Lex Scott is VP Gaming at Zoo 55, ITV Studios' digital division, leading commercialisation of its portfolio of TV show brands into gaming and gambling. Previously at Banijay, Lex has worked across major IP including Love Island, Hell's Kitchen, The Voice, Deal or No Deal, Black Mirror and Peaky Blinders. Ahead of his participation in the iGB Trends session entitled The World Cup Media Engine: Owning the Fan Connection in 2026 and Beyond (1 July: 14.30 – 15.10), Lex highlights what he believes will be the key trends and top talking points at iGB L!VE London.

In what ways would you say AI is transforming the industry?

AI is moving from buzzword to operating layer across operators, suppliers, and content and rights owners.

For operators, key uses include personalisation, predictive analytics, customer support, safer gambling, fraud detection, content optimisation and lifecycle management.

For suppliers, the impact may be deeper. AI is changing how platforms, studios, affiliates and vendors build, test, localise, optimise and distribute products, from game development and automated QA to CRM, compliance, segmentation, trading and odds.

For content and rights owners, AI creates opportunity and risk. It can help partners localise creative, personalise branded experiences and understand how audiences engage with familiar brands. But it also raises questions around brand control, approvals, synthetic content, data rights and value creation. The opportunity is better decision-making at scale. The challenge is ensuring AI strengthens the player experience without diluting the brand.

What other trends are shaping the industry?

The biggest trend is the battle for attention. Operators and suppliers are no longer only competing within gambling. They are competing with sport, streaming, social platforms, creators, gaming and entertainment ecosystems.

 Major events like the World Cup show how much the fan journey has changed. Engagement no longer starts at kick-off or ends at full-time. It happens across broadcast, streaming, social clips, second-screen behaviour, YouTube, creators, messaging groups and post-match highlights.

For rights owners, that makes trusted brands more valuable. Recognisable IP can help operators and suppliers cut through, but only if used with care, relevance and respect for the audience. Simply putting a logo on a product is not enough.

What do you anticipate will be the key talking points at iGB L!VE, both in terms of the opportunities and the challenges facing businesses?

I expect discussion around how operators, suppliers and rights owners build deeper relationships with players while navigating fragmented media and tougher regulation.

The World Cup is a good example. It creates huge attention, but attention alone is not loyalty. The opportunity is to use major cultural moments and trusted brands to build better fan experiences, communities and more relevant digital touchpoints. The challenge is doing that responsibly. Regulation, advertising scrutiny, data use, safer gambling, brand protection and trust will remain central. The businesses that win will combine creativity with discipline: strong products, responsible personalisation and a clear understanding of where entertainment, sport and gaming converge.