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Blog
Tuesday, Sept. 29 marked Amagi’s fifth annual LA FAST conference. Even though this was our fifth version, this one felt different. And not just because we changed the name of the conference from LA FAST to LA PLAY (more on that later), but because of the innovation and growth we're seeing across the media and entertainment industry. Shifting viewer habits, AI's acceleration and vertical video are just a few of those growth areas.
M&E is constantly evolving, and industry leaders want to know what’s next and how to navigate these changes.
We set out to answer some of the questions with the help of renowned media leaders, including Byron Allen, Rich Greenfield and Hernan Lopez, plus execs from companies including Nielsen, NBCU, CNN, Sinclair, Fremantle and Tubi.
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Key takeaways from LA PLAY 2026
- The industry is moving beyond launching more FAST (free ad-supported streaming TV) channels toward building sustainable, data-driven businesses around content, audiences and advertising.
- Standard FAST ad inventory is being overhauled, from contextual intelligence to interactive formats.
- Audience habits are outpacing traditional programming cycles, so reach, engagement and discoverability are now crucial
- Broadcasters are looking to unify live, linear and FAST workflows onto a single media industry cloud architecture.
- Creators, social and vertical video are an emerging part of the media landscape.
Who spoke at LA PLAY 2026?
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Byron Allen, Allen Media Group: The media mogul opened the day with advice on navigating an industry that is constantly changing.
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Rich Greenfield, LightShed Partners: Media futurist Greenfield broke down where capital, ad dollars and viewer minutes are actually moving in the industry.
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Hernan Lopez, Owl & Co: Lopez discussed the emerging world of creators, social and vertical video.
- Brian Fuhrer, Nielsen: Fuhrer shared insights into where viewer attention is shifting, and what that means for everyone from content owners to advertisers.
The story behind LA FAST becoming LA PLAY
A large part of the day’s discussion centered less around FAST and more around a central theme we are seeing at Amagi – the industry’s evolution beyond simply launching more FAST channels toward building sustainable, data-driven businesses around content, audiences and advertising.
That’s why we changed the name from LA FAST to LA PLAY.
LA PLAY 2026 session highlights
- The next era of FAST monetization: From contextual intelligence to interactive formats, standard ad inventory is getting a total overhaul. We unpacked the data signals and ad units buyers are competing for.
Content is king. Attention is kingmaker
Top publishers and platforms discussed how they fight for reach, engagement, and discoverability as audience habits outpace traditional programming cycles.
Behind the Scenes: Unifying media operations
A real-world example of how a leading broadcaster unified live, linear, and FAST workflows onto a single media industry cloud architecture. An inside look at what simplified, what saved money, and what needed to be fixed along the way.
Want to learn more? Send us a note and we'll send the full session recordings once they're uploaded.
