Sapan, President and CEO of AMC Networks, tells the audience at the start of his rhetoric that “the internet has already been proven to have what we might term ‘tsunami-like’ qualities.”

“What will keep people wanting to watch TV everywhere, and paying each month to watch on all those platforms whether it’s at home, iPads, phones or tablets is one thing and one thing only: content.”

Not just any content but “iconic content,” Sapan says, which are shows that are “so durable, enduring and satisfying that when somebody really likes it and they go without it, they miss it.”

Sapan cites several series that he considers to be in this “iconic quadrant”: The Sopranos, Game of Thrones, Homeland, and AMC Network’s own Mad Men and Breaking Bad. These programmes typically have relatable characters, allowing a “personal connection” to be established between characters and audiences.

“This sort of connection is the killer app of TV’s digital age.”

In fact, this “killer app” has already manifest itself in the form of a passionate group of audiences Sapan calls them “superviewers”; “a breed of extreme fans who connect over social media and augment their impact far beyond the earlier generation of cult fans”, and are pivotal to a show’s success.

The keynote speech then segued into a Q&A section, hosted by Anna Carugati, group editorial director of World Screen. Sapan emphasises that when shows strike a strong chord with audiences and are able to fully leverage on technology that affords customisation and convenience, then the web aids rather than threaten the growth of the traditional medium.

“And beyond that, these dramas that we are producing and acquiring – we think as television competes with alternative outlets, the web is going to continue to offer many, many, many options for people to get TV at their choice that linear TV will need to be driven by something that really matters.”