June/July 2014 26 Prague Br i ngs New Hope Prague began with the “notion that everything in life needs to be freshened at times. There’s an optimism that surrounds the market’s move to Prague.” He added, “We loved Budapest, but Prague…is a wonderful city that is easy to get to and a huge financial trade center. It’s a vibrant place that everyone loves to visit and spend time doing business in.” Like Hungary, the Czech Republic has a few visa requirements, which concern participants from countries like Colombia, China and Russia. However NATPE is providing assistance in that regard. The Czechmarket is still suite-based and it will be held at the Hilton Prague Hotel on the Vltava River, beginning June 23. Once again this year, the studios will holdscreeningsof thenewU.S. TVseasonseries onMonday and the first part of Tuesday (see related story on page 28). The market floor will also open on Tuesday, and the event will run through June 26. While the suites will be clustered on the first floor, 64 viewing boxes, 30 tables and six stands will all be housed at the Market Level of the hotel, which is not to be confused with the Hilton Prague Old Town. The layout of the new venue resembles that of the Sofitel in Budapest, NATPE Europe’s former market venue. Last year, the market housed 46 exhibitors in the suites and 106 in the basement of the Sofitel Hotel, catering to some 400 buyers. Cesar Diaz of Cisneros Media Distribution (CMD) said, “For the NATPE organization, the change of venue is a huge undertaking, and there’s much anticipation, as well as high expectations.” He added, “Change is always an important premise for a better outlook. Additionally, change also brings a level of uncertainty and uneasiness. Although we heard a lot of complaints when the change of the host city was announced, I have only gotten a sense of excitement from many in the industry as we get closer to the actual dates. There is no doubt that Prague is…just as historic as Budapest.” Marielle Zuccarelli of A+ENetworks is “hopeful that the location change will give the market a boost of excitement and energy.” Likewise, Telemundo Internacional’s Melissa Pillow said, “Prague, being a more easilyaccessible city for most attendees, gives an advantage to this trade show…perhaps a change in location will recharge the market and spark the interest of new attendees.” Tess Charman of Entertainment One Television International (eOne) believes that the change “will present a few initial challenges such as getting to know a new layout, however, as long as the market is well attended and organized then there is no reason why it should not be as successful a venue as Budapest. Prague is a beautiful city after all,” she said. Like Zuccarelli and Pillow, Meggan Kimberley, the lone executive attending from Starz Worldwide Distribution, is hoping the change of venue will be an improvement. “The market needed some freshening up, so the change in venue will be very positive all around. My expectations are to see our usual buyers from the others.” And she was enthusiastic about filling her appointment schedule, projecting that it would be 80-90 percent full. Plus, “I make an effort to find the time for walk-ins, even if only for a few minutes to make some kind of connection,” she said. “Our goal is always to continue extending our reach internationally, and strengthening our position as a leading supplier of premium content in as many territories as possible. During NATPE Europe, we will have a particular emphasis on reaching out to the Balkans, the Baltics and Romania,” A+E’s Zuccarelli said. For Armoza Formats, “Hungary and Turkey are strong format territories. Additional countries in the region that are beginning to open up more to formats include the Czech Republic, Poland and Romania, who we are increasingly working with, while other markets such as Estonia are also interested in international formats,” said Lewinsky. NATPE has announced a special Producer’s Day Pass, available for producers, development executives and service providers who wish to attend the Co-Production Summit, but not the entire market. Perth said that at $200, the pass is “an unbelievable bargain.” To facilitate meetings between indies and buyers, “NATPE has invested heavily in NATPE Navigator, acustomized, personalizedconnection service between buyers and sellers who have unique programming and content goals. It’s like a dating service, it knows your profile, and it knows what you’re looking for, so that’s a huge scheduling advantage that helps indies feel less lonely at the market,” Perth explained. Yet, this resource may not be fully tapped. “To be honest,” said CMD’s Diaz, “we haven’t had the opportunity to get accustomed to using the Navigator software. Hopefully, for this market, we will make it a point.” Starz’s Kimberley hasn’t used the tool yet either, but she said, “Many buyers will find it especially useful, which benefits us all.” “We’re about as excited about NATPE Europe and the move to Prague as anything we’ve done; it’s with great enthusiasm that we want to prove that Prague can make a difference, and NATPE continues to be invested in the region to make a great market,” Perth concluded. By Sara Alessi in New York City region and have a little more time to explore their needs as well as the current and ever-changing market conditions of their countries. We also hope to meet new buyers who do not typically come to MIP-TV or MIPCOM.” Steven Turney of Power is taking a wait-and-see approach, but does not think the “impact will be comparable to the increased accessibility offered by its U.S. counterpart’s move to Miami, though it may lead the way to an increased attendance from CIS territories.” “We are always happy to explore new places,” said Anat Lewinsky of Armoza Formats. “We are well established in Hungary and are excited for the new location, which will further enable us to deepen our connection with our Czech partners as well as those across the region.” Organizers and NATPE participants aren’t the only ones excited about the move. “The city of Prague is ecstatic over this because we are bringing over 1,000 media decision makers to their city in one event, and it’s never happened before in the history of Prague,” Perth said. The NATPE organization has worked hard to increase attendance. “We’re reaching out and pulling buyers from countries that never attended before.” Last month, Perth told VideoAge that 36 countries had already signed up for the market. “Buyers and exhibitors from Poland tended to stay home, but this year, we are having a salute toPolish Programming Luncheon on Wednesday, June 25.” Polish television is growing and is now one of Europe’s largest TV markets, with 80 percent of homes currently accessing pay-TV via cable or satellite and over 20 DTT channels available, so naturally, it makes sense to try to attract Polish exhibitors and buyers to NATPE Europe. Additionally, there will be participants from Hungary, the Ukraine, Russia, the U.K., France and, of course, the Czech Republic. Starz’s Kimberley noted that her company is “interested in the Balkans, as this region has more growth potential than some of the Starz’s Meggan Kimberley “We loved Budapest, but Prague…is a wonderful city that is easy to get to and a huge financial trade center. It’s a vibrant place that everyone loves to visit and spend time doing business in.” — Rod Perth (Continued from Cover)
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