The OTT.X EPG, SCTE & Sports Data Roundtables are collaborative working sessions bringing together senior executives from across the CTV and sports media ecosystems.
The October 7 program will feature two connected sessions focused on the standards, metadata, and technical foundations supporting live and linear streaming. The first will introduce the DSCA EPG specification as it approaches completion. The second will focus on sports data and taxonomy, a growing industry priority as live sports programming becomes increasingly distributed across platforms.
Both sessions will center on real-world use cases, practical implementation challenges, and the role shared standards can play in improving discovery, distribution, monetization, measurement, and the viewer experience.
DSCA EPG Specification Update
The first session will introduce the DSCA EPG specification as it approaches completion, giving attendees an opportunity to review the work and contribute perspectives on implementation and adoption.
- Structure, use cases, and core attributes
- Linear, FAST, live-event, and special programming support
- Scheduled and real-time program updates
- Alignment between EPG metadata, discovery, and SCTE signaling
- Implementation priorities, timelines, and next steps
Sports Data & Taxonomy Working Session
The second session will explore how greater consistency in sports data and taxonomy can improve the way sports content is identified, distributed, discovered, monetized, and measured across platforms.
- Identification of sports, leagues, teams, events, and competitions
- Classification of live events, replays, highlights, and related programming
- Delays, cancellations, overruns, and real-time changes
- Connections between sports data, EPG metadata, and signaling
- Industry gaps, shared terminology, and opportunities for alignment
Who Should Attend
This roundtable brings together senior executives from streaming platforms, OEMs, FAST and linear publishers, distributors, data providers, standards bodies, technology companies, rights holders, sports organizations, and other stakeholders working across EPG, metadata, SCTE signaling, sports data, discovery, and live programming. Participants do not need to be involved in the existing working groups to attend.
Finding Common Ground
Participants will engage in candid discussion around interoperability, real-time updates, signaling, discovery, sports taxonomy, and implementation challenges. The goal is to establish shared definitions, clearer expectations, and practical next steps that improve how live, linear, and sports content is represented and distributed across the streaming ecosystem.
Event Details
- Wednesday, October 7, 2026
- 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM PT
- Roku Offices in Santa Monica, California
- In-person attendance or virtual participation
Open to OTT.X and DSCA members, along with select invited stakeholders actively engaged in EPG, metadata, SCTE signaling, live streaming operations, sports data and taxonomy, content distribution, and standards development across the CTV ecosystem.
Agenda
10:00 AM - 12:00 PMDSCA EPG Specification Update
In-person attendance or virtual participation via Zoom
This session will introduce the DSCA EPG specification as it approaches completion and provide a structured forum for industry feedback and discussion.
Topics will include:
- The specification’s scope, structure, use cases, and core attributes
- Support for linear, FAST, live-event, and special programming channels
- Scheduled and real-time program updates
- Alignment between EPG metadata, discovery, and SCTE signaling
- Implementation and adoption considerations
- Final priorities, timelines, and opportunities to participate
This session is open to existing working-group participants and those interested in learning about the specification or contributing their perspectives.12:00 PM - 1:00 PMLunch
In-person attendance only
An informal break for in-person attendees to connect and continue conversations.1:00 PM - 3:00 PMSports Data & Taxonomy Working Session
In-person attendance or virtual participation via Zoom
This session will explore how greater consistency in sports data and taxonomy can improve the way sports content is identified, distributed, discovered, monetized, and measured across platforms.
The working group session will:
- Identification of sports, leagues, teams, events, seasons, and competitions
- Classification of live events, replays, highlights, and related programming
- Delays, cancellations, overruns, and real-time changes
- Connections between sports data, EPG metadata, and signaling
- Current implementation gaps across the ecosystem
- Opportunities to align terminology, use cases, and next steps
The session welcomes perspectives from across the streaming and sports media ecosystems, including those not currently involved in the existing working groups.
Moderators
Thomas Dodson
Vice President of Platform Operations | Roku
Tom Dodson is Vice President of Platform Operations at Roku, where he played a pivotal role in launching The Roku Channel in 2017. He leads platform operations supporting Roku’s expanding streaming ecosystem and brings extensive experience across content operations, distribution, and FAST programming.
Craig Seidel
Chief Executive Officer | Seidel Media Technology
Craig Seidel is a renowned technology executive working in media, always looking for better ways to do business.
He has transformed film and television distribution by creating novel technologies, known collectively as the MovieLabs Digital Distribution Framework (MDDF), and building consensus to adopt them. For this he received an Emmy award. As a principal at MovieLabs and CTO at Pixelogic Media, Craig has worked with closely with technology leaders in studios, services companies, and streaming platforms.
He has decades of experience including over 20 years in movies and television. Craig holds engineering degrees from UC Berkeley and Stanford.
Request an Invitation
Who Should Attend?
This roundtable is open to OTT.X and DSCA members, along with select industry stakeholders working across:
- Live TV, FAST, and CTV platform operations
- EPG, metadata, discovery, and content systems
- OEM platforms and operating systems
- Content distribution and technical operations
- SCTE signaling and live-event workflows
- Streaming technology, data, and measurement
- Sports programming, rights, data, and distribution
Participants do not need to be involved in the existing working groups to attend. Participation is intentionally curated to maintain a senior, collaborative, and off-the-record environment for executives shaping the technical foundations of live, linear, and sports streaming.
Interested attendees may request an invitation to participate in person or virtually. Registration is free for all OTT.X members.