V I D E O • A G E Ja n u a r y 2 0 1 1 28 (Continued on Page 30) (Continued from Page 26) Miracle NATPE (Continued from Cover) Miami gives NATPE hope know? Have you tried it?” said Barillé. “Americans talk a lot about the need to cut down on violence and to become more educational in children’s shows. Well, our programs are precisely that. Fortunately, our product is very successful all over the world, so it’s not a ‘live or die’ question whether we sell in the U.S. or not. If broadcasters look for improved programs for children, why don’t they consider our shows instead of insisting — without trying — that they won’t work in the American market.” Cisneros to be Honored at NATPE Gustavo Cisneros, chairman and CEO of the Cisneros Group of Companies (CGC), will be presented with NATPE’s International Award of Excellence tomorrow evening. CDC is a $5 billion company, which is a principal partner in Univision and owns Venevision, a prolific producer of programming for the global marketplace. Cisneros will be the first recipient of this award that NATPE International has instituted to honor the major contributions of individuals in the global television industry. “We are pleased that the first recipient is Gustavo Cisneros. His long-term business success and his vision concerning telecommunications opportunities for the global market are unparalleled,” said NATPE president and COO Bruce Johansen. A Miracle NATPE Struggles With TV Violence Other key items at NATPE included the issue of violence on television, which took up virtually the entire address of Reed Hundt, the new chairman of the FCC; interactivity; infomercials, which are beginning to creep into prime time; the looming arrival of a 500-channel universe and its broad implications, and the need for improved, FCC-friendly children’s shows. Also very obvious at NATPE was the rapid growth in the number of talk shows, with many of their hosts in attendance. Jack Valenti, president of the Motion Picture Association of America, made his seemingly only appearance at a TV trade show event. NATPE reported a record attendance of over 11,000, including the largest contingent ever from abroad. In fact, the impression was that, for the first time in its history, NATPE had been truly internationalized and was on its way to becoming the world’s premiere trade fair. The international crowd grew by 25 percent by most estimates. Staged were some 30 parties and 30 seminars, including eight at the Independent TV associations two days prior. A total of 392 exhibitors, compared to 256 from last year, participated. Still, foreign TV executives complained that the U.S. TV market remained essentially closed to them. The main advantage of coming to NATPE, they said, was the personal contacts they were able to make with top American executives. Apart from the quite thorough discussions of industry issues, it was clear that the industry was burgeoning and, essentially, in a healthy state. The vast NATPE exhibition floor sparkled with the most elaborate displays ever, and sales talk resounded everywhere. Tighter security at the Convention Center ruffled a few feathers yesterday after a man tried to enter the floor through the ceiling on a rope. NATPE security met through the night to plan for stricter rules, resulting in delays for delivery of publications to their bins and restricted access to exhibitors. In terms of programming, NATPE brought no great surprises, nor did it reflect a desire for either change or experimentation. NATPE did feature a host of smaller producer/distributors with offbeat programs, and they did brisk business. When all was said and done, this NATPE was pronounced one of the most successful ever. Miami may be a natural fit for the Latincentric event, the South Florida city has not played host to the convention since 1994 (see other front cover story for more on NATPE ’94). Rick Feldman, president of NATPE, was buoyant about the market, but not just because of the new location. “I don’t want it to seem like Miami is the thing that’s going to change everything,” he cautioned. However, he did concede that the new venue is a major factor. “It seems that everyone will be staying through Wednesday,” he noted, probably as a result of late-in-the week parties put on by companies with Miami offices and the general favorability of the weather. This is a change from recent years, when the convention floor typically became a ghost town by the end of day two. In addition to the locale, Feldman pointed out that the layout of the Fontainbleau is more conducive to a convention than the sprawling Vegas hotels. “The logistics of the marketplace are going to make it a more exciting market,” he said, elaborating that the walk from the suites to the floor is much faster. Besides the location, participants can look forward to a number of other changes that will, hopefully, prove to be for the best. Organizers have introduced, for the first year ever, an online social networking tool called NATPE Connect to help buyers hook up with sellers. In an effort to free up some of the participants’ time for more wheeling and dealing, the number of seminars on offer has been reduced. Additionally, the traditional NATPE market guidebook has been replaced by an online guide, accessible by a plethora of mobile devices, in an effort by organizers to “go green.” Despite Feldman and co.’s insistence that the move to Miami is not the only thing to look forward to this year, it was certainly the topic on everyone’s mind. Stephanie Pacheco, the Miami-based managing director of Latin America for CBS Studios International pointed out that the excitement over the market’s location is simply a matter of practicality, “Miami is a better venue for NATPE primarily because it’s much easier to reach for everyone,” she said. “There are direct flights from Latin America, Europe, and other parts of the world, whereas Vegas always involved a change of planes and very long flights.” Still, location aside, Pacheco was confident that NATPE is a vital market. “It is important to see what programming the clients will be needing, as well as client plans for the forthcoming year, such as changes with technology and new media that will be coming to fruition in 2011 in many Latin countries,” she said. Gary Lico, president of Norwalk, Connecticut-based CABLEready had similar thoughts on the convenience of Miami. “It’s more than the weather,” he said. “Miami is easier to get to for Europeans. The Fontainebleau allows NATPE to be under one, beautiful roof, and it clearly got everyone’s attention.” Lico, who is on the NATPE board, described the event as “necessary in today’s content environment.” Asked about the market’s return on investment (ROI), Lico had this to say, “NATPE is still one of the best values, poundper-pound, than any other conference. Because they’re non-profit, they are very flexible and friendly to work with.” Likewise, other executives, such as Peter Iacono of Los Angeles-based Lionsgate made a similar positive assessment of NATPE’s ROI. “Lionsgate and all our A younger Paramount TV International (now CBS Studios Int’l)’s Joe Lucas Yesterday like today: MGM’s Gary Marenzi AETN’s Mayra Bracer Telefe’s Michelle Wassermann
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