivery, and playback—that underpin smooth execution through the first, middle, and last miles without sacrificing quality. Learn what breaks at scale, how to prepare for and ward off disaster, and why low latency isn't just a number but the difference between a winning broadcast and a blown opportunity.

FAST channels thrive on volume and discoverability, but sports rights are costly and complicated. How do you fill a 24/7 channel with compelling sports programming without breaking the bank? This panel explores creative scheduling and content mixes, licensing strategies, fresh angles on balancing mass appeal and niche differentiation, and tips for identifying and serving passionate communities of fans. Learn what turns on FAST sports channel viewers and keeps them tuning in.