Open Media Forum
Open Media Cluster presents the first
OPEN MEDIA FORUM
Opportunities through crisis:
Open Web, media technology parks and shared technological strategies for the future of media production in Italy
Thursday, June 21st 2012 (9am – 1pm)
Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, 349 – Rome, Italy
In the seat of the National Federation of Italian Press
Register Now! Participation is free of charge, but seats are limited!
In a context characterized by an economic emergency and by the transformation of the current business models, the competitiveness of the italian media sector is at risk, due to the rapid migration of advertising towards interactive content centred on the Internet, the Web and Social Networks, and by the forceful entry in the market of foreign technology platforms.
The quick influence that this technological supremacy will have on the editorial nature of content constitutes a cultural emergency for Italy. This emergency can be overcome only strengthening a sector that is considered strategic by the public administration, as demonstrated by the launch of the Italian Digital Agenda and by the new law of the Lazio Region for the development of the movie and audiovisual sectors.
The Forum – promoted by the Open Media Park and the Open Media Cluster innovation centre – gathers industry experts, journalists, associations, media producers and political representatives to discuss and compare points of view about the future of the Italian media production sector, focusing on the role of technological platforms for media fruition based on Open Web standards and the related content development ecosystems. Participants will also look at the role, in such a context, of projects of media technology parks like the Open Media Park and Open Media Cluster, that in 2014, with 14 leading media sector partners, 21,000 sq.mts of media production spaces, 150M Euros of private investments, 1,200 direct jobs and 6,000 in related activities will constitute in Formello, just minutes away from Rome, the second media production pole in Europe.
Another central theme of the Forum will be the importance of technological neutrality in the context of media fruition platforms or, in other words, Open Web Platform vs. App Stores/OTT, to preserve both plurality in Italian media and the economic health of the main Italian producers and rights owners, and the related role that the Park innovation center, the Open Media Cluster, could play in promoting that neutrality in Italy, to avoid that OTT operators become the new, exclusive gatekeepers.
What shared actions are possible for a positive future of media production in Italy? What is, in this context, the role of open innovation, shared technology strategies and private local innovation centres of international excellence on the open Web?
Could a strategic convergence of investments from major stakeholders in Italian media on both (A) the development of (even proprietary) content, technologies and platforms based on standard-based, next generation Web browsers and (B) the strong support and promotion of the diffusion of devices (mobile terminals, set-top boxes, televisions) in which such browsers are the primary media consumption tools, provide both a solid defence against those emergencies, and a great opportunity to radically increase the international competitiveness of Italian media products?
What form the Open Media Park and its Labs, Cluster and Hub, with their 150 M Euros of completely private, Italian and foreign, investments, their 21,000 square meters and 1200 direct employees, should take in 2014, in order to give the greatest possible contribution to the increase of competitiveness of the media sector and, consequently, to economic and employment growth?
What national and regional administrative guidelines can favour the prompt launch of projects of production and innovation sites through foreign investments that bring a significant contribution to the economy, job market and competitiveness in these key sectors?
Open Media Days
The Open Media Forum is the opening event of the first edition of the Open Media Days that will take place from June 24 to July 7, 2012. This conference – that will constitute an annual international catalyst of Web-related skills – includes several events organized by the UCLA School of Cinema, Television and Theatre and Kaltura. Courses and workshops(partly free), as well as open discussions, will present and analyse the new free, cross-media formats and technologies for live performances, as well as media production technologies based on the paradigms of open innovation and open standards for the next generation Web (HTML5).
Program and speakers
NOTE: the speakers marked with one asterisk are pending confirmation.
9:30 – 9:40 – Opening of the Open Media Forum
Sergio Celestino (new Major of Formello, formerly City Councillor for Urbanism) and Giacomo Sandri (current City Councillor for Urbanism of Formello) present the two-year public-private journey of the City of Formello, the Region and private parties which, after its announcement in July 2010, led to the ratification of the new regional law on the audiovisual sector and in February 2012 to the Adoption of Variant of the Media Technology Pole of Formello, that includes the Open Media Park and the Open Media Cluster.
