(Continued From Cover) 16 2025 Water Cooler feature. As it stands, the month of June has three major CEE markets, with NEM in Dubrovnik constituting the most challenging competition to NATPE, mostly because it starts first, sucking off the “energy” from later markets. The month of April, which was vacated by MIPTV, was looked at early this year by reps from the November MIP Cancun market, who thought that due to the absence of a Latinaimed TV trade show set just a few weeks after October’s MIPCOM, more Latin American companies might be drawn to Cannes in October. But the idea was discarded after opposition from Latin American TV executives who felt that the April dates were too close to the beloved L.A. Screenings in May. Some NATPE Budapest exhibitors reportedly viewed the suggestion of NATPE’s April move favorably, noting that the change could revitalize the Hungarian TV market. This is despite the fact that Budapest in April is often cold and rainy. However, as per mid-August, NATPE Budapest organizers couldn’t confirm or deny a possible date change, blaming the slow decision-making on the fact that many of the decision-makers are away during the summer months. This year, most of the screenings at the NATPE Budapest market took place on opening day, Monday, June 23, at the recently opened Dorothea Hotel, which is located just around the corner from the InterContinental Hotel (IC), the traditional venue for NATPE, which houses the exhibition floors and suites. In total, 105 exhibiting companies (with Turkey’s ATV having both a suite and a table) and, officially, more than 400 buyers participated, for a total of 750 delegates from 65plus countries. Different from past editions, this year, the action moved mostly from the second-floor suite level of the IC to the market floor on the first level. Only eight exhibitors remained on the second floor, while the market floor increased its occupancy. There was also a noticeable reduction of top-level executives in attendance, with some of the buyers relegating the job of scouting for new products to their junior executives. The Latin American presence was drastically reduced, with only three exhibiting companies: Caracol, RCN, and Globo. However, the Romanian presence was increased to 10 exhibiting companies. Clearly, the market is showing a transition from a onetime Latin American domination, which was superseded by an overwhelmingly Turkish presence, to today’s Central and Eastern Europe takeover. The increased market floor occupancy forced NATPE organizers to move their conferences, previously held on the market’s floor, to the nearby Dorothea Hotel. The move, however, removed the flow of buyers who would have reversed on the market floor after each conference. Registration, the market floor, and exhibition suites were still at the IC, while all conferences took place at the Dorothea on Tuesday and Wednesday. Monday also saw the opening party at the Corso Terrace of the IC hotel, and the newly introduced CEE-focused NATPE Honors celebration at the Dorothea Hotel. Indeed, the major highlight of the week was the Monday debut of NATPE Honors Europe, a new initiative celebrating the leaders who are reshaping the CEE media landscape. The awards program for exactly 96 participants was hosted by Hungarian TV star Nóra Ördög. The inaugural recipients who took to the stage included George Levendis (managing director, ANT1 TV, Mak TV & Antenna Studios, Greece); Levente Málnay (managing director and executive vice president, AMC Networks International, Central and Northern Europe); Daniel Grunt (CEO, Nova Group); Magdalena Szwedkowicz (producer, MAG Entertainment); and Ukraine’s STARLIGHT Media, whose award was accepted by Yana Honcharenko, the company’s chief communications officer. Tuesday evening was reserved for the popular boat party. The market closed on Thursday, June 26, at 1 p.m., with the actual busy period taking place on the first two days. Here’s a summary of other highlights from NATPE Budapest 2025: The Opening Keynote was from YouTube’s Andreas Briese, Country director for Germany; Regional director for Central and Northern Europe. Briese shared insights tailored to the CEE market, focusing on how creators and media companies can leverage YouTube to grow audiences and monetize content. Pitch & Play LIVE! – This high-energy format competition shined a spotlight on the CEE region’s most original format concepts with international potential, in an interactive showcase. CEE Breakout Hits – Spotlighted the topperforming new series across CEE markets, analyzed the drivers behind their success, and what they signaled for the future of programming and acquisition strategies. Formats Track – An event for unscripted and format buyers and sellers. This session dove into the evolving world of format transcreation, and how local success stories can be scaled for global audiences. Kanal D’s Sangerim Zhakhina and Onay Devrim TRT’s Mustafa Ilbeyli, Pinar Gedikoglu, and Merve Mutluer Dubai Int’l Content Market’s Irina Deaconu and Romania Creativity’s Mihai Lupu Inter Medya’s Hasret Ozcan and Sinem Aliskan NATPE Honors Europe award winners VIDEOAGE September 2025 CEE Market
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