The discussions on the second day of Natpe Global 2025 revolved around the future of the industry, on all its screens, with an emphasis on new technologies, intelligent content curation and the use of live content, especially sports, as a source of engagement.
*By Luis Cabrera, from Miami, USA
The second day of Natpe Global 2025, which is taking place at the Intercontinental Miami, maintained the standards of the opening day, although the absence of Realscreen 2025 – whose three-day event concluded yesterday – was felt in the number of attendees present.
Even so, the joint work done by both events has satisfied those who opted for this second edition of a renewed Natpe, with a focus on the US market and, through its panels and conferences, addressing the most important issues of the audiovisual industry in the region and the world.
The interest in the conference program was demonstrated by the number of spectators who filled the different rooms, as happened for example during the keynote by Kelly Day, Prime Video’s International VP, during which the tables and chairs were not enough.
Day focused on Prime Video’s commitment to providing the best possible product to its users, regardless of the investment: “Our goal is to provide the best possible selection of content to the user. We have hundreds of partners around the world and we support their work as if it were our own,” explained the executive. “Amazon is the most customer-focused company of all those I have worked for.”
The executive also shared Amazon’s growing commitment to live content, especially in sports, something that was replicated in other talks and is one of the most important feelings from the executives present at the event. As Andrés Nieto Serpa, Business Development Director of Vivaro Media, pointed out: “Each market is different and each platform is developing its technology and making its monetization. But live content is king.”
This sentiment is shared by NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises: “The strategy for 2025 is to have more live reality shows,” emphasized Sandra Smester, Executive VP of Programming and Content Development at NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises. “I have been a faithful believer in live shows for many years; with scripted shows you have the opportunity to watch them in various places, with different windows and platforms. Live shows, on the other hand, position you in a regional moment, where you speak to your audience, where you connect with them and you can promote what you have.”
WOMEN IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Among the highlights of the day was the closing ceremony provided by WAWA, which held its showcase in the Sevilla room of the Intercontinental and then moved on to the Women of the Year gala (WAWA Women of the Year), in the Biscayne room.
“Our goal is to increase the opportunities for our members, generate new networking opportunities, as we do with our pavilion in international markets,” said Rosalind Rotundo, VP of VIP 2000 TV, on behalf of WAWA.
In addition to Rotundo’s words, the showcase allowed WAWA to present its mission, its actions and the work of some of the companies that comprise it, such as the production company Infinito, OnceLoops Media, Ceci G, DW Universal Cinergía Dubbing, We Love Entertainment, among several others.
For the first time, the Women of the Year award was presented in English. Roxana Rotundo, board chairwoman of WAWA, explained that this is part of the association’s international projection. The award went to Monica Albuquerque, SVP of Content Development at Telemundo Studios.
“This award fills me with gratitude and a sense of responsibility. Being recognized by such a respected organization is an opportunity to amplify the voices of women who are working and innovating in our industry,” said Albuquerque.
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
Same as it happened during the first day, the conferences were of a high level and, in many cases, had a unifying theme: to discuss and try to find consensus on what is coming next for the industry in the coming years and how to prepare to face it.
In the panel The Studio of the Future, moderated by Marie Leguizamon from Banijay Mexico and US Hispanic, JC Acosta (The Mediapro Studio), Javier Pons (NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises), Lawrence Szabo (BBC Studios) and Allison Wallach (FOX Entertainment Studios) exchanged concepts on the current state of the industry, with a shared vision of a future based on partnership, innovation and, in Pons’ words, a lot of “optimism”.
At the start of the day, the future that was discussed was that of streaming, with a focus on the FAST universe, during the session Streaming: Are we there yet?, with panelists Katrina Kowalski, VPS, International Programming and Acquisitions of Pluto TV; Beth Anderson, SVP and General Manager, FAST Channels and VOD Sales at BBC Studios; David C. Graber, SVP of Content Sales at Warner Bros. Discovery; and Richard Young, Head of History Hit & FAST Channels at Little Dot Studios.
If we talk about optimism, few areas of the business have better prospects than the FAST universe, as Richard Young noted: “There is an incredible opportunity for monetization in the FAST universe and that is what we are most excited about for the future.”
WINNING GENRES
In terms of content, buyers at the event have been able to approach titles from the most successful genres within the region and the world, whether true crime series or feature films, police dramas, horror content or, at the other end of the spectrum, family comedies.
In the case of Fifth Season, in addition to its popular Killing Eve, Travis Webb, SVP of Sales for the Americas at the company, highlighted another genre that is gaining ground in the region. “We have some fantastic American and Canadian crime dramas that have sparked a lot of interest, such as CBC’s latest ratings hit, Saint Pierre”.
British distributor New Era Entertainment is presenting titles such as Lucky Heart and A Christmas Dream, as well as horror title Mother Maker Lover Taker, the latter under the Devilworks label, dedicated to the genre: “This industry is impossible to predict, it is always changing and evolving. But we do our best to listen, ask the platforms what they are looking for and find out what works best, as well as if there is any type of content that is missing in the market,” explained Samantha Richardson, content programmer at New Era Entertainment.
For Electric Entertainment, owner of well-known IPs such as Leverage or The Librarians, the surprise of Natpe Global came from the interest of the platforms for its feature films: “What the platforms are looking for is material that is dubbed,