9:40 – 9:55 – Presentation of the Open Media Park and Open Media Cluster
Rufo Guerreschi (CEO; Tecnoconsult International / Open Media Park) presents the Open Media Park and Open Media Cluster, with their investment plans and 13 partners
9:55 – 10:50
The future of the media production industry in Italy and Lazio
Going beyond divisions on the merit and modes of regulations and nominations: how can the Italian System with its private and public components, limit and contrast the strong impact on the italian economy, culture and media plurality, due to the quick growth of global OTT and closed App Stores giants as controllers of the sixth power in the media sector, that makes them the de-facto total intermediaries between citizens and broadcasters, the press and single producers? Role of technology parks and shared technological strategies.
Moderator: Arturo Di Corinto (media and open innovation expert, journalist for La Repubblica)
Speakers:
Edoardo Narduzzi (journalist, ICT entrepreneur, author of “Sixth Power”)
Alessandro Luciano (President Fondazione Ugo Bordoni);
Francesco Carducci (UDC Party group manager, Lazio Region)
Mario Staderini (segretary, Italian Radical Party)
Vincenzo Vita (Vice-President, Senate Cultural Commission. Senator, Democratic Party)
Pietro Sbardella (Pres. Ist Commission, Lazio Region)
Maurizio Apicella (Director, ProvinciAttiva, presents an analisys of the Productive Pole of Formello)
Alessandro Fusacchia*(Coordinator of the Startup Innovative task Force, Ministry of Economic Development)
Silvestro Antonio (Youth National Coordinator, UGL Union)
11:00 – 11:25
Eco-sustainability and landscape protection as central elements of contemporary innovation and production. The role of administrative transparency and participated planning. The Open Media Park experience
Moderator: Sandro Polci (Cresme Consulting, Director of the Via Francigena Festival)
Speakers:
Barbara Vai (Councillor, Culture Department of the City of Formello)
Mario Breglia (President, Scenari Immobiliari)
Carla Sisto Canali (President, Formello Archeo Club)
Carlo Infante (President, Urban Experience)
Cristina Tullio (President, Lazio Section of the Italian Association of Landscape Architecture)
Marco Mattei* (Councillor, Environment Department, Lazio Region)
11:30 – 12:15
Production, distribution and rights management of TV, movie and news content in the Internet Age: the role of the Open Web.
From a purely promotional tool, Internet is evolving into a primary fruition channel and content format. the potential of the Open Web as a primary media fruition platform and content development standard.
Moderator: Alessandro Longo (freelance journalist and new media expert)
Speakers:
Bruno Zambardino (Senior Researcher , Rosselli Foundation)
Augusto Preta (CEO, IT Media Consulting)
Gianluca Visalli (Head of Multimedia, Telecom Italia Media / LA7)
Marco Pellegrinato (Vice Director, Research and Technical Design, Mediaset)
Fabrizio Meli (CEO and President, L’Unita)
Mario Frullone (Research director, Ugo Bordoni Foundation)
12:15 – 13:00
The role of technological media parks and joint technological strategies for the increase of competitiveness of the Italian media production and distribution chains
Moderator: Flavia Barca (Director, Media Economy Institute of the Rosselli Foundation)
Speakers:
Lorenzo Principali (New Media Analyst Fondazione Rosselli)
Jeff Burke (Director of Research Initiatives, UCLA School of Film, Television and Theatre)
Zohar Babin(Director of Developer Community, Kaltura)
Oreste Signore (Director World Wide Web Consortium Italy, CNR manager )
Rodrigo Cipriani (President, Cinecittà Luce Institute)
Gianni Celata (Director Multimedia Lab CATTID
Marco Frigerio (Business Development Director, Kit Digital)
… … (Associazione Centoautori)
13:00 – 13:15
Forum conclusion by;
Renata Polverini * (President of the Lazio Region)
Fabiana Santini* (Councillor for Culture, Arts and Sport, Lazio Region)
Nicola Zingaretti * (President of the Province of Rome)
13:15 – 14:30 – Lunch buffet for moderators, speakers, registered journalists and bloggers
14:30 – 16:30
TECHNICAL WORKSHOP (invitation only). The Open Web Platform and HTML5. Prospects for a joint technological strategies, centered on open innovation, open standards and Open Web Platforms (HTML5), by Italian primary media producers, rights owners, operators and broadcasters. The possible role of a world class open innovation center like the Open Media Cluster, which is focused on the open Web and video-centric cross-device formats.
