Videoage International April 2019

20 April 2019 V I D E O A G E exhibiting companies, like Disney LATAM, that took full advantage of NATPE’s market strength. The consensus among buyers and sellers alike who spoke to VideoAge was that the market was busy. In fact, many distributors reported over 35 meetings during the course of the three-day mar- ket and a good number of buyers showed full ap- pointment schedules. Much improved this year were the lines at the elevators of the Tresor Tower — where most of the companies exhibiting at the suites were housed —which had an average wait time of less than five minutes during peak hours. Also new this year was the smart combination of the exhibitors’ booth and meeting table areas in the main exhibition room. The Fontaine ballroom, previously occupied by the tables, was used for conferences. Exhibitors, such as Condista’s Jorge Fiterre, also appreciated being able to rent a pool- side cabana without having to first commit to a stand or a suite. Among the busiest exhibitorswere Turkish com- panies, including ATV, Calinos, Global Agency, Kanal D, and MISTCO. From Latin America, the dominant companies were Record TV, Ledafilms, and Telefilms. The Americans excelled with A+E, Condista, Disney, FilmRise, Fox, GRB, Lionsgate, Multicom, Paramount, and Viacom. Other inter- national companies that benefitted from NATPE were India’s Zee, Italy’s Mediaset, and the U.K.’s All3media. NATPE Review Mediaset’s Sonia Danieli, Claudia Marra, Manuela Caputi Viacom International Media Networks held its bash at the Market in the Miami Design District. (Continued from Page 18) NATPE Seminars Highlights Day One saw the return of “How Wall Street Watches TV,” a panel series that began at last year’s NATPE in which Wall Street analysts supply their insights on the changes disrupting the media and entertainment industries. Moderated by Lionsgate Entertainment’s James Marsh, this year’s panel gathered JPMorganChase’sAlexiaQuadrani,MacquarieGroup’sAmyYong, RBC Capital Markets’ Steven Cahall, and MoffettNathanson’s Michael Nathanson. During the panel, Cahall stated that the four big companies with the capacity to dominate the global market were Netflix, Amazon, Disney, and Apple. The proliferation of these OTT services was discussed at length. Yong commented that it seemed as though “everyone and their mom was launching an OTT product.” The group also discussed changes in the industry, including new entrants to the market, new disruptive technology, and evolving consumer behavior. Discussing the latter subject, Quadrani noted how the typical consumer has become less tolerant of advertising, which raises new questions for feasible revenue models. Overall, at this year’s NATPE, seminars tended to be more focused on the business of buying and selling — with increased participation from exhibitors as panelists. At the “International TVHas GrownUp” session, Turner’s Gerhard Zeiler asked co-panelist Mark Kaner of 20th Century Fox TV Distri- bution why Turkish telenovelas were so popular in Latin America — the birthplace of telenovelas. The rea- sons given were var- ied, but missed the mark. The main rea- son that Turkish dis- tribution companies are wielding huge marketing power is because they’re fu- eled by the Turkish government, which finances 60 percent of all of the compa- nies’ international marketing expendi- tures. This winning strategy is much different from, for example, that of It- aly, where the gov- ernment subsidizes production, but not international sales, which, consequent- ly, tend to be low. Another question that Zeiler asked Kaner was why U.S. series of the past seemed to sell like hot cakes, but don’t sell at that rate today. Kaner attributed this development to an overabundance of well-made local productions. The opinion of some seminar attendees was that, in the past, U.S. distribution and production companies invested large sums in marketing and advertising. Companies such as Worldvision (before it was sold to Paramount), for example, would even run 10 consecutive ad pages in each major TV trade publication — something that is no longer done. Finally, Zeiler asked if, with the advent of OTT, each U.S. studio would produce exclusively for their own SVoDs. Kaner used Fox as an example, explaining that despite the fact that Fox produces a large number of movies and TV series each year, it still doesn’t have enough content to run an SVoD service. Therefore, content is needed from other suppliers. NATPE chair Andy Kaplan moderated the “What The World is Buying” session with panelists Brad Beale of Amazon, Sean Cohan of Wheelhouse Entertainment, Armando Nuñez of CBS Global Distribution, Amy Reinhard of Netflix, and Carlotta Rossi Spencer of Banijay. Mark Kaner (formerly) of 20th Century Fox TV Distribution and Gerhard Zeiler of Turner. Viacom International Media Networks’ Pierluigi Gazzolo, Zee Entertainment’s Sunita Uchil, and Banijay Rights’ TimMutimer were featured on the panel at the well- attended “Innovating International Co-productions” conference.