Senior executives from leading European and international broadcasters and production companies are set to gather at the 7th edition of the Lille Dialogues on 27 March 2025. This one-day international summit is part of the television festival Series Mania’s industry programme and aims to foster cooperation and thoughtful discussion on the current challenges confronting the TV industry.

The Lille Dialogues bring together key figures from across the audiovisual sector, including representatives from France Télévisions, ITV Studios, M6, Warner Bros. Discovery, and the Franco-German cultural network ARTE. The event’s agenda focuses on the theme “Post Peak TV: Challenging times ahead,” highlighting pressing issues such as the evolving funding landscape, shifting audience behaviours, and the rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into the industry.

Series Mania President Anne Bouverot will open the summit, followed by panel discussions and keynote speeches delivered by top executives. Laurence Herszberg, founder and general director of the Lille Dialogues, outlined the primary challenges facing the sector: “First, a funding crisis marked by an intense battle to capture advertising budgets. Second, a sociological challenge linked to this advertising crisis, given today’s younger generations’ shift to social platforms, and finally, an industrial revolution driven by the undeniable impact of artificial intelligence.” She added that the Lille Dialogues continue to serve as “a vital platform to curate insightful discussions, collaborative solutions, and thought-provoking exchange” among industry leaders.

The panel topics scheduled for this year reflect these themes, including:

  • “All Eyes on Advertising Budget: What are the impacts on content creation?”

  • “Fast Forward – The AI Revolution: What will our industry look like in five years?”

  • “Deepfake & Algorithms: How should we develop critical thinking in viewers?”

  • “Preserving A Virtuous European Model: The challenges of the 2026 AVMS revision.”

Prominent industry figures set to contribute to these discussions include Erik Barmack, CEO of Wild Sheep Content; Antoine Bayet, Head of Editorial at INA; Marianne Carpentier, Head of Emerging Technologies at TF1; Johann Choron, Head of Gen AI for Media & Entertainment, Google EMEA; and Susana Gato, President of CEPI, among others. Legal experts such as Amélie Lacourt from the European Audiovisual Observatory and executives from major broadcasters like Jean-Paul Philippot of RTBF will also participate.

The summit’s keynote addresses will be delivered by senior leaders from major broadcasters and media companies, including:

  • Bruno Patino, CEO of ARTE

  • Delphine Ernotte Cunci, CEO of France Télévisions

  • Ruth Berry, President of Global Partnerships & Zoo 55 at ITV Studios

  • David Larramendy, Chairman of the management board of M6 Group

  • Rodolphe Belmer, CEO of TF1 Group

  • Gerhard Zeiler, President of International at Warner Bros. Discovery

As the television industry navigates an era marked by shrinking advertising revenues, evolving audience preferences, and technological innovations, the 2025 Lille Dialogues seek to provide a platform for strategic exchange and collective reflection on how the sector can adapt and thrive.

Source: Noah Wire Services