14 V I D E O A G E March/April 2022 At a February breakfast meeting in Miami, Florida with a group of local LATAM TV executives, a few issues concerning NATPE Miami and the L.A. Screenings were explored, and the outcomes were mostly unanimous. While discussing the fact that the NATPE organization is planning on leaving the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach, the market’s venue for the past 10 years (in addition to a virtual event in 2021 and a canceled market in 2022), all participants were unanimously opposed to the organization finding a new venue outside the U.S. Plus, all agreed that the mid-January dates are unsuitable for Americans, Latin Americans, and Europeans, the market’s main participants. NATPE Miami happens right before a federal holiday in the U.S. (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day) and as for LATAM and European attendees, the dates are too close to the Christmas holidays. In those regions, most people return to work after the Epiphany (January 6) and have just a few days left to prepare for the event. All suggested moving the dates to early February. And when asked about attending the L.A. Screenings — which is expecting fewer buyers than it used to attract — most said that they would consider going. The eight LATAM TV executives at the breakfast meeting represented various aspects of the TV sector, including services, satellite distribution, content sales, content acquisition, and events organization. The participants were (alpha order): Ana Castillo (Universal Cinergia), Cesar Diaz (7A Media), Jorge Fiterre (Condista), Jose Luis Gascue (Turkey’s Calinos), Helen Jurado (A+E Networks), Alexander Marin (Colombia’s RCN), Isabella Marquez (EventsTM), and Claudia Silva Olachea (Televisa). Loni Farhi, president of SPI, who could not attend the event, met with VideoAge separately in Miami, as did Tondero’s Cecilia Gomez de la Torre, who was in Miami for a quick visit from Lima, Peru. At the group meeting, some attendees reported that the NATPE organization had been looking to alternative venues for years in order to avoid the outrageous financial burden the Fontainebleau has been imposing upon them. This includes a $500,000 minimum guarantee for food and beverages. This was reportedly one of the main reasons why NATPE officials elected to scrap this year’s edition— the larger financial loss that the NATPE organization would have incurred had the market been staged with reduced participation. However, despite the canceled market, some executives from Latin America still flew to Miami during NATPE’s dates to keep their scheduled meetings. About the possibility, first reported by VideoAge, of moving the event to the Bahamas, participants pointed out that NATPE stands for the National Association of Television Program Executives, emphasizing the “National” (meaning domestic U.S.) aspect. Some attendees suggested that NATPE should consider Orlando, Florida, a city known for its convention facilities. After all, it was stressed, NATPE is a Latin American-centric TV market, and Florida is the key destination. Other attendees however pointed out that NATPE had considered Orlando as a venue at one point in time, but it was ultimately dismissed. Even better yet, it was unanimously pointed out, why not move the event to the Miami Convention Center? As SPI’ Farhi said, “While the cities of Miami and Miami Beach are doing well, the [Miami Beach] Convention Center is suffering and it could be available at a bargain price. Plus, participants will have access to plenty of nearby hotel accommodations at various rates.” Similar sentiments were expressed by Tondero’s Cecilia Gomez de la Torre. During the group meeting, participants were reminded that, in the past, U.S. studios were opposed to a costly stand-based convention. But that’s no longer valid since NATPE has since become an independent-centric event with little participation from the studios. The Miami Beach Convention Center wouldn’t even be a new venue for NATPE, since the Association held its 1994 event there, January 24-27, seven days after a terrible earthquake hit Los Angeles. At that time, VideoAge reported that NATPE had 5,000 daily participants and 10,000 cumulative participants. The Center opened in 1958, was expanded in 1967, and was renovated in 1989. While it was relatively easy to reach a consensus about NATPE’s issues, the L.A. Screenings presented big challenges for all meeting participants because the Screenings are dependent on the U.S. studios’ decision as to what to do after the Upfronts in New York City, where the U.S. networks announce their new TV season line-ups in mid-May. After the broadcast Upfronts in New York, which are set to take place May 16-19, the U.S. studios will screen the networks’ new season pick-ups to a reduced number of international buyers, with amix of in-person and virtual events. Since the new, untested broadcast series are not expected to bring new subscribers to the studios’ international streaming services, the studios will most likely try to monetize the new season’s most sellable products on the international market — albeit with shorter windows — before “dumping” them onto their streaming platforms. Due to a combination of little new content and fewer international buyers, the studio screenings will last just a few days, from May 21 to May 26. Confirmed studio screenings are Paramount Global Content Distribution (May 21-May 25), NBCUniversal International Distribution (May 21May 24, with Latin Day on May 22), Sony Pictures TV (May 23-26, with Latin day on May 24) and Warner Bros. Worldwide Television (Canadian screenings on May 16 and general screenings on May 23). Representatives from independent distribution companies are expected in Los Angeles on May 18-20. Miami-based Isabella Marquez, who organized the indie portion of the L.A. Screenings until 2020 (when the COVID pandemic forced the cancellation of the event for two consecutive years), has managed to obtain a large discount in suite rates for L.A. Screenings exhibitors from the Century Plaza hotel, which re-opened recently after a major renovation. The event is therefore going back to the hotel where it began as the May Screenings in 1963, at least for its indie portion. VideoAge estimates that at least 30 indie distribution companies will be in attendance at the upcoming Century Plaza-based L.A. Screenings. NATPE and L.A. Screenings, Both Born in 1963, Now At a Crossroads TV Trade Events SPI’s Loni Farhi at his Miami residence LATAM TV execs met for VideoAge’s breakfast meeting in Miami (names and affiliations in the article) NATPE Miami searches for a new home and a secure future — not an easy task.
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