Summary
The media landscape continues to navigate ongoing digital transformation in 2026 which is disrupting traditional content creation and distribution models while offering new monetization opportunities for both incumbents and new entrants. Annual revenue and cash flows are at stake as traditional media giants defend against tech companies encroaching on their content, advertising, and subscription sectors.
The Media & Telecom Summit teams Kagan research experts with their partners in industry to lay out the data, projections and answers to the critical questions we need to inform the course we take into next year. Seize this opportunity to learn from industry experts and network in person with fellow high-level decision-makers in media, sports, and investment management.
Who Should Attend
CEOs, CIOs, CMOs, and other executives at top media and tech companies
Executives from professional sports teams and leagues
Leaders from prominent device manufacturers and media distributors
Heads of strategy, distribution, content, and media rights
Digital experience, marketing, and sales directors
Investors, bankers, brokers, regulatory agencies, and trade associations
Advertising agencies and AdTech focused on media and telecommunications
Agenda
Speakers
Drake Star Partners
Gregory Bedrosian
Managing Partner & CEO
Gregory Bedrosian is a Managing Partner & CEO of Drake Star, responsible for overseeing the day-to-day management of the firm on a global basis. Gregory is a seasoned investment banker whose experience spans both domestic and cross-border M&A and private equity transactions across the US, Europe, and emerging markets. Amongst his numerous honors, Gregory received the 2021 Global M&A Leadership Award, the 2016 M&A Advisor Leadership Award and is an M&A Advisor Hall of Fame inductee for his accomplishments in and contribution to international and cross-border mergers & acquisitions.
Mr. Bedrosian is a member of The Council on Foreign Relations and a regular speaker and contributor to leading industry and academic forums as well as Bloomberg, Forbes, S&P Global, Reuters and other leading financial news media. Gregory is currently an Advisor at the Harvard Innovation Labs, Non-Executive Chairman of the Investment Committee of Da Vinci Capital, a leading tech-focused emerging markets private equity investment firm, Non-Executive Board Member of a prominent emerging markets hedge fund as well as Senior Advisor to MEP Capital, a media & entertainment-focused credit and private equity fund.
Before Drake Star, Gregory co-founded Renaissance Capital, a leading investment bank focused on emerging markets and he was also the co-founder of The Sputnik Funds, a $1 billion private equity investment firm. He began his investment banking career at Credit Suisse First Boston and Salomon Brothers (now part of Citigroup). Throughout his international finance career, he has lived and worked in some of the most dynamic cities in the world – from New York and Boston to London, Moscow, and Miami.
Gregory holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BS in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
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Video Advertising Bureau
Sean Cunningham
President & CEO
Sean Cunningham is president and CEO of VAB, marketers' foremost industry source for insights-driven video research, intelligence and thought leadership in the U.S. With deep ad agency experience as a senior-level strategic advisor to marketers on all media formats, Sean is passionate about championing marketers in their quest to maximize outcomes, solve business challenges, build high-value brands and drive overall sales and profitability growth. The continual evolution of VAB reflects his belief in the perpetual drive to reinvent a successful company as a pillar advantage for all marketers.
Known for his ability to deeply immerse himself in a brand’s business, Sean has considerable experience in many of the largest consumer product verticals including automotive, technology, consumer electronics, consumer product goods, retail, beer, distilled spirits, hard goods, as well as business-to-business marketing sectors.
Previously, Sean held the top executive positions at multiple leading U.S. media and ad agencies in New York and Toronto, including Universal McCann, where he was integral in driving a period of unprecedented new business growth.
A Boston College graduate, avid skier, and classic car enthusiast, Sean and his wife Jessica are raising three teenagers in Westchester. The entire family is involved with both theater and ice hockey, particularly girls' amateur ice hockey and the American Special Hockey Association where Sean is highly involved in coaching.
