Media Fest 2026
Programme Agenda
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Registration
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Inaugural Session
10:00 – 10:05 AM – National Anthem
10:05 – 10:10 AM – Lighting of the Traditional Oil Lamp
10:10 – 10:12 AM – Curtain Raiser Video
10:12 – 10:15 AM – Welcome Address Nisthar Cassim
(President – SLIMFA)
10:15 – 10:20 AM – Sponsor Shout-out I
10:20 – 10:25 AM – Remarks by H.E. Santosh Jha
( High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka )
10:25 – 10:30 AM – Address by the Chief Guest Hon. (Dr.) (Ms.) Kaushalya Ariyarathne
(Deputy Minister of Mass Media)
11:00 AM – 11:20 AM
Keynote Address 1
Speaker: Smita Prakash
Theme 01: Trust, Truth & the Battle for Credibility
Misinformation, disinformation, verification, trust and journalism’s role in an increasingly fragmented information ecosystem.
11:20 AM – 12:20 PM
Panel Discussion 1 (45-minute discussion + 15-minute Q&A)
Theme 01: Trust, Truth & the Battle for Credibility
Moderator
Dilrukshi Handuneththi
Panelists
Smita Prakash
Deepanjalie Abeywardena
Amal Jayasinghe
Nilanthan Niruthan
12:20 PM – 12:25 PM
Sponsor Shout-out II
12:25 PM – 1:25 PM
Lunch Break
1:25 PM – 1:45 PM
Keynote Address 2
Speaker: Ashok Malik
Theme 02: Holistic Media Strategy – Straddling Television, Print and Digital
Making the media business model work through technological disruptions, newsroom transformation, sustainability, subscriptions, revenue diversification and future business models.
1:45 PM – 2:45 PM
Panel Discussion 2 (45-minute discussion + 15-minute Q&A)
Theme 02: Holistic Media Strategy – Straddling Television, Print and Digital
Moderator
Kalani Kumarasinghe
Panelists
Ashok Malik
Nisthar Cassim
Vimukthi Karunarathne
Jamila Hussain
Robert Anthony
2:45 PM – 2:50 PM
Sponsor Shout-out III
2:50 PM – 3:10 PM
Tea Break
3:10 PM – 3:30 PM
Keynote Address 3
Speaker: Marya Shakil
Theme 03: The Audience Shift – From Readers to Viewers, From Media to Personalities
Changing audience behaviour, social and video-first consumption, influencers and the future of audience engagement.
3:30 PM – 4:30 PM
Panel Discussion 3 (45-minute discussion + 15-minute Q&A)
Theme 03: The Audience Shift – From Readers to Viewers, From Media to Personalities
Moderator
Dhananath Fernando
Panelists
Marya Shakil
Namini Panditha
Mahieash Johnney
Indika Sakalasooriya
4:30 PM – 4:45 PM
Summary of the Day
Santosh Menon – Festival Director – Media Fest 2026
4:45 PM – 4:55 PM
Vote of Thanks
Shehan Baranage – Vice President – SLIMFA
5:00 PM
End of Programme
