Event Review: NATPE 

The 2017 edition of NATPE Miami comes to a close today, after a busy week that took place under the theme “Be a Part of IT!”

JP Bommel, the managing director and COO of NATPE, described the market and conference as “very upbeat.” He said, “We’ve got an absolutely buzzing floor here at the Fontainebleau, and amazing networking was going on at the bars and at the conferences at the Eden Roc.” With the conferences all being held at the Eden Roc, many found the Fontainebleau lobby to be less congested and easier to zip through to get to meetings.

Bommel told members of the press that there was increased attendance in all sectors. “We [brought in] some new members from the digital world and I think that’s very important to point out,” he said. “Traditional broadcasters and cable companies—the traditional media—is here as well as the digital world, so that’s very important to know. Also, there was international growth. We brought in an amazing partnership with a Chinese producers’ association, and they brought about 20 companies here to Miami.”

“We’ve also brought in a pavilion of Brazilian producers, six of the top productions companies in Brazil,” he continued. “That’s quite a feat. The economy is very challenging in Brazil, but they believe in the power of NATPE in terms of a global force in distribution.”

The past few days were packed with events, including the presentations of the Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Awards and Reality Breakthrough Awards. A+E Networks’ Nancy Dubuc and Viacom’s Bob Bakish were just two of the high-profile keynote speakers the market drew this year. There was a Station Group Summit for the first time, as well as a dedicated music track. LatAm media trends took center stage in a special NATPE panel this morning moderated by World Screen’s Anna Carugati. The session, titled “Latin America and the U.S. Hispanic Market—The Big Picture,” saw Viacom’s Pierluigi Gazzolo, Cisneros’s Adriana Cisneros, Endemol Shine’s Cris Abrego and Brazilian producer Carla Affonso weigh in on merger and acquisition activity in Latin American media, the drastic changes in the U.S. Hispanic sector, the problems of audience measurement and more.

One of the major headlines at the market involved a deal between Univision and Televisa to combine content efforts. Isaac Lee is taking on the role of chief content officer at Univision and Televisa as the Mexican media giant and the U.S. Hispanic broadcaster align their programming development and production efforts.

Univision also announced a collaboration with Curiosity Media for a new series based on the life of the popular Mexican musician Luis Miguel. This marked but one of several new series out of the LatAm and U.S. Hispanic markets unveiled at NATPE—including a number of projects centered on famous figures. Disney Media Distribution Latin America, for example, is working on Selena’s Secret (El Secreto de Selena), about the beloved singer. FOX Networks Group (FNG) Latin America is developing an original production that will glimpse into the love life of emblematic leader Fidel Castro. Also, FNG Latin America entered into a production pact with La Corriente del Golfo for the new original series Aquí en la Tierrawith Gael García Bernal attached to the project.

Telemundo hosted a special screening event, where “super series” were in the spotlight. Globo held its traditional screening breakfast on the first day of the market, where it showcased its 2017 catalog that features Supermax, the company’s first original series for the international market. Just before NATPE’s official kickoff, Globo announced that Raphael Corrêa Netto is taking over its international business division, as Ricardo Scalamandré, the company’s international business director, begins his retirement transition process. Globo also landed a deal that will see its telenovela Total Dreamer be distributed to French-speaking countries in Africa by Côte Ouest.

In other deal news, DIRECTV Latin America secured the rights to air Harlan Coben’s hit original drama The Five. The show was licensed from STUDIOCANAL, which also revealed a major new series at the market: Deep City. TANDEM Productions is developing the Miami-set, music-driven ensemble drama series in partnership with Callie Khouri (Nashville) and T Bone Burnett (True Detective), who were in attendance at NATPE to help launch the show.

Meanwhile, Paramount Channel acquired the hit series House of Cards and Orange Is the New Black, which will broadcast for the first time on pay TV in Latin America as an exclusive for the network. FremantleMedia International secured more than 100 hours’ worth of programming sales at NATPE, landing deals on titles such as the miniseries Apple Tree Yard and the dating format Take Me Out.

Keshet International (KI) forged some new format pacts with LatAm broadcasters. KI licensed its social-experiment format Boxed to Globo in Brazil, while its music talent show Master Class is being adapted for Teledoce (La Tele), Uruguay’s leading free-to-air channel. KI also sealed a co-development deal with the Chilean broadcaster MEGA to create a new entertainment series. In other co-development news, Endemol Shine North America is partnering with Angie Martinez, a multimedia personality and best-selling author, to develop unscripted and scripted content for both traditional and digital platforms.

Also in the unscripted arena, RuPaul’s Drag Race was picked up by VIMN Americas for season eight to air on Comedy Central across the LatAm region. GRB Entertainment did a deal with Discovery for its Latin America and U.S. Hispanic channels that involved the series Untold Stories of the E.R. and Cleveland Hustles. The modeling competition The Fashion Hero was acquired by the cable and satellite channel TLT (La Tele Tuya) in Venezuela. Brooke Hogan, the host of the series, was on hand at NATPE to promote the show.

There were a handful of agreements for kids’ programming secured across LatAm as well. 9 Story Media Group placed an additional 13 episodes of the animated comedy series Camp Lakebottom with Disney Channel in Latin America. MarVista Entertainment licensed the broadcast rights for season two of Yo-Kai Watch to Disney XD Latin America, which also picked up the rights to Yo-Kai Watch: The Movie.

The flurry of deals, coupled with the high-level speakers and sessions (not to mention that Miami sun!), made for an overall positive three-day event. “It’s an amazing market,” Bommel said at the closing press conference today. “If you look at all our sponsors that we have this year, it really shows the depth of NATPE across all sectors of the industry. It’s remarkable, from YouTube to YuMe to A+E Networks.

“We’re so excited; we’re very upbeat,” he added. “I want three more days of this; I don’t know about you, but I’m ready!”

NATPE Miami will return to the Fontainebleau and Eden Roc next year.

Additional reporting by Sara Alessi.