As audiences fragment across linear, streaming, FAST, YouTube and social, how do commissioners and producers decide where an idea belongs – and what makes it commercially viable?

With the launch of Hearst Canvas, Hearst is developing original, scalable content brands for digital platforms, particularly YouTube, alongside its established broadcast channels, including HISTORY.

But how does the platform itself change the way an idea is developed, financed, commissioned and produced? And what can traditional broadcasters and digital-first platforms learn from each other?

Hearst Canvas’s Sam Pearson joins filmmaker and Grammar Productions co-founder Alex Bescoby, producer of Sky HISTORY’s The Last Burma Star, to explore both sides of the commissioning relationship. Drawing on their experiences across traditional television, digital content and commercial partnerships, they’ll examine how producers can develop ideas for different audiences, platforms and business models.