S&P Global Market Intelligence
John Fletcher
Senior Analyst, Media
John Fletcher (Sr. Analyst) has spent over two decades as an industry analyst researching and forecasting the metrics and finances of the Telecommunication, Media and Technology (TMT) industry. Subjects covered have included cable networks, box office, mobile networks, fixed wireless, towers, broadband, mobile entertainment and consumer/b2b surveys.
He is currently leading the Americas research teams for broadband, multichannel video and mobile/towers at S&P Global Market Intelligence with a focus on the changing video subscription space and how the U.S. can close the broadband digital divide.
Mr. Fletcher holds a Bachelor’s in Economics from Saint Mary’s College of California. He is a frequent speaker and has been quoted in numerous publications including USA Today, The Wall Street Journal and The Economist.
S&P Global Market Intelligence
Sarah James
Senior Editor - TMT News & Research Management
Sarah has more than a decade of experience writing and editing data-driven, sector-focused content, covering everything from retransmission consent disputes to municipal broadband deployment. She has moderated various panels at industry events like Mobile World Congress and Streaming Media West, and she continues to produce articles around environmental, social and governance issues.
S&P Global Market Intelligence
Zaneta Kucerova
Associate Director, Business Development
Zaneta Kucerova is Associate Director at S&P Global Market Intelligence, where she leads business development for corporate solutions across the Technology and Consumer sectors. She brings over a decade of experience working with TMT corporates, advising clients on market trends, and aligning their workflows with S&P’s data and analytical capabilities.
Zaneta holds a degree from Goldsmiths, University of London, and has completed executive education programs at INSEAD and Imperial College Business School.
Octagon
William Mao
SVP Global Media Rights
William Mao is Senior Vice President of Octagon Global Media Rights Consulting. Leveraging IPG and Octagon’s proprietary data, research, and technology, he provides strategic consultation and insight to global rightsholders, media platforms, technology companies, and the investment community regarding sports and entertainment investments. Since joining Octagon in 2017, Mao has advised on over $26 billion in global media rights deals.
With nearly 20 years of Media Rights and Strategy Consulting experience, Mao has a proven track record of helping organizations achieve business goals in highly competitive markets. His clients have included over 20 different global football leagues & federations (including FIFA, French Ligue 1, Italian Serie A, and the Dutch Eredivisie) and features some of the biggest properties in Sports, including the National Football League, Major League Baseball, NASCAR, Tennis Australia, the National Women’s Soccer League, as well as multiple College athletic conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12, Big East, CUSA, WCC, Atlantic 10).
Prior to joining Octagon, Mao served as Vice President of Digital at global rights firm MP & Silva, where he brokered foundational non-linear media distribution deals for the agency’s sports properties, and advised on new commercial opportunities for the agency and its clients.
From 2011-2015, Mao was Head of College Sports for YouTube, where he established first-of-its-kind digital video partnerships with the NCAA and the Pac-12 Conference. While at YouTube, Mao also managed content partnerships with the NFL, NBA, MLB, and Turner Sports.
A recognized expert on the intersection of sports and media, Mao was named a ’30 Under 30’ in Sports by Forbes Magazine in 2015, and is a recipient of the Cynopsis Media Rising Star award. Mao regularly contributes insights to industry publications such as Sports Business Journal, Sportico, Sport Business, and SportsPro. He also provides commentary for major media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and The New York Times.
Mao graduated from Yale University with a BA in psychology with honors and also also holds an MBA from the London Business School. During his graduate studies, Mao served as President of the London Business School Student Association.
Guggenheim Partners
Drew Marcus
Senior Advisor
Drew Marcus has been a Senior Advisor at Guggenheim Securities since 2017. Drew has focused on media, sports and technology during his entire career which has included roles as an analyst, banker, portfolio manager and venture capitalist. Additionally, he is Managing Partner of Sugarloaf Rock Capital, which invests in TMT, Sports and Consumer companies, and serves as a Venture Advisor at Walden Venture Capital. He has been involved in over $150 billion of deals.
