Join us at Toronto’s Index Exchange at The Well for an in person Roku Academy session. Belinda Baugniet, Manager of International Ad Marketing at Roku, leads Master the Stream: a masterclass on streaming TV behaviour and insights drawn from Roku’s VOD Evolution 2026 study and Roku Academy Course 5: Behaviour & Insights. Earn a Roku Academy course completion badge as well as certifications from Microsoft and IAB in one afternoon.

If you’re attending in person, the Roku Academy masterclass and Roku’s on site activation are both worth stopping by.

What Is IAB Canada Back to School?

Back to School is IAB Canada’s fall learning event: three consecutive sessions, each presented by a different industry partner, each ending in a certificate. It runs from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM ET on Wednesday, September 23, 2026. Seats are limited.

The format is designed for three audiences at once – people new to digital media, people growing their careers, and people who want a structured refresh on where the industry is heading.

Three Sessions, Three Certificates

Session 1: Master the Stream – Unlock New Advertising Powers – presented by Roku

A masterclass on streaming TV behaviour and insights. Belinda Baugniet walks through the latest findings from the VOD Evolution 2026 study and Roku Academy Course 5: Behaviour & Insightsand shows how to turn consumer data into campaign strategy on connected TV (CTV).

Session 2: Digital Media Fundamentals Crash Course – presented by IAB Canada

This session offers a condensed version of IAB Canada’s full-day Digital Media Fundamentals program. It covers the Canadian digital ecosystem, the core channels (search, display, video, native, social, email), how programmatic buying works, and the basics of campaign delivery and measurement. Participants receive an IAB Canada certificate.

Session 3: Search Advertising – presented by Microsoft Advertising

This session covers the search advertising ecosystem, the Microsoft Advertising platform and its solutions, and search best practices. Passing the course earns a search certification and a Credly badge to share on LinkedIn.

Master the Stream: What Roku Brings to the Room

Streaming has changed how Canadians watch TV and how advertisers reach them. The Roku session gives planners and buyers a working understanding of that shift, grounded in six consecutive years of Canadian streaming data from the VOD Evolution study.

The session covers:

• • Streaming trends across Canadian households
• • The opportunities within content discovery
• • How streaming is absorbing live TV viewing
• • Advertising tactics that respond directly to those findings

Belinda Baugniet leads international ad marketing at Roku, including the Roku Academy program in Canada. Paolo Lacuna, Content Strategy Lead at IAB Canada, also speaks during the afternoon.

If CTV planning, buying or audience strategy is part of your role, this is the session that connects the data to the media plan.

Event Details

Roku and IAB Canada in 2026

Back to School is the third Roku and IAB Canada collaboration this year. In the spring, the two organizations co-hosted Master the Stream: Elevate Your CTV Strategy with Roku Academy, a live webinar that brought the VOD Evolution study and Course 5 to Canadian media planners and buyers. On June 23, Ivan Pehar, Ad Sales Director at Roku Canada and IAB Canada board member, joined the CTV panel at IAB Canada State of the Nation, with the Roku team on the trade floor.

Back to School moves the conversation from the stage to the classroom – a certificate in hand at the end of the session.

Arrive Prepared

The Roku session builds on Course 5: Behaviour & Insights. Register before to ensure you’re set up to follow along and can easily receive your badge.

All courses – Programmatic Advertising, Roku Audience, Creative Strategies, Data & Analytics, Behaviour & Insights, and the upcoming Sports Marketing – are available at RokuAcademy.ca. Each takes approximately 15 minutes. All are free.