NATPE Content First 2012: Content and Connected
By Stuart Alson
The 49th annual NATPE (National Association of Television Program Executives) market and conference took place at the Fontainebleau Resort in Miami from January 23-25. Moving the event from Las Vegas to sunny Miami proved successful, as there was a significant increase in attendees and deal-making for a second year in a row.
Some 5,000 attendees converged. Over 300 exhibitors, 700 buyers including representatives from major TV station groups such as ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, Belo, Gannett, Hearst, LIN showed up for the annual who’s who in television. Thanks to progressive techies, this year’s event had a growing digital contingent, including Hulu, Netflix and Amazon.
NATPE is a hectic three-day event where television deals, meetings, and pitches to hear the latest show concepts happen all day long in the hotel lobby, poolside in breezy cabanas and even in bars! Recognized as a key media event, NATPE is the only American program market serving the worldwide television community.
Whether you buy, sell, develop, finance, advertise, market or license content; implement technology; exploit rights; or leverage media assets, NATPE is unmissable. This year’s attendees were also treated to special events, most notably Debmar-Mercury’s invitation-only at the Fontainebleau, where a happy Charlie Sheen was unabashedly talking about his new FX show Anger Management. Prominent TV honchos seen partying at the upscale Soho House included Ted Harbert (Chairman of NBC Broadcasting) and Paul Telegdy (President of late night and alternative).
Keynote speaker Phil Kent, Chairman and CEO of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., discussed the creative and business challenges in today’s media market to a packed audience.
“Coffee With…” sessions took place with the cast of Starz’s Magic City and the producers of NBC’s Fashion Star. Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Awards, hosted by Access Hollywood’s Billy Bush honored FremantleMedia North America’s Cecile Frot-Coutaz, Telenovela creator Fernando Gaitan, Fox’s Dennis Swanson and Mad Men creator & executive producer Matthew Weiner. In an illuminating panel hosted by Broadcasting & Cable, Weiner revealed that HBO passed on his pitch for his series “hundreds of times.”
One-on-one chats included: Chris Albrecht (Starz), Byron Allen (Entertainment Studios), Kevin Beggs (Lionsgate TV Group), Adriana Cisneros (Cisneros Group of Companies), Jeff Gaspin (Gaspin Media), Ted Harbert (NBC Universal), Robert Kyncl (Google, Inc.), Ross Levinsohn (Yahoo!), Peter Liguori (formerly of Discovery Communications), Jonathan Miller (News Corp.), Jimmy Pitaro (Disney Interactive Media Group), Ted Sarandos (Netflix), Jeff Shell (NBC Universal), and Ben Silverman (Electus).
Some of the 2012 Participating sponsors included, Netflix, Nomura, Reality Weekly, YouTube, Rentrak, Yahoo!, ICM, CAA, WME, and RBC Capital Markets.
Thankfully with so much information to take in, NATPE organizers helped us to keep track and stay connected to each other by introducing the social networking tool “MyNATPE”.
Check out Natpemarket.com for more highlights from NAPTE 2012.