More related content on the BRIDGE
- Media Panel 8 December 2:30 - 3:00PM
Are Investment Cycles Too Reactive?
As the media and information ecosystem evolves, funding patterns still swing sharply in response to elections, crises, and short-term shocks. Media often see capital surges around major events, followed by contractions once attention moves on. These cycles mirror the broader volatility of venture investment, where long-horizon innovation can be constrained by short-term sentiment. This session explores how public, private, philanthropic, and venture capital stakeholders can stabilize investment flows, build resilient institutions, and support long-term innovation across the media landscape instead of reacting only when disruption is already at the door.
Central StageSpeakers
- Picture Speech 8 December 3:00 - 3:10PM
The Future of Streaming Monetization Models
As audiences fragment and attention becomes the ultimate currency, streaming platforms are rethinking how value is created and shared. This session explores the next phase of digital entertainment—from evolving subscription models and ad-supported hybrids to strategic partnerships between tech, media, and creators. What will define profitability in an era where engagement, not just viewership, drives growth?
Central Stage - Picture Panel 8 December 1:30 - 2:00PM
An Era of Reinvention for On-Demand
Streaming platforms face a reckoning with plateauing subscriber growth slows and content costs climb, studios and OTT services are rewriting their playbooks, prioritizing profitability, partnership, and purposeful programming over scale at all costs. This conversation examines how on-demand models are evolving in the MENA region and beyond, from the economics of live sports and premium storytelling to localization, data-driven distribution, and hybrid monetization. Together, they explore what it will take to sustain relevance in an era where every viewer—and every minute—matters.
Central Stage - Media Panel 9 December 11:45AM - 12:00PM
Building an Integral Information Order
As the world confronts accelerating disruptions in how information is created, distributed, and consumed, BRIDGE convenes a council of leaders to define the principles and priorities needed for a coherent, trusted, and integral information order. Bringing together voices from the North, South, East, and West, this closed-door session examines the forces reshaping public trust, geopolitical stability, and cultural cohesion. The council will articulate shared frameworks for integrity, authenticity, and resilience, outlining how nations and institutions can collectively steward a healthier global information ecosystem for the decade ahead.
Forum StageSpeakers
- Media Fireside 8 December 4:15 - 4:30PM
Stories with an Agenda
Storytelling has long helped societies navigate power, policy, and crisis, informing, connecting, and challenging. Yet today, narratives are increasingly weaponized: 62% of Americans, according to a 2020 Pew study, cite social media as a major source of false information. How can we reclaim storytelling as a force for trust, inclusion, and impact, while guarding against manipulation?
Forum StageSpeakers
- Media Workshop 9 December 1:25 - 2:05PM
Data-Driven Content: Analytics for Media Professionals
Explore how to utilize analytics to inform content creation and strategy, ensuring alignment with audience preferences and trends. Trainer: Eman Khattab, Sky News Arabia
IMI Academy