Drew was Founder, CEO and Portfolio Manager of SLRC Media Opportunities Fund from 2009-2016. The Fund focused on long term investing in public equity and debt securities in the TMT sectors. Drew was Vice Chairman of Global Banking at Deutsche Bank from 2005-2008. He was previously Managing Director, Global Head of Media Research and Senior Media Analyst. Drew joined Alex. Brown Inc. in 1992 as a founder of its Media Group, which was subsequently acquired by Deutsche Bank. Prior to that, he was in the Media and Technology Research Group at Kidder Peabody.
During his 20 years as an analyst, Drew covered the radio and TV broadcasting, outdoor and entertainment sectors. He was ranked as the number one Broadcasting Analyst in surveys conducted by Institutional Investor. In addition, he is an eight-time Institutional Investor “All American” and a six-time Wall Street Journal "Master Stock Picker.”
Mr. Marcus is on the Endowment Committee at the Martha’s Vineyard Community Foundation and on the Advisory Board at the Boys and Girls Club of Greenwich. In addition, he is on the University of Michigan Economics Leadership Council. Drew graduated from the University of Michigan and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.
S&P Global Market Intelligence
Justin Nielson
Research Director, Head of Kagan Research
Justin Nielson is a Principal Analyst and Head of S&P Global Market Intelligence Kagan, covering the broadcast, networks, sports, digital audio, and streaming video sectors. Mr. Nielson leads a team of 30+ research analysts creating qualitative analysis, quantitative forecast models, event driven articles and trend reports published on the CapIQ Pro platform.
His 17+ years of industry experience and knowledge have made Mr. Nielson a frequently quoted analyst in numerous trade publications as well as such national press as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, CNBC, and Bloomberg. He has been a panelist, presenter, and moderator for industry conferences and investor summits such as the National Association of Broadcasters Show, Wells Fargo Media & Telecom Summit, RadioInk Forecast and the Kagan Media Summit. In addition, Mr. Nielson has hosted and spoken on S&P webinars and podcasts including Next in Tech and MediaTalk.
Prior to Kagan, Mr. Nielson worked as a Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch and an Investment Representative at Edward Jones in Carlsbad, CA. Mr. Nielson holds a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree with a major in Global Business from Arizona State University - W. P. Carey School of Business and a Master of Science (M.S.) in Analytics degree at Georgia Tech along with multiple professional certificates in the fields of data science and analytics.
S&P Global Market Intelligence
Mike Reynolds
Senior Reporter, TMT
Mike Reynolds is a Senior Reporter with S&P Global Market Intelligence, based in Mamaroneck, NY. He covers Sports, Advertising, Broadcast and TV Networks, as part of the Global Media team in the Technology, Media and Telecommunication (TMT) research division.
A seasoned journalist and editor, Mr. Reynolds has more than 30 years of experience tracking the financial, distribution, technological, creative and marketing components of the broadcast, cable, streaming, sports and advertising industries. Over the course, Mr. Reynolds has interviewed myriad leading executives in those sectors, served as a panelist and moderator for industry conferences, and provided commentary for national and business outlets. He also hosts and contributes to S&P Global’s MediaTalk podcast.
Prior to joining S&P Global in 2015, Mr. Reynolds worked for a number of print and online publications, including Multichannel News and Inside Media.
S&P Global Market Intelligence
Scott Robson
Principal Analyst, US TV Networks
Scott Robson is senior research analyst in the Kagan media research group within S&P Global Market Intelligence, with a focus on US cable TV networks. In his current role, Scott analyzes the economics of broadcast, premium, cable and regional sports networks.
He publishes reports on trends in industry revenues and expenses, ratings and sports rights deals. He is often cited as a subject-matter expert by publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Financial Times of London.
Scott began working at S&P Global Market Intelligence in May 2014. Prior to that, Scott was a technical analyst for the global strategies team at Cantor Fitzgerald, specializing in the debt capital markets. He is a level 1 Chartered Market Technician.
Scott graduated from The McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, with a bachelor’s degree in management, leadership and innovation in 2006.
Bond & Pecaro
John Sanders
Principal
John Sanders is a principal in the firm of Bond & Pecaro, Inc., a Washington, DC‑based consulting firm specializing in valuations, asset appraisals, and related financial services for the media and communications industries. He was one of the founders of the firm in 1986. Prior to his association with Bond & Pecaro, Inc., John was Manager, Appraisal Group, with Frazier, Gross & Kadlec, Inc. He worked for that firm in various analytical and managerial positions between 1982 and 1986.
John has been actively involved in both fair market valuations and asset appraisals of over 2,000 television, radio, hardline and wireless cable, radio common carrier, newspaper, and related communications businesses. He has provided expert testimony in local, state, and Federal courts, as well as in arbitration and regulatory proceedings.
John has spoken on financial issues for the Cellular Telecommunications Association (CTIA), the Personal Communications Industry Association (PCIA), the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), the Media Financial Management Association (MFM), the Telecom Publishing Group, and other organizations. His commentaries have also been published in the trade press, including Cellular Business, PCIA Journal, Open Channels, Broadcasting & Cable, and Communications magazines, the Broadcast Financial Journal, TVNewsCheck.com, and the MFM SmartBrief. He has been interviewed by publications including The Washington Post, The Orlando Sentinel, Communications, PCS News, Radio World, Wireless Week, and Telephony.
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S&P Global Market Intelligence
Seth Shafer
Principal Analyst
Seth Shafer is a Principal Analyst at S&P Global Market Intelligence Kagan. He leads streaming video coverage and oversees the group’s Consumer Insights surveys conducted in the US, Europe and Asia-Pacific. Specific areas of research focus include subscription video and free, ad-supported video market sizing and tracking the broader consumer shift to digital entertainment. His research and commentary is frequently cited in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Forbes and Variety, and he has served as a panelist and speaker at a wide range of industry events. Seth has worked as a research analyst in the TMT sector for 25 years and joined Kagan in 2012. Prior to joining Kagan, he worked at Bwin AG and at Hoover’s Inc., a subsidiary of Dun & Bradstreet.
Venue
22 Vanderbilt
335 Madison Avenue
7th Floor – Commons
New York, NY, 10017
Pricing
Registration Fees:
Current clients include any firm that currently subscribes to products/services offered by S&P Global Market Intelligence, excluding other conferences and training classes.
Past Attendees
- AMC Networks Inc.
- Angelo, Gordon & Co., L.P.
- Axios
- BMO Capital Markets
- Byron Media
- Cable Television Laboratories, Inc.
- Charter Communications Operating, LLC
- China Securities
- Claremont Financial Group, Inc.
- Comcast
- Comcast Corporation
- Cosmos Bridge Capital
- Debtwire
- Deutsche Bank AG
- Digital Content Next
- DIRECTV
- Endicott Capital Management, L.L.C.
- ESPN
- Family Entertainment Tv
- Fubo
- Goldman Sachs
- Google LLC
- Grant Thornton Advisors LLC
- Hallmark Media
- Hardwick Law Firm, LLP
- HUB International
- Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, LLC
- Main Peak Consulting
- Major League Baseball Enterprises, Inc.
- MediaRadar
- Momlife Tv, LLC
- Movieartreview
- National Association Of Broadcasters
- National Football League, Inc.
- National Women's Soccer League
- NBCUniversal Media, LLC
- Newstech Media Llc
- Nexstar Media Group, Inc.
- Nikkei Inc.
- Nokia
- NOX Media
- Oaktree Capital Management, L.P.
- Octagon, Inc.
- Paramount Global
- PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
- Searchlight Capital Partners, L.P.
- SFV Climate Fund
- Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management
- Summit Street Capital, LLC
- The Asahi Shimbun
- The E.W. Scripps Company
- The New School
- The Raine Group LLC
- The Walt Disney Company
- TV Entertainment Reality Network
- TYV
- Verizon Communications Inc.
- WME IMG, LLC
- Yahoo Inc.