Faced with dwindling attendance over the past few years and the continued evolution of Internet technologies, the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) has pulled the plug on The Cable Show in favor of rebranding it as INTX.
INTX, which stands for the Internet and Television Expo, will still be held on The Cable Show’s original schedule of May 5-7 next year in Chicago, but with more of an Internet focus.
The NCTA said INTX would train its attention on the digital media and entertainment economy, “featuring multichannel video and broadband Internet providers, television creators and producers, online video distributors, digital technologists and startups, engineers and more.” The reformatted conference will have a newly designed exhibit floor and “will be home to the most interesting companies in technology, software and apps, online video, multi-screen, mobility, consumer tech, games and advertising.”
“Everything about media and communications is being reinvented: the way we watch, how we keep in touch, what we know, how we play. So now is a perfect time to reinvent the way we come together to learn, network and do business,” said NCTA President and CEO Michael Powell. “Everyday the digital landscape changes and the networks that enable it becomes more powerful. This new expo will highlight all of these new trends and voices in every corner of today’s digital economy.”
Jerry Kent, chairman and CEO, Suddenlink Communications, and Alfred Liggins, CEO and president, Radio One and TV One, will serve as co-chairs for the inaugural INTX conference.
The Cable Show drew 10,000 attendees this year in Los Angeles, 12,000 in Washington D.C. and Boston the previous two years and 13,000 in Chicago three years ago.
As technologies evolve, large conferences have a limited shelf live. TelcoTV was rebranded TelcoVision, while The Western Show is now a distant memory in the cable operator industry.
With dwindling basic video subscribers, Internet services have become a bigger part of cable operators’ bottom lines over the past few years, and there’s increased competition from OTT providers.
