Jim Bankoff, AOL Programming Chief, Looks to the Future at CONNECTIONS™: The Digital Home Conference and Showcase

CONNECTIONS™: The Digital Home Conference and Showcase will explore the ubiquity of the Internet and its impact on all of our lives beginning on Wednesday, May 11, 2005.

In his opening keynote, Jim Bankoff, executive vice president of Programming & Products for AOL, will discuss the importance of providing compelling programming as the industry competes more and more aggressively for consumer eyeballs and advertisers.

CONNECTIONS™: The Digital Home Conference and Showcase, produced by Parks Associates in partnership with the Consumer Electronics Association, will take place May 11-13, 2005, at the Hyatt Regency near the San Francisco Airport in Burlingame, Calif. The opening keynote “Online Programming: The Next Frontier” begins at 4:45 on May 11, 2005.

“Roughly one-third of all U.S. households now have broadband access and nearly 20 million have a home network, creating new possibilities in entertainment and information access,” said Tricia Parks, president of Parks Associates. “AOL is a market leader in making the Internet more accessible and more integral to people’s lives. As connectivity continues to expand, AOL’s market actions, guided by its strong place in this market, will help realize and define the role of the Internet.”

Bankoff will explore the factors driving the next generation of online programming. Specifically he will examine the impact of persistent access, interactivity, video, search functions, and community on domains such as music, news, sports, personal finance, and movies. He will also explore the resultant changes in ways consumers live, get information, and stay entertained.

Says Bankoff, “As the Internet universe expands increasing competition across the board, compelling programming will draw audience. But what is compelling on the Internet? How important is originality or interactivity? How do we think about audience segments? Or community? These are the questions we are all asking about the next generation of online content.”

More information on sponsoring and attending CONNECTIONS™, including online registration, is available at http://www.connectionsconference.com. For information about sponsoring CONNECTIONS™, contact sales@parksassociates.com or call 972-490-1113.

About CONNECTIONS™
CONNECTIONS™: The Digital Living Conference and Showcase, hosted by leading research firm Parks Associates in partnership with the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA®), is the premier executive event focused on the market developments and growth factors for advanced digital lifestyle solutions.

CONNECTIONS™ sessions provide high-level research, knowledge, and analysis to over 1,000 executives from the converging industries developing products and services for consumers. Topics include IPTV and “TV 2.0,” bundled services, consumer storage, mobile applications and content, social and digital media, and home and lifestyle management.

For twelve years, the following industries have participated at CONNECTIONS™: new media, digital entertainment and gaming, home networks, Internet and television services, software and middleware, digital health, mobile applications and services, consumer electronics, and home control systems and security.

For information about CONNECTIONS™, contact sales@parksassociates.com or call 972-490-1113.

For information on speaking, sponsoring, or attending, please visit www.connectionsconference.com.