October 2014 6 World www.grbtv.com•sales@grbtv.com STAND R7. K17 09.19.2014 JUNIOR PAGE_ 7.284”x 9.055” VIDEO AGE AD 2 1O0x30 13x30 52x30 36x60 The first day of the market opened with an electrical problem that left part of the conference and exhibition area in the dark for a few hours, delaying some of the panels, which were rescheduled for later in the week. Panels were held every day with topics ranging from the “Future of TV Channels,” to “The Success of European Drama in the U.S.,” to “The Next Step For TV Formats.” Unfortunately, some of the big-name panelists canceled, however the keynote was delivered as scheduled by AMC/ Sundance Channel Global’s Bruce Tuchman. Events included an HBO party for its Game of Thrones, a series that is filmed in Dubrovnik. Plus, Scandinavian broadcaster Viasat sponsored the opening cocktail, and the organizers held a party for the World Cup opening match, featuring Brazil vs. Croatia. This was VideoAge’s first time atthemarket,andourimpression was that its potential is limited to Croatia and surrounding countries. It appears that the bulk of entertainment companies wanting to reach the CEE market, and the Balkans in particular, opted for NATPE Europe, held a week later in Prague (see report on page 16). RTL Croatia’s Dragana Kos is a supporter of the event since it’s held in her home country, but told us she was hoping for a larger number of distributors. The isolated location of the market venue likely worked against it. Plus, normally, marketgoers prefer to have markets start on weekends (rather than on a Tuesday as NEM did), but this is impractical in a city like Dubrovnik, where 50,000 tourists from five or six huge cruise liners anchor in town during the weekend, and the city becomes dysfunctional even for the locals. Also, the fact that June is a crowded month for TV-related markets (there were 20 trade shows in 10 countries) does not help NEM, despite the fact that Dubrovnik could be the perfect spot to attract buyers from true emerging countries like the Balkans, more so than the already matured Prague (though cost-wise the two cities are on par). To NEM organizers, VideoAge raised the question of merging with NATPE Europe. “It’s premature to talk about partnership since this is only the second edition and [the market] saw a lot of growth from last year,” they said. The four-day New Europe Market (NEM) opened last June in the Croatian city of Dubrovnik for about 450 TV executives from an estimated 30 countries. This marked the second edition of the market-cum-conference. This year it was headquartered in a wing of the Radisson Blu Hotel, a stunning resort with beautiful views of the Adriatic Sea, that’s somewhat inconvenient: It’s an approximately 20-minute drive from the historical city center, where shops, restaurants and most other hotels are located. Market organizers provided limited shuttle bus service to take participants around. The market floor housed meeting tables for 15 exhibitors, including RTL Croatia, FremantleMedia andNEMorganizerMediavision, a Croatian company. CBS Studios International and Disney exhibited in separate suites next to the registration area while Eutelsat had the only stand. A Good Second Try For Dubrovnik’s NEM, But The Market Grows Slowly
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTI4OTA5