The ICE07 conference followed Robert J. Sawyer’s keynote with a cross-platform panel. A few points that struck me as interesting:

Maria Hale, CHUM’s Vice President of Content Business Development, indicated that CHUM is managing Much Music as a multi-platform brand.

Brian Seth Hurst uses CHUM as an example of a big media company that is accompanying its audiences on their exploration of the new media. CHUM is smart in the way it creates a bond with its audience and looks over their shoulders to see what they like and what they are moving toward.

Blogger and author Shel Israel suggested that the next generation of consumers will be teflon resistant to marketing. They will be comfortable with the decentralization of content production. He argued that platforms like Joost won’t replace television. He likened it to rock and roll. “Rock and Roll didn’t replace Opera. But is sure did change the world of music.” Joost and platforms like it will have an equally profound impact on traditional television.

Brian Seth Hurst suggested that future business opportunities can be found in: profiling, aggregating, and automating. Profiling: As the consumer is able to express her preferences, understanding these preferences and the clusters of users will be essential. Aggregating: the distribution model of the future. Automation: Don’t make me look for content manually. Know my profile, find the content and deliver it to me automatically.

Mike Lee, Chief Strategy Officer of Rogers Communications Inc. suggested that Canada’s broadcast and distribution regulatory regime holds back companies from innovating as rapidly as they’d like. Changes in regulations are necessary to enable Canadian companies to thrive in the new era.