Public vs private blockchain? What is a consensus algorithm? How does a distributed ledger actually work? This session will help demystify the concepts, jargon and cut through the hype in just 20 minutes.

Nicole Bales, Director APAC, Client Solutions and WSJ Custom Content will discuss the importance of prioritising quality content when it comes to working with clients on innovative advertising solutions. Brand safety, world class content development and operating with integrity are all ingredients for success.

How do you tell a story in the digital age that stands out, captures their attention, encourages them to read more, captivates their imagination and gets them to engage with you?  Audiences expect and demand that stories are real. Authentic storytelling provides this window into something a lot bigger.

Drawing on the world’s largest ongoing, international study of news and media use, this presentation looks at the main trends in the region, key differences between markets, and the similarities and differences between Asian markets and developments elsewhere. Covering the relative decline of social media, move to messaging applications, and changes in the business of news, this presentation provides crucial context for editorial and strategic decision-making across the world.

A look at the global use cases and large-scale implementation of blockchain technology to address real-world problems in specific industry verticals. Might some of these ideas apply to the media industry? [This presentation replaces the one by Civil CEO Matthew Iles, who sends his regrets that he is unable to attend Digital Media Asia]

Germany’s biggest news media brand, BILD, introduced digital subscription and a paywall in 2013. Prior to that, BILD was solely reliant on advertising revenue on its digital channels. In just five years, BILD has amassed an impressive subscriber base of more than 410,000 paying customers. Tobias Henning, General Manager - Premium, will talk about the learnings, factors of success and future plans for BILD's paid content.

Leading Japnaese newspaper, Asahi Shimbun, co-organises one of the country's biggest amateur sports events every summer - the National High School Baseball Championship - which dates back more than 100 years. For the first time, this 139-year-old newspaper used articificial intelligence (AI) to write its game reviews this year. Dispelling the notion that a legacy newspaper is incapable of high tech innovation, the Asahi's major advantage in developing this AI-writing robot was due to the huge amount of accumulated game data.

Xinhua’s New Media Service has made the whole process of news gathering, video editing and distribution extremely mobile, bringing about tremendous changes to way news is produced in terms of timeliness, workflow, format and storytelling approach. Dr Dawei He, Deputy Chief Editor of Xinhua’s New Media Center also shows how the use of artificial intelligence (AI) has empowered Chinese media at all levels, including nearly 3,000 field reporters and producers.