Some technological references and reference implementations: Mozilla Boot2gecko OS (soon also for TV-connected device), Hybrid broadcast/HTML5 solutions by Kudelsky; Opera for TV; 2012 VisionMobile report on HTML5 cross-device authoring tools; W3C Open Web Platform;
Main themes of this session include:
The possibility that a number of these players and providers partly converge, for their medium-long term product/content development strategy, towards the Open Web Platform (HTML5, CSS3, WebGL, DeviceAPIs, Websocket, etc.). More in detail, this may happen through: (A) the active promotion of the widespread availability of fully compliant HTML5 browsers, with full access to deviceAPIs, on devices they control or influence (TV-connectable, Net-TVs fixed and mobile), concurrently with (B) the active creation of content and frameworks for such platforms, and the promotion of HTML5-based content and technology creation and learning communities, especially video- and entertainment-centered ones. We’ll also look at the convergence of full support for italian digital terrestrial standards (DGTVI, MHP) and Open Web platforms on Net-TVs and TV-connectable devices.
Prospects and partnership possibilities (starting from LOIs and MOUs) of the Open Media Cluster, a large innovation centre in Rome, Italy, centered on the Open Web platform and new video/cross-media formats, and of the 47,000sq.mts. Open Media Park production complex, within which the Cluster will be moved by end of 2014. The Open Media Park promoters, Tecnoconsult International Srl, and the town of Formello have already formallly committed 4.8M euros, including 3M euros in the form of “matching funds”, to this project. The Cluster already operates a small 450 sq.mts. Open Web and newTV co-working and innovation center, the Open Media Hub.
Moderators: Mario Frullone* (Director of Research, Ugo Bordoni Foundation)
Rufo Guerreschi (CEO. Open Media Park e Open Media Cluster)
Speakers:
Lorenzo Principali (New Media Analyst Rosselli Foundation)
Oreste Signore (Director World Wide Web Consortium Italy, CNR manager )
Enrico Marino (Technical Director, Open Media Cluster)
Gino Alberico (HD Forum responsible, Rai Ricerche)
Marco Pellegrinato (Vice Director, Research and Technical Design, Mediaset)
Gianluca Visalli (Head of Multimedia, Telecom Italia Media / LA7);
Angelo Morelli* (Global Lead, Accenture Video Solutions)
Giorgio Tornielli (VP Product Development, Kit Digital Italia )
Dino Bortolotto (President, Assoprovider, the Italian Association of Independent ISPs)
Rodrigo Cipriani (President, Cinecittà Luce Institute)
Piero De Chiara (Head of Broadband Content Business Development, Telecom Italia)
Zohar Babin(Director of Developer Community, Kaltura)
Bernard Gidon (W3C, EMEA Business Development Leader)
THE EVENT IS ORGANIZED UNDER THE AUSPICES OF:
Promoters
The Open Media Forum is sponsored by the Open Media Park which in 2014, with the Open Media Cluster innovation centre and the Open Media Hub, will constitute in Formello the most important center for independent innovation on the next generation Web in Europe and also, by number of studios, the second media production center. The event will be hosted by the Open Media Hub, a co-working centre for micro-innovation opened in February 2012, which is the seed and prototype of the future Open Media Cluster and Labs.
The projects of the Open Media Park, Cluster and Labs are promoted by Tecnoconsult International, together with 14 national and international partners of the highest level, with a total investment of 150 M Euros, entirely provided by private Italian and foreign investors, and 21.000 square meters of production facilities. Once fully operational, the venture will directly employ 1,200 people and create more than 6.000 jobs in the regional medial and audiovisual sector. All this will happen without one single Euro of direct or indirect public funding; in addition to this, 10.8 M Euros in private funds will be dedicated to construction of general interest, public infrastructures. These work will include 3 M Euros for the non-profit Open Media Cluster innovation centre and the Formello Ultra-wideband Network, that will enable user-driven community development, testing of content and entertainment platforms, and technologies for next-generation Smart Cities for all the 13,000 residents of the Municipality of Formello.
These are the current partners of the Open Media Park and Cluster: