Once again the video entertainment and interactive industries converge on Cannes in the South of France for the annual audiovisual and digital content market.
With Milia now an integral part of the Miptv programme market, the combined conference includes over 160 speakers from the world of television, advertising, mobile and broadband content.
At the heart of the discussions will be the changing face of television and the development of new technologies, formats and business models for the distribution of audiovisual content.
In a conference keynote, Dawn Airey, managing director of Sky Networks at BSkyB will consider the prospect of an all-digital broadcasting landscape and how consumers are embracing new technologies such as personal video recorders and interactivity that offer them an unprecedented level of control over how they watch television.
Other keynotes feature speakers from Intel, Microsoft, Freemantle and Nokia.
There will be a special conference track on interactive television, organised by the French trade association AFDESI. Speakers include Emma Somerville and Rahul Chakkara from the BBC and Scott Higgins of EchoStar.
The success of the MHP Multimedia home platform on digital terrestrial television in Italy will be the focus for another session, with representatives from Mediaset and RAI.
Two further sessions will consider participation television and cross-media entertainment formats, looking at the creation of new revenue streams while revolutionising the relationship of the audience with television.
As digital video recorders and video on demand begin to transform the experience of television, there will be sessions on the threat to television advertising and the opportunities for interactive advertising.
IPTV, internet protocol television, offers the opportunity to transform the viewing experience, delivering video services over broadband networks, as representatives of Microsoft, Comcast, Canalsatellite and Fastweb will discuss.
Meanwhile, mobile media will be a primary focus, as mobile phones move beyond voice, text, data and multimedia services to deliver video services, and mobile television becomes a reality with successful trials of DVB-H. There will be a special screening session dedicated to showcasing content made for mobile distribution.
South Korea, described as the ultimate convergence country, where broadband and mobile media abound, is the featured territory for Miptv this year, with a showcase of Digital Multimedia Broadcasting.
Miptv and Milia take place in Cannes from 11-15 April.