The CSTB.PRO.MEDIA Forum will be held on February 17-18

On February 17-18, 2026, for the 28th time, the leading media industry event, CSTB.PRO.MEDIA, will take place, which will set the vector for the industry's development for the coming year. Specialists from all fields of work with video content will gather here to discuss production and distribution trends, introduce new technologies for creating videos, and talk about strategies for interacting with the audience, taking into account the new realities of the market.

Traditionally, the forum program will be opened by a Strategic session on the current agenda with the participation of leaders of the media industry, heads of major holdings and companies, representatives of relevant ministries and departments.

During the session "Pay TV. How to cope with rising content prices and meet viewer expectations" experts will discuss the issues of pay television: current strategies for interacting with viewers, changes in content consumption in general, advertising on pay television, as well as cooperation and collaborations of pay TV channels and online platforms in modern conditions.

The session "Entertainment content on TV. Genres and formats that become super hits" will bring together producers, screenwriters, heads of TV channels, media companies and streaming platforms, production studios, directors, show creators to discuss the future of entertainment in the era of hybrid broadcasting (TV + Digital), examples of successful localization of international entertainment formats, as well as the promotion of original Russian formats in the domestic and international markets. foreign markets.

The panel discussion "Russian Animation" will be held with the support of the Association of Animated Films (AAK). It will highlight the achievements of Russian animation. Producers from the country's leading animation studios will discuss indicators of the industry's steady growth, namely the growth in the number of studios, animation production volumes, the development of new export markets and content sales.

Important topics related to the modern generation of children will be discussed at the session "Content and products for modern children". The session will be attended by producers of digital content and other products for modern children, marketers, analysts, psychologists and experts.

The focus of the panel discussion "Trends in interactive advertising" is on innovative approaches and solutions for interactive advertising in the digital environment, as well as new online TV features for interactive interaction with users.

The round table "International distribution of Russian content" will discuss the unique offer and competitive advantages of Russian content in the global stream. Target audience: producers, distributors, production studios, streaming platforms, TV channels, international law experts, localizers, cultural scientists, representatives of government institutions.

The main topic for discussion at the "TV in the digital environment" session will be the audience. The speakers will talk about the differences between the TV audience and the "ether" audience, and raise the issue of audience growth. The session will also talk about the specifics of online TV advertising and discuss why media holdings should cooperate with Internet companies.

At the session "AI in Video production", top experts will discuss the drivers and risks of using AI technologies in the media. Purpose of the session: to form a systematic understanding of modern AI tools at each stage of content production, to assess their capabilities and limitations.

Vertical content is a new visual language. The discussion at the Vertical Content session will focus on the system features of vertical videos: reels, shorts, microdrames and vertical AI content.

What is an ecosystem in terms of media services? What strategies lead to business growth and capture the audience's attention? What's new in ecosystem subscription models in 2026. These and other issues will be discussed at the Ecosystem session. A universe of content."

An important part of the forum's program agenda is monetization, the content strategy of platforms, cost optimization, the use of the latest technologies, and the quality of the content produced. These main topics will be discussed at the panel discussion "Online cinemas. How content policy is changing with a saturated market and rising production costs for originals."

A special place in the Forum's program is given to events aimed at representatives of the telecom operator market. The Telecom Operator Day 2026 program will help telecom operators not only get acquainted with the current market agenda at the plenary session, but also to understand regulatory issues at the legal session. For the third time, the Promo Fest Pay TV Promo festival will be held as part of the Operator's Day.

Representatives of technology companies, IT specialists, manufacturers and distributors of telecommunication equipment will gather at a special technology session of the CASE STUDY. The experts will not only talk about advanced solutions, but also share their unique experience of their implementation and application in practice.

Within the framework of the forum, the winners of the 17th National Award in the field of multichannel digital television "Big Digital" will be announced in a solemn atmosphere.

An important part of the forum is the exhibition area of the participating companies with advanced solutions in the field of production, distribution and distribution of content.