#MCB17 kicks off tomorrow! Analysis, Outlook and Context at Media Convention Berlin
Tomorrow at 10:30 a.m., Berlin's governing mayor Michael Müller will open MEDIA CONVENTION Berlin and re:publica. The two events taking place simultaneously at STATION Berlin are once again expecting about 8,000 visitors from over 60 countries. MEDIA CONVENTION is both a pace setter and a place of reflection: the debate on the media market, for instance, will focus on trends in formats, innovative distribution strategies and the exploration of technological possibilities - currently especially in the areas of virtual and augmented reality.
In the area of media and Internet politics, this year's focus will be on media diversity. We present new concepts for independent journalism that reaches its audience. We also highlight how algorithms influence our media usage and what this means for modern regulation.
It is questions like these that drive the industry, and they determine the thematic focus of the sessions on the two MCB stages. Experts from around the world will analyze, put in context and discuss how we experience and shape media, now and in the future.
Speakers
Visitors of the MCB can, for example, look forward to two innovators who have revolutionized the way we experience moving images: Virtual reality guru John Gaeta (ILMxLAB, Lucasfilm), who will talk about his VR experiments for "Star Wars", and Holographic Video pioneer Steve Sullivan (Microsoft), who presents Mixed Reality experiences which can be brought to life through HoloLens.
With Prof. Frank Pasquale, we expect one of the world's leading experts on the impact of secret algorithms on the media landscape. Prof. Vladan Joler and Dr. Djordje Krivokapic from Share Lab present the interrelations of the Facebook news algorithm with different online data sources and visualize how our daily news streams are compiled.
Adam B. Ellick (New York Times), Torsten Beek (Spiegel Online), Sophie Burkhardt (funk) and others discuss "Social First" in video and how to best position content on the social web. Niddal Salah-Eldin (Head of Social Media, Welt N24) debates with Dr. Rasmus Kleis Nielsen (University of Oxford), Jim Egan (CEO BBC Global News), Dr. Barbara Hans (Editor in Chief SPIEGEL ONLINE) and Dr. Maren Urner (Perspective Daily) on the subject of fake news and the credibility of journalism. Katharina Hölter, managing editor of bento, and the deputy editorial directors of JETZT (Charlotte Haunhorst) and ze.tt (Marieke Reimann) report on how young people can be reached with political topics in the 2017 election year. Prof. Dr. Karola Wille (Chairwoman of the German association of public broadcasters ARD) and Lauri Kivinen (CEO of Finland's national public-broadcasting company YLE) discuss the future of public broadcasting in Germany and Europe.
The actors Christian Ulmen and Kida Khodr Ramadan, together with other members of the teams behind the critically acclaimed TV-shows "jerks." and "4 Blocks", give an impression of current trends in the German TV landscape. There will be an exclusive screening of the first two episodes of “4 Blocks“ right after the session.
Further information on all MCB17 speakers can be found here.
Programme
In other sessions, MEDIA CONVENTION Berlin deals with the strategies of the powerful in the online video industry (YouTube, Facebook), current national and international trends on TV and on YouTube, brands as new producers, mobile storytelling with Snapchat and other tools, the professionalization and globalization of e-sports, and drone racing as the "Formula 1 of the future". Another panel looks at the future of local journalism between innovation, social significance and state support.
Media companies and institutions will be presenting themselves at the Exhibition Area, and "Let's Play @ MCB" will allow visitors to try out Medienboard-sponsored computer games - from Adventure to VR. "Media Cube", the MCB experimenting platform, will offer further program highlights in games, VR, Snapchat and other interactive entertainment formats.
A detailed schedule, as well as a downloadable PDF of each daily timetable, can be found here.