Scholar, author and cultural anthropologist Grant McCracken is set to explore the rise and impact of binge-viewing during his keynote opener at the upcoming Kidscreen Summit, which will be held in New York from February 9 to 12.

In his presentation entitled “Shifting Platforms, Changing Audiences,” McCracken will tackle binge-viewing as a new entertainment consumption trend, exploring how it’s changing what we watch, how we watch it—and even more importantly, how we make it. Event attendees will learn the new rules for creativity that are beginning to emerge, as well as gain an understanding of how this trend may trickle down to kids audiences.

McCracken’s latest book, Culturematic, was published by the Harvard Business Review Press in May 2012.

The full Kidscreen Summit 2014 conference program is also now available online, offering more than 65 keynotes, panel discussions, presentations, debates and networking sessions. Some highlights include:

In Conversation with Julia Donaldson
Picture book phenomenon The Gruffalo first stomped onto the kids entertainment scene in 1999, and it has since left a trail of books, short films, consumer products and a theatrical debut in its wake. More bestselling titles like Room on the Broom soon followed. In this session, their award-winning creator and author Julie Donaldson talks about her creative process, her life spent entertaining children through her work and performances, and her newest book, Superworm.

Buzz Report: Kid trends from the Nick files
The Nickelodeon Consumer Insights team is on deck once again to wow us with their latest observations of emerging trends from the cultural landscape of kids, tweens and parents.

The Plot Thickens: Is traditional storytelling still kicking?
With sexy new forms of content breaking all the narrative rules right now, is there still a place in children’s media for traditional storytelling? In this session, a panel of producers who are adapting digital IPs for TV discuss their strategies and talk through the challenges and opportunities they’ve encountered.

Boys vs. Girls: Understanding the gender divide
Listen up as boys and girls ages six to 12 talk with us live about how their gender differences and similarities impact the entertainment choices they make.

The BIG Pitch!
Two series will be chosen to compete for the top slot at The Big Make Believe Network with a death-defying live development session during The BIG Pitch! We’re looking for creator/writer teams to present their pitches live on stage and make adjustments in real time, based on notes thrown at them by a panel of broadcast, licensing and production executives. Check it out here.

Last year, Kidscreen Summit welcomed more than 1,600 attendees from 47 countries around the world. And more than 400 kids TV buyers and investors were at the event looking for new content and partners. Registration for Kidscreen Summit 2014 is now open. To sign up online or get more information, visit the event website at http://summit.kidscreen.com/2014/.