Hollywood loves remakes and sequels, and so apparently does the Banff World Television Festival. Canadian Leaders Talk Trends: The View from the Top returns this year for what looks to be one of the best-attended sessions of the panel-packed festival. There are 16 panels in total, ranging from such familiar themes as diversity in broadcasting and reality TV to a novel look at new revenue opportunities from the educational market, as well as spotlights on Brazil and Asia.

Below are six sessions attendees will want to schedule into their Blackberrys. (Note: a couple of panels overlap.)

Monday, June 12

The Evolution of Content: Programming in a Multi-Platform Universe(10:30 am-11:30 am)

CHUM Television senior VP of content Roma Khanna, who understands the latest in communications technologies and gadgets – and is not afraid to speak her mind – moderates this panel. Khanna will guide Gary Carter, CCO, new platforms, Fremantle Media (American Idol); ABC News senior VP and GM Bernard Gershon; Graeme Ferguson, director of global content development at mobile telco Vodafone; and Flickr – Yahoo! director Stewart Butterfield through a discussion on which new content distribution models are fads and which have real economic staying power.

Drama: Crime Does Pay… Why the Hits Keep Coming! (1:30 pm – 2:30 pm)

Drama was ranked second in top programming genres of interest according to last year’s delegate survey, and it’s no mystery that crime shows such as the CSI and Law & Order franchises are constant top raters. Join CSI director/producer/writer Richard Lewis and Haddock Entertainment writer/executive producer Chris Haddock (Da Vinci’s Inquest, Intelligence) to examine why this genre is so successful.

Canadian Leaders Talk Trends: The View from the Top (1:45 pm – 2:45 pm)

Canadian broadcast industry executives will talk about the trends, policies and technologies that are molding Canadian TV, including new distribution models and the shift in advertising dollars from TV to the Internet. CHUM Limited president and CEO Jay Switzer, CBC president and CEO Robert Rabinovitch, Rogers Communications vice chair Phil Lind and Alliance Atlantis Communications CEO Phyllis Yaffe will voice their opinions on what the major industry players will look like in five years’ time.

Unfortunately, there are no representatives this year from Canada’s two largest broadcasters, CTV and CanWest Global. Last year, CanWest president and CEO Leonard Asper made headlines after bemoaning that the U.S. hit series 24 was teeming with Ford vehicles and Global, as the Canadian broadcaster, was not seeing any of the sponsorship money from the car manufacturer. Asper won’t be back, but product placement will be the focus of a separate panel.

Tuesday, June 13

The Theatrical Documentary Blockbuster (9:00 am – 10:00 am)

A few breakout documentaries at the cinema box office have made many docmakers aspire to be the next Michael Moore. National Film Board director general Tom Perlmutter, BBC Storyville series editor Nick Fraser, Discovery Communications senior commissioning editor and executive producer Andrea Meditch and Maple Pictures co-president Brad Pelman will look at such issues as release strategies and developing and financing the blockbuster documentary.

Documentary was the top programming genre of interest at last year’s festival, according to the delegate survey.

New Frontiers: Product Placement and Branded Entertainment(10:30 am – 11:30 am)

Television in the U.S. grew out of sponsorship deals, with companies such as General Electric bankrolling entire shows. Program sponsorship and product placement have re-emerged as sources of program financing in the age of downloading and PVRs, which allow viewers to skip traditional commercials.

The panel will take the topic beyond product placement to also discuss the rise of branded entertainment and ‘advertainment’ in TV. The panel includes Sunni Boot of Zenith Optimedia, the company that coordinated L’Oréal’s branding strategy in conjunction with Canadian Idol, and XMC Sports and Entertainment president Steven Lewis.

Reality Television: The Next Big Hit(1:30 pm – 2:30 pm)

The continued popularity of reality TV and the participation of some top people in reality and format television make this a must-see panel, according to festival director of content Jennifer Harkness. The panelists include A&E Television Networks nonfiction and alternative programming director Laura Fleury, Lone Eagle Entertainment president Michael Geddes, Reveille VP Howard Owens and Endemol USA president David Goldberg.

Geddes created Hooked Up, and worked on Popstars and Supermodels. Endemol’s hits include Fear Factor, Big Brother and Deal or No Deal, while Owens is co-creator and co-executive producer of Blow Out, The Restaurant and Date My Mom.