Variety Announces Additional Speakers and Sessions for Expanded CES 2026 Programming
Written by admin on December 17, 2025
As previously announced, Variety will now host two days of programming at CES in Las Vegas. Its annual Entertainment Summit at CES will take place on Jan. 7, and the new Business of Creators Summit, presented by Samsung Ads, will take place on Jan. 8.
New Additions to the Business of Creators Summit Presented by Samsung Ads on Jan. 8 are as follows:
The day will now feature “New Hollywood Power Players: The Rise of Creators on TV,” a panel examining how creators are rapidly emerging as key players in streaming, particularly across FAST platforms such as Samsung TV Plus, which offer scale and highly engaged audiences. The discussion will explore the evolving television landscape, why FAST platforms are an ideal environment for creator growth, and why advertisers must pay attention to creators’ rising influence on TV. The panel will be moderated by Cynthia Littleton, co-editor-in-chief, Variety, and will feature Ryan Wilson, managing director of sales, Samsung Ads; Takashi Nakano, VP of content and programming, Samsung TV Plus; Rishita Patel, head of media, Mark Rober’s Crunch Labs; and Evan Shapiro, media cartographer.
The “State of the Creator Economy in Media and Entertainment,” where industry leaders will discuss the top trends, opportunities and challenges shaping today’s burgeoning creator economy, features Cathy Oh, VP and head of marketing at Samsung Ads.
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“At Samsung Ads, we recognize the profound impact of creators in shaping culture and forging meaningful connections with audiences,” said Samsung’s Oh. “Creators are expanding beyond social media, venturing into new realms of entertainment and embracing new platforms like connected TV, redefining storytelling and opening up new doors for advertisers. We’re proud to partner with Variety for the inaugural Business of Creators event to spotlight this pivotal moment.”
Additional programming includes a fireside chat, “The Live Shopping Era has Arrived,” featuring Sandie Hawkins, CEO of TalkShopLive.
Variety will also present a fireside chat with Shapiro, titled “Zooming In on the Creator Ecosphere,” exploring who truly carries influence and trust in media and entertainment today, and why engagement quality can be more meaningful than follower or subscriber counts.
Substack Co-Founder Hamish McKenzie will speak about rising opportunities for creators across the digital publishing platform.
Variety will also present “Masters of the Creator-Verse,” with Rich Bloom, EVP and general manager of creator programs at Tubi, newly added to the lineup, and “Audiences Unlocked: The Future of Creator Marketing,” featuring Marcus Liassides, SVP and head of digital at Mattel.
New additions to the Variety Entertainment Summit at CES on Jan. 7 include:
“How Smarter Partnerships Are Reshaping Media” will explore how marketers are increasingly seeking partners who offer clarity, control and measurable impact, featuring Khurrum Malik, CMO, Walmart Connect, and Ian Colley, Chief Marketing Officer, The Trade Desk
“Decoding the Feed: How Zefr Leverages NVIDIA Technology to Analyze Social Content at Scale” will explore how content creation on social platforms is evolving amid rapid shifts in trends, user-generated content, and AI-assisted and AI-manipulated media. The session will be moderated by Todd Spangler, Chief Business Editor, Variety, and will feature Jamie Allan, Global Head of Business Development for Streaming, Sports and AdTech at NVIDIA, and Jon Morra, Chief AI Officer at Zefr.
Also just added is the session “Harnessing Fandom through Live Sports Content,” which will feature Danielle Carney, director, US Video and Live Sports, Amazon Ads and Martin Blich, executive director, head of sports partnerships & content US, WPP Media.
Newly added speakers to previously announced sessions include Julian Franco, president of strategy and operations at Fox Entertainment; Val Boreland, president of entertainment at Versant; Jay Levine, chief strategy and business officer at Sony Pictures Entertainment; and Alison Hoffman, president of Starz, joining “The Future of Content” panel.
Additionally, “Brandmakers Elite Roundtable” adds Kristi Argyilan, global head at Uber Advertising; “Fandom in the Zeitgeist” adds Farzeen Ghorashy, president of Overtime; and “Big Picture Outlook” features Nikki Santoro, CEO of IMDb.
