Event Preview: NATPE Virtual Miami

JP Bommel, the president and CEO of NATPE, talks to World Screen about NATPE Virtual Miami, which will take place from January 19 to 22, with the marketplace open from January 19 to 29.

Due to circumstances surrounding the ongoing pandemic, this year’s NATPE Miami will be held entirely online as part of the organization’s growing NATPE Virtual slate. The conference portion of NATPE Virtual Miami will take place from January 19 to 22, with the marketplace open from January 19 to 29. Conference attendees can expect four days of programming channels, each with a different theme (business, audience, content, production). On each of those days, there will be programming blocks with different tracks.

“NATPE is fully aware of the video-conferencing fatigue and worked tirelessly on the user experience to provide a conference that is programmed like a prime-time day block TV show—with four channels around revenue, audience, acquisition and distribution, and new shows—along with a one-click platform with over 130 microsites presenting new content and shows from our global distributors, the studios and international production companies,” JP Bommel, the president and CEO of NATPE, tells World Screen Weekly. “Lastly, we have created a virtual VIP Buyers Lounge to provide unique connectivity at the highest level.”

Each day will kick off with The BIG Opening. The major themes are around “current and evolved business drivers,” says Bommel, such as revenue, audience, acquisition and distribution and production across NATPE content sectors: the station group, streaming, series and global. “The idea that each sector has its own [strand at the] same time every day as a regular TV show would have, so it is easy to schedule your conference time between online meetings on our platform,” he adds. “User experience is our priority.”

A highlight of the virtual event, World Screen, in partnership with NATPE, will present Diego Lerner, the president of The Walt Disney Company Latin America, with the Premio Ícono TV Latina 2021. Lerner is being honored for his significant contributions to the Latin American media industry across his storied career. He will receive the award at NATPE Virtual on January 22 following a keynote conversation with Anna Carugati, the group editorial director of World Screen.

The agenda also includes executives from AMC, A+E Networks, Canal+, The CW, DirecTV, DMR, Eccho Rights, Endemol Shine, FilmRise, FOX, Hearst Television Group, Netflix, PBS, STUDIOCANAL, Telemundo, Tubi, Starz, Universal Television, Univision, ViacomCBS and many more. Among the notable names on the conference lineup are Jay Leno, Kevin Eubanks, and Robin Roberts.

Tuesday, January 19, will see a screening of Telemundo’s Unconditionally Brave, presented by Kate del Castillo. NATPE then opens with a “fireside” keynote conversation between NBCUniversal Television and Streaming Chairman Mark Lazarus and Hoda Kotb, co-host of NBC News’ Today with Hoda & Jenna. There are panels on “A New Day for TV Stations” (station groups), “Revenue Strategy & Innovation” (streaming), “How Series Become BIG Business” (series) and “Global: The Stories of Three Global Brands” (global), with a Globo super pitching event for the telenovela A Mother’s Love to cap off the day.

Wednesday’s BIG Opening is entitled “COVID RE-SET for ’21,” about the impact that the pandemic has had on culture and society worldwide, with a special focus on media and entertainment. The day rolls on with “Attracting Viewers in a Competitive Market” (station groups), “Serving Streaming Audiences” (streaming), “Web or Linear: Who’s Watching What and Where?” (series) and “Best Practices for Attracting Audiences” (global).

Thursday begins with a look at fresh content from Turkey, followed by “Big Deals and Big Dealmakers.” Also featured on the schedule are The Iris Awards (station groups), “Competing for Content” (streaming), “Closing a BIG Deal” (series) and “The Many Lives of Scripted Tales” (global). A China showcase wraps up the day.

Friday features a session on MVPDs and the programming, packaging and promotion of content, followed by “Is Co-pro the Way to Go?” as the BIG Opening. The schedule also features “Creating Deals After the Down Upfront” (station groups), “The Unscripted Tale” (streaming), “Robin Roberts: Women in Global Media Power Profile” (series) and the Premio Ícono TV Latina 2021 will be presented as part of the Latin Summit (global).

Of what he hopes attendees will take away from having participated in NATPE Virtual Miami, Bommel says: “Simply put, is that we delivered on our mission to be the indispensable resource in the evolution of content—and evolution there is!—by providing connection, endless opportunities and deals and the business intelligence to fast-track their business.”