• by Charlene Weisler , Op-Ed Contributor, June 8, 2016

Tracy Swedlow, CEO, Founder, TMRW Corp., executive producer of The TV of Tomorrow Show & editor in chief of InteractiveTV Today, is a futurist who also hosts one of the most forward-thinking conferences in the industry. Her TV of Tomorrow Conference is held twice a year, in San Francisco and in New York. The SF conference is this week.

What are the trends? Will disruption ever slow down or stop? I asked Swedlow the following questions:

Charlene Weisler: What are the highlights of this year’s San Francisco TVOT?

Tracy Swedlow:  This is the best line-up ever, including discussions and firesides by the CEO of Machinima, CSO of Mashable, President of PopSugar and President of Vox, CPO of CNN, EVP of Digital from NBC Entertainment. There are also lots of Periscope and YouNow stars and other influencers. Panels include “TV and Video Innovation in the 2016 Presidential Election,” and a debate on the FCC's Proposal to "Unlock the Set-Top Box.”

Weisler: What has changed in the industry since last year’s conference?

Swedlow:  There are quite a few major trends occurring now. More companies are getting into the OTT business — it's growing exponentially. Interest in VR/AR is skyrocketing. Social media, politics and advertising have had a huge influence. There is a rise in new formats of content because of the increase of democratized livestreaming platforms.

Weisler : Is there anything going on in the industry now that surprises or shocks you? If so what?

Swedlow: That the industry is just coming to the awareness of things we predicted in the early ’90's!!! I love the rise of new forms of content and experimentation on livestreaming platforms.

Weisler : Is it even possible to predict how the industry will look three years from now?

Swedlow: More people will be able to start their own OTT networks. More individuals will get deals and join much larger companies, like Michelle Phan did for Endemol Beyond. Advertising will, hopefully, understand the power of Tcommerce (direct ROI) and interactive TV, and there will be more social and interactive engagement across all services using video primarily.

Weisler: What do you see coming up on the horizon?

Swedlow: There will be more uses of VR and live-streaming, and more opportunities for commerce.  More people and organizations will be using video as their primary vehicle of communication.    More kids will be using video as their primary vehicle of communication and experimenting.  Snapchat!!!

Weisler: I am dizzy! When will disruption stop?

Swedlow: Never, I hope. I embrace it.

Weisler: There are so many announcements out there. In your opinion, what is hot and what is not?

Swedlow: ‘Not’ are the cable companies, who continue to lag behind and are not innovating fast enough. Micro-video and social media will be hot. Live-streaming and VR will be hot. Measurement and tracking will be hotter and hotter. Data will continue to be the main thing that generates real value and revenue for companies.