BBC adds TalkTalk’s Tristia Harrison to roster of industry-leading speakers at Children's Global Media Summit 2017

Taking place in Manchester from 5-7 December, the Summit’s vision is to redesign the future of media for young people, for many of whom the digital world is without limits or end, an unlimited resource with unlimited possibilities for the unlimited generation: Generation U.

The Summit will bring together leading voices in media, technology and beyond from around the globe, including Michelle Guthrie, Managing Director at ABC; Sangeeta Desai, COO and CEO Emerging Markets, FremantleMedia; Deepika Bhardwaj, journalist and filmmaker; and Michael Wamaya, Finalist of the Global Teacher Prize.

Content at the Summit will span technology, diversity, celebrity culture, learning and how to balance opportunity and responsibility in an unlimited media era. Sessions announced so far include Generation Journalist; Ca$hing In On The Kids; The Rise Of The Machines; and The Router Of All Evil.

Tristia Harrison, CEO at TalkTalk, says: “It’s a really important time to discuss the opportunities and challenges for children and young people in our hyper-connected age. That the Summit is in the North West, the birthplace and spiritual home of TalkTalk, is fitting. We’re passionate about the benefits of connectivity being for everyone, not just the privileged few.

“How we empower children across the UK from all backgrounds to make the most of the digital revolution, while also dealing with the risks, could be one of the defining legacies of a generation of business leaders, policy makers and parents.”

The BBC’s role as lead content partner for 2017 will be underlined through the active involvement of Alice Webb, Director of BBC Children’s, as Chair of The Summit.

Alice Webb says: “The BBC is delighted to be the lead content provider for the Summit. The BBC has been producing media for children for over 90 years and we are constantly inspired to strive harder and challenge ourselves to break new boundaries to inform, entertain, educate and inspire the youngest members of society.”

BBC Director-General Tony Hall will deliver the opening address as The Summit prepares to tackle five over-arching themes: education, empowerment, entertainment, innovation and freedom.

Tony Hall says: “We’ll be taking charge of the Children’s Global Media Summit in Manchester, gathering together the world’s most important content creators, tech companies and policy chiefs to help shape the future of children’s media. This Summit is a great example of what we’re doing to lead the way in reinventing public service broadcasting.”

The Summit was founded in 1995 in order to help secure the future of children’s programming in a rapidly-changing world. Formerly known as the World Summit On Media For Children, the summit is held every three years, beginning in Australia. London was the host city in 1998, while the last nation to host the event was Kuala Lumpur in 2014.

Speakers already announced include:

• Aaron Haroon Rashid, CEO at Unicorn Black, creator of Burka Avenger
• Andreas Schleicher, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
• Andy Yeatman, Director for Global Kids Content, Netflix
• Anne Longfield OBE, Children’s Commissioner for England
• Cha Kil-young, CEO, SevenEdu and Chamath
• Dr Maya Göetz, International Central Institute for Youth and Educational Television, Germany, and of the Prix Jeunesse Foundation
• Jeffrey D Dunn, President and CEO, Sesame Workshop
• Peter Salmon, Chief Creative Officer, Endemol Shine Group
• Professor Sugata Mitra, School of Education, Communication and Language Sciences at Newcastle University, UK
• Richard Scudamore, Executive Chairman of the Premier League
• Tony Hall, Director-General, BBC

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• Children's Global Media Summit 2017