The second edition of Natpe Global was a pleasant surprise for all attendees, proving it was the right decision to join the event with Realscreen Summit, and maintain the focus on American platforms and buyers.
*By Luis Cabrera, from Miami, USA
Our expectations play an enormous role in the value judgments we later make, which is why some of the main film critics usually share their previous conceptions – often even their mood during the day – before seeing a feature film.
In the case of Natpe Global 2025, which today closed its doors at the Intercontinental Miami, the expectations – low after a very tentative first edition and the damage caused to the brand by its previous owners – explain part of the excellent sensations that the event left in what was its second edition.
But only part of the attendees’ satisfaction is explained by this positive balance between expectation and reality; the rest is the excellent work of the Brunico Communications team in giving Natpe Global its own identity, one based on the analysis of industry trends with the words of top-level speakers, and a praised partnership with Realscreen Summit, which had its three days in the same place, the last one overlapping with the start of the new event.
“When we were thinking about organizing two events together, initially, the push to do so came from the industry, which felt there were too many events on the calendar,” explained Mary Maddever, EVP of Realscreen and Executive Director of Content at Natpe. “It seemed like a very good idea, to be efficient for someone who comes and makes an investment. And it worked because both events grew. It’s what we wanted it to be, buzzy and loud. We’re very happy with that.”
According to Maddever, 50% of Realscreen attendees opted to add Natpe to their package, and for the non-scripted content event it also meant a growth of more than 10% in attendees (unofficial numbers).
That day, the first day of Natpe, was the most dynamic, with a great atmosphere in the lobby, market floor and different conferences, in addition to the suites occupied by the main studios, whose presence elevated the event. The closing with the gala and the presentation of the Natpe Honors crowned a spectacular day.
“We were able to create an agenda for the entire week that attracted everyone,” added the executive. “People are interested in innovative partner models, investments from media agencies or brands to help fund a show, and so on. Now the producer is also a distributor or has their FAST channel. And the network is producing and distributing and has a FAST channel. So everyone has more common interests. It was pretty easy to put together an agenda that, whether you were just going to one of the two events or you were coming for the whole week, you would have granular and interesting content.”
After the first day with both events running side by side, there was a noticeable drop in attendance, but business agendas and networking opportunities kept up a high pace, as did conferences and keynote events such as the Woman of the Year awards, organized by WAWA.
As Maddever stated: “The response has been tremendous.” “In terms of exhibitors and sponsors, both events have grown. The exhibition space is bigger. We have more partners, more large delegations. The international aspect has been growing for Realscreen and also for Natpe. We are very happy with that,” she shared.
The question that has not been answered is what form the event will take in the future, how it will grow by taking advantage of the success and the good feelings left by this edition.
The 2026 edition still has no confirmed date and one consideration, perhaps the only criticism repeated during the event, was that’s it’s “not close enough” to Content Americas 2025, which for many generated a bridge of too many days to stay in Miami or too few to justify leaving the country and returning.
Another interesting issue is the location: with such an American profile, one consideration would be to leave Miami and go to another venue, as the old Natpe did in Las Vegas or New Orleans, but Meddever believes that Miami offers many advantages for those arriving from abroad, given that it is a very important hub that does not force them to add another internal flight to reach the destination.
“Everyone seems to like Miami,” she said. “When people suggested combining the events, they said to do it in Miami. Direct flights make it easy to come here, the pleasant weather… The comments have been very good. We have not announced it yet, but everyone seems to like this place for many reasons.”
On how to grow after the success of 2025, Meddever is looking to continue listening to the industry and responding to its demands: “I think that in the future we can go deeper into certain areas where there is interest, such as investment from media agencies and brands, and then simply grow in scale.”
A DAY FOCUSED ON THE CO-LAB
The panels on this last day of Natpe Global had collaboration as their main theme, that element so necessary to find creative solutions within an industry that is going through turbulent waters.
The panels Innovation to the rescue: meet the new business models and Engagement redefined: collaboration, co-productions and immersive experiences in the streaming era focused on the integration of brands into audiovisual content, as well as the use of storytelling to tell their story and reach consumers.
Later, Spain was presented to the audience as the ideal destination for international productions in the panel Extraordinary Spanish Incentives Are Luring Hollywood & Latam, thanks to its deep system of tax incentives in the audiovisual area, a business in which the fight between the different territories is fierce.
Javier Yraola, Trade Commissioner of the Economic and Commercial Office of Spain in Miami, offered a glimpse of the achievements of the Spanish organization. “We have attracted a lot of international production thanks to a government plan that had an investment of 1.6 billion euros. And also, during this five-year period, the number of professionals in the industry has doubled.”
If we talk about companies that bet heavily on Natpe and were rewarded, we can’t leave out FilmRise, whose spectacular suite on the 33rd floor saw great movement. The company also chose this event to announce its latest co-production agreements.
NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, for example, had a strong presence at the event, with a delegation of top executives who participated in attractive panels and, in the case of Luis Fernández and Mónica Albuquerque, were honored for their important careers. Javier Pons, EVP of Telemundo Studios, highlighted the strengthening of the team: “The work of consolidating the studio into a single brand is the greatest achievement we have achieved in this short time, in which we have also paid attention to streamlining our structure,” said the executive.
Complete coverage of the first day of Natpe Global can be found here.
Complete coverage of the second day of Natpe Global can be found here.
