Now that the Art Basel show has ended, Miami is getting ready for the NATPE show.
Art Basel, which included a film section, was held December 5-9 in 10 locations in Miami and Miami Beach, just before a cold spell hit the typically sub-tropical resort city, bringing temperatures down to 18°C, to the delight of many Miamians.
Preparations for NATPE, which includes 15 exhibiting companies from Miami (out of a total 96 from the U.S.), are in full swing, with many firms rushing to complete their arrangements before the Christmas holidays (which for the LATAM contingency extends until after the Epiphany on January 7). The three-day show in Miami Beach starts eight days later, on Tuesday, January 16.
In addition to the usual buying and selling, TV companies are anxious to use NATPE as an opportunity to shed some light on the many changes that are affecting the TV industry in the U.S. and internationally.
Right now, talks concern the acquisition of Warner Bros. by AT&T, and whether Warner will have to divest itself of CNN in order to appease the Justice Department
(due to President Trump’s hatred of CNN); the planned acquisition of Fox Studios by Disney, and the related cascade of prequel deals, like the takeover of Sky by Fox, and the future structure of Hulu; and the new role of Telemundo Internacional, now that its former leader, Marcos Santana, has been put in charge of production for the group.
Plus, Disney will premiere its new World Distribution boss Mark Endemaño, who recently replaced Disney TV veteran Ben Pyne; TV Azteca will showcase its recently appointed Chief Content and Distribution Officer, Alberto Ciurana; and Sony Pictures will highlight its new boss Tony Vinciquerra.
Finally, distributors will be analyzing the changing nature of buying patterns. At NATPE 2018, many acquisitions will be made for 2019. In the past, they were made for the same year. That change means that any “last-minute” buying for 2018 (at least for LATAM TV outlets) was done in October.
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