Cloud Computing is revolutionising the media industry but is a hybrid architecture preferable to cope with fluctuating workloads and unpredictable budgets? Is efficiency and decentralisation of content production opening up new opportunities and challenges?

Media companies are increasingly transferring video and visual effects workflows to the cloud. But how is it working and what are their experiences? How do you build high-quality media workflows that reduce operational complexity, increase productivity and reduce costs?

What is the impact of cloud-enabled workflows on media content and the people producing it? Is it really cheaper and faster to deliver deeper, better news? Is it enabling innovation and experimentation and empowering staff to be more creative?

With petabytes of content being exchanged among media partners globally daily, the threat of cybercrime is very real for media companies. How do we manage media operations in a complex and insecure environment?

The media is experiencing a crisis of trust as content manipulation and disinformation is increasing. From Russian trolls and Macedonian teenagers seeking to influence the United States election to authoritarian leaders seeking to target legitimate news outlets that are critical of their rule, how pervasive is so-called ‘fake news’? How is it hijacking news and discussion? And how can we identify between the false and the factual?

Data privacy, sovereignty, and compliance to GDPR and cross-border data-transfers and storage regulations are critical challenges for any strategic Cloud adoption program.  Additionally, Cloud is driving complex interdependent relationships between partners, from Media organizations, Cloud platform vendors and Cloud-native applications that has implications for information security.  How can industry partners work together to ensure the media supply chain is secure and data privacy respected?

It is a new title for many and increasingly important role as media embraces the science of media technologies. Data science, social algorithms, human computation are some of the buzz words, but what skills are needed and what do they add?

AI is encroaching into every step of the media life cycle but surely human oversight is always going to be vital? Could smarter production systems, reducing or eliminating routine tasks free content makers to be more creative and innovative?

Could AI strip out consumer choice and dilute the content people access? Robots deciding on previous media habits what people should be served? Or will automation and crafted algorithms help content makers shape better programming?

The challenges of transferring from hardware driven broadcast architecture to the cloud, software and IP. How do we manage the transformation seamlessly and leverage the opportunities it offers to produce more creative content.

How will the power of technology be harnessed? What are the production tools of the future and how will they enhance the production value to create more engaging and informative content for audiences?

How is the role of journalism and program- making going to change? What impact will augmented production have on the creative process and what will this mean for content formats and audiences?