Natpe Budapest 2017: time to do business

The reduction of the CEE markets ad pies that characterized this period seems now to have come to an end. Prensario has interviewed many key buyers from the region, who confirmed that, for example, Russia market is 12% up compared to 2016, Ukraine +15/20%, Greece +11%, Hungary +3%. Channels are buying more and producing again. From the seller’s side, there are more companies from Asia (Japan, Korea, China) interested in increasing their presence in CEE and CIS.

A good example of local recovery is the transformation from buyers to sellers of some players at the CEE countries. This has been happening in Russia and Ukraine: Signal Media and Kvartal 95, respectively; the Czech Republic: Ceska televise has consolidated its international operation; but it has also happened on smaller ones, such as Croatia, where RTL is selling their drama series within the Balkans; Hungary, where MTVA is strengthening its distribution arm; Armenia, where Shant TV launched its international division one year ago; and Albania: Vizion Plus catalogue is growing steadily.

Digital platforms are growing too, especially since Netflix disembarked in the region in 2015. For instance, the SVOD has confirmed the very first Turkish drama production (Innocent, Kanal D). Now, there are opportunities everywhere and for everybody, while more and more platforms are being launched in the region.

Regarding the market activity, the major events for today are the Screenings hosted by Warner Bros. and Lionsgate, and a set of conferences with the participation of executives from companies like 3Vision, AXN, Antenna Group, TRX, All3Media, Grupa ZPR Media and FTV Prima. Tomorrow, CBS Studios International and NBCUniversal will present their new shows for the region and the main focus of the conferences will be the coproduction opportunities and international formats that resonate within the CEE.

JP Bommel, CEO, Natpe: 'We are very excited to build on our successful return to Budapest and have the opportunity to not only showcase fresh content from around the world, but also highlight the incredibly powerful content from the CEE region. Natpe is proud to offer new initiatives designed to ensure delegates get the most from the event - from setting the scene with our opening Business Intelligence sessions to offering local producers the chance to discover more about the international market. Natpe Budapest is also a fantastic opportunity for networking with focused sessions and a number of parties, bringing the content and platform communities together at the epicenter of the CEE region'.

Rodrigo Cantisano, from Budapest