The lecture has traditionally been used by commercial broadcasters to have a pop at the public service broadcaster.
Last year, ITV's outgoing director of programmes David Liddiment used the platform to explain that TV was losing its soul because broadcasters were becoming too competitive. He has since continued to lay into the BBC, hitting out at it with comments earlier this week.
Instead, Thompson is expected to explain why his attitude towards the BBC's digital plans changed when he left the corporation to head up Channel 4.
While he was director of programming at the BBC, Thompson backed plans for its youth channel BBC Three and arts channel BBC Four.
However, since Thompson took over at Channel 4, its stance on the BBC's digital plans and their impact on the commercial sector has changed to that of staunch opposition. Thompson's predecessor Michael Jackson had previously said he was not opposed to the channels.
Channel 4 is most concerned about the coming launch of BBC Three, which will compete with its entertainment channel E4.
Thompson will also use the lecture to pad out his vision for Channel 4, which he announced last month along with 200 job cuts and the closure of the FilmFour production unit.
Before Thompson joined Channel 4, he had been largely tipped as a potential successor to Greg Dyke, the BBC's current director general. His job at Channel 4 is largely regarded as a precursor to the top post at the BBC.
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