PTiO: Why the future of TV is not ad-free – and will be mix of digital and conventional

By Perry Hoffman

OTTAWA - There can be little doubt that digital platforms and their subscription-based business models are having an impact on traditional television, but a group of Canadian media leaders argued that the future of TV is going to be a mix of digital and conventional, supported by a pure advertising-based model or one that combines advertising and subscriptions.“The future is not ad-free. From our point of view that’s a key piece of the content monetization puzzle,” said Barbara Williams, president of Shaw Media, and executive VP of broadcasting. “There will be subscription models, there will be some advertising models, there...