8 Few places beat South Florida at the end of January, which is why television industry executives — not only from Latin American markets, but from around the world — happily packed up their bags and caught flights to Miami Beach for the 2014 edition of NATPE at the Fontainebleau Resort, from January 2729. As Marielle Zuccarelli, managing director of International Content Distribution for A+E Networks put it, “Who doesn’t want to be in Miami in January?” Zuccarelli added, “NATPE is an important market for A+E LATAM content sales. We meet with our buyers at a point when they are making key decisions about the year ahead. Since its move to Miami, NATPE has also expanded into a market with increasing traffic from the rest of the world including U.K. domestic players.” “NATPE is a major event, not only because of its massive attendance of Latin American broadcasters and [other] clients, but also because it is held in Miami, our headquarters. Detailed preparation is needed in order to fit all of [Telemundo’s] meetings within the limited time we have during those three days,” said Joysette Rivera, Sales director of Central America, Canada, Ecuador and the Caribbean for Telemundo Internacional. The limited time tomeet with clients during the three-day market was a concern that was echoed by other exhibitors, even though the TV market in effect starts on Sunday, a day before its official kick-off. According to A+E’s Zuccarelli, “Every year it’s always a race to make the schedule work because there are so many people to see and so little time. “Since NATPE’s move to Miami, the market has been rapidly changing so it should be interesting to see what new faces pop up,” she said. According to NATPE’s president and CEO, Rod Perth, as early as last month, 225 exhibitors, including 34 first-timers, had already registered. Plus, registration for buyers, both domestic and international,was pacingwell aheadof 2013. In fact, 44 percent of the buyers who had registered in the weeks ahead of NATPE were international, hailing from 46 different countries. On the domestic front, the station groups are returning to the market after amarked absence. NATPE’s StationGroup Incentive Program,whichoffered incentives toattract various sized station groups, did the trick, with 28 station groups registered to attend. CBS Studios International’s managing director for Latin America, Stephanie Pacheco, noted, “NATPE continues to be an important market for CBS and our business in Latin America.” Saralo MacGregor, EVP of Content Television & Digital, has found that “attendance fromEuropean broadcasters is steadily increasing and, of course, Latin America, North America and Canada continue to be very busy marketplaces for us.” Indeed, Pepe Echegaray of the newly rebranded Power Entertainment Media noted that he was pleasantlysurprisedby the“qualityandthequantity of the new buyers coming from Europe, Asia and other parts of the world. In Miami, attendance has been building up.” He added that due to the fact that more Europeans are coming, their CEO, Susan Waddell, will attend for the first time. And with more buyers attending, Echegaray reported ahead of the event that his schedule was shaping up nicely. “I generally have between 35 to 40 appointments total. In one week, I scheduled almost half of the appointments I usually have. And then of course there are always walk-ins.” To accommodate his company’s busy schedule, Cisneros Media Distribution or CMD’s (formerly Venevision Int’l) Cesar Diaz stated that, “Like every year at NATPE we will be present with our full staff of sales executives. Our set-up will be as in years past, taking over almost half an entire floor at the Tresor Tower.” This year, NATPE’s theme is “No Barriers. New Business.” It ismeant toreflectNATPE’sdedication to creating the firstmust-attendmarket of the year for the linear and digital content communities, as well as for advertisers and brands. Indeed, Diaz of CMD said, “With the increase of digital platforms, the need for content is on the rise. Having this convention at the beginning of the year is ideal for a cross network of content providers, sellers and buyers. There will not be many significant or radical differences from other years, yet, the mere growth of the industry in general will give the convention a solid dose of vibrant energy.” “We also believe we will see a more digital event as the years go by,” added Claudio Ipolitti, International Business director at Telefe Internacional. NATPE’s Perth announced that for the first time this year, NATPE will feature a presentation of findings from a two-part independent research study commissioned by NATPE and the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) to learn how and why consumers use second screen devices. The findings will be presented in a co-branded research report, and the second part of the report will be presented at NATPE. Plus, as part of its partnership with CEA, NATPE will also feature a display of the 2014 CES Innovations Design and Engineering Awards Honorees. Of course, the elevator issue at the Tresor Tower was once again the elephant in the room. “I believe themobility times within the event should be improved,” said Telefe’s Ipolitti. Diaz of CMD agreed: “For sure the elevator issue, in particular at the Tresor Tower, will still linger on everyone’s mind. But as we progress into another year in Miami, this concern, as well as other issues, will be dealt with and resolved. Unfortunately, there seems to be no sure-fire solution to this issue, but it’s also true that it has never been as bad as it was in its first year.” Similarly, A+E’s Zuccarelli believes that “the elevators are always a concern, but the NATPE staff work hard to make the process smooth, and we pad the schedule to give everyone some wiggle room and remove some of the stress.” Content’s MacGregor joked, “An express elevator to our floor would be nice!” NATPE’s Perthnoted that “some kind of alcohol” will be served at the elevator banks again this year to alleviate the aggravation of the wait. Yet the elevatorsweren’t theonly issueweighing on participants’ minds. “Pricing continues to be an issue,” Power’s Echegaray said. “The cost of catering to the rooms is high…NATPE did something great last year by having the Happy Hours on the floor, so maybe the Fontainebleau could also do something similar.” Televisa Internacional’s Carlos Castro, general director of Sales, noted that this edition of NATPE is particularly special for the company because president and CEO Emilio Azcárraga Jean will be honored with a Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award. The other winners of the 11th annual Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award are Jon Feltheimer of Canada/the U.S.’s Lionsgate, Academy Awardwinner James L. Brooks and Lauren Zalaznick, EVP of Media Innovation and Cross Company Initiative at NBCUniversal. Additionally, Televisa’s Azcárraga Jean will participate in the lineup of Global Navigators, along with Alberto Ciurana, president of Programming and Content for Univision Networks, Univision; Mike Beale, director of International Formats for ITV Studios; Andy Kaplan, president of SPTNetworks, SonyPictures Television and Andrew Zein, SVP of Creative, Format Development and Sales for Warner Bros. International Television Production. On top of conferences and, of course, the vital buying and selling, NATPE participants will be kept busy at parties. “As in the past, CMDwill be one of the principal sponsors of Monday night’s opening cocktail and you can certainly expect a glamorous gathering of some of the top stars of telenovelas and a number of celebrities from the Latin world of entertainment,” said CMD’s Diaz. By Sara Alessi Miami Clout Makes Biz Less Cloudy For The TV Industry January 2014 NATPE Preview A+E Networks’ Marielle Zuccarelli
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