On February 7th, at the Fira de Barcelona Gran Via, the Futures of Communication Chair organized a workshop focused on the future of television and audiovisual education. The event featured prominent professionals and academics, symbolizing the convergence between the academic world and the audiovisual industry.

The first panel, "Beyond platform television: What’s the new thing?", moderated by Professor Morten Fjeld, explored the direction of the television ecosystem in the post-streaming era. Elena Neira, professor at UOC, highlighted that platforms are prioritizing financial efficiency and revenue over production volume, while Miguel Salerno (Neopsis) stressed the need for a better recommendation system to combat “choice fatigue” and emphasized the importance of compelling storytelling. Helena Oller (Filmin) defended human curation as a distinctive approach to content selection, and Cristina Mont (Lavinia) emphasized that technological innovation should serve storytelling rather than replace it. The discussion underscored how new business models, AI, and audience transformation are redefining the industry.

Additionally, the panel strengthened ties between the Chair and Media Futures, a Norwegian research center dedicated to the development of responsible media technology powered by artificial intelligence. This collaboration is essential for the project granted by ACCIÓ, under which the event is framed and which aims to promote futures studies within the audiovisual sector, a project coordinated by the Catalan Audiovisual Cluster, with the support of Lavinia and Filmin.

The second panel, "From campus to screens: transforming higher education in audiovisual communication", moderated by Mercè Oliva, director of the Chair, featured Jan Gonzalo Iglesias (Universitat Rovira i Virgili), Matilde Delgado (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona), Mar Guerrero (Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Guillem Suau (Universitat de Lleida), and Hibai López (Universitat de Barcelona). The speakers analyzed how university programs in audiovisual communication must adapt to the emergence of new formats and platforms, emphasizing the need for an interdisciplinary approach and stronger connections with the professional sector, while maintaining a critical and scientific perspective on technological transitions.

This workshop marks the beginning of a collaboration between the Chair and ISE, with the goal of integrating foresight into the audiovisual field and fostering strong alliances between academia and industry. This collaboration is expected to continue in future events, strengthening ties and promoting innovation in the sector.

With the support of: