Tech panels at Risks and Trends 2018
| Title of the panel | Time | Participants |
|---|---|---|
| "The end of net neutrality as we know it?" | 2.30 pm - 3.30 pm | Ben Bartlett, Public Policy Manager, Facebook Marcin Cichy, President, Office of Electronic Communications Jacek Niewęgłowski, Member of the Board, P4 Andrzej Bobiński, Director for New Projects, Polityka Insight (chair) |
| E-gaming, financing startups and online TV | 4.00 pm -5.00 pm |
Monika Morali-Majkut, Chairman of the Investment Committee, PFR Ventures |
Starting point
The third edition of Risks and Trends, Polityka Insight’s flagship conference, will be held on Monday, February 5. During the event, we will discuss opportunities and threats to the economy in the year ahead. Over a single day, decision-makers and experts will talk about what lies ahead for Poland and the world in 2018. We will also inaugurate thematic paths in our programme that are linked to our PI Finance and PI Energy services, as well as to technology. In the last section, we will talk about net neutrality, start-ups financed by PFR Ventures, growing popularity of eSports as well as competition in the online video sector.
Key points
End of net neutrality in the US. On December 14, 2017, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) eliminated net neutrality rules in the US. Internet providers will now be able to vary the speed of data transmission, and thus control how fast websites load up. As a result, they will try to profit from the fact by offering faster access through internet packages, similar to subscriptions currently offered by cable providers. Before FCC's decision, those against the rolling back of net neutrality launched a large campaign. Activists argued that such changes might encourage the government to decide what content would be available online – some websites might be relegated to the slow lane (porn sites) or even blocked (pirate sites).
The world will observe the impact. Telecoms have argued that they need money to invest in infrastructure used by online businesses, which constantly needs to be maintained. The bill will be footed by consumers and owners of largest websites. This might form an additional barrier for start-ups entering the market and offer an advantage to websites linked to network providers. We would like to ask Facebook’s Public Policy Manager Bart Bartlett, President of the Office of Electronic Communications Marcin Cichy, and Member of the P4 (Play) Board Jacek Niewęgłowski about what those changes mean for the market and whether they would reach the EU and Poland.
Online offensive of traditional broadcasters. The question whether Netflix would destroy television has often resurfaced in recent years. This time, the streaming media company has to prepare itself for a counter-offensive of traditional broadcasters. The acquisition of 21st Century Fox (which owns the Hulu streaming service) by Disney means that the new entity will control 31 per cent of the market. Netflix intends to spend more than USD 8 billion on new productions. Will traditional TV move online? Will global players generate more local content? We will ask these questions to Colin Bortner, Director of Global Public Policy at Netflix.
eSports enters the mainstream. Competitive gaming has seen a huge surge in popularity. Amazon’s Twitch streaming platform has over 200 million viewers – almost twice as much as Netflix. Some analysts believe that CD Projekt’s new game called Gwent – designed to be used in video competitions – will generate more profit than The Witcher. Former MinDigi Anna Streżyńska and a shareholder from the gaming and eSports sector have just set up a new company, and T-Mobile is sponsoring the academic eSports league. We will talk to Bogusław Leśnodorski, an investor and co-owner of AGO Gaming and Abstra about how one makes a profit on eSports, where exactly the Polish market is and who might benefit from the e-gaming sector.
Huge funds for Polish start-ups. PFR Ventures, alongside several dozen VC funds, will spend around PLN 3 billion to finance start-ups. Such investment in a shallow Polish market might spur a revolution. Is the domestic market ready? Is there a risk that a market bubble will form? Cash itself cannot guarantee international success – as a result, PFR would like funds that support start-ups to specialise and professionalise. Will CVC funds convince large Polish companies to make a significant investment in start-ups? What will happen in a few years when the public money runs out? We will discuss the financing of start-ups with Monika Morali-Majkut, Chairman of the Investment Committee at PFR Ventures.
