Television Festival To Focus On Digital Future

This year’s MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival will see increasing focus on digital developments in the media, and will stick with its long-winded title despite suggestions last year the festival would re-brand to reflect the converging landscape.

Festival chair Tim Hincks said today at the event’s programme launch in central London that organisers were keeping their minds open to the idea of changing the MGEITF’s name, but that a moniker truly reflective of the new era had not been agreed so far.

Hincks said that television as a platform had generally become less and less important over the past few years but that strangely, in the past year, television had once again become more important in terms of media interest in the medium – in terms of the Celebrity Big Brother race row and TV phone-in scandals in particular.

Digital platforms and technology are to be a huge focus of the festival, however, with highlights including the alternative MacTaggart lecture by Google’s chief internet evangelist Vint Cerf, a man regarded by some as the “father of the internet”.

Other main speakers include Joost founder Janus Friis and Bebo International president, Joanna Shields.

25 years of Channel 4 will also be a major focus of the festival, with both Andy Duncan and Kevin Lygo playing a major role in tackling recent criticisms, whilst the controllers of the major terrestrial and digital channels will discuss the highs and lows of the past, eventful year.

MGEITF: www.mgeitf.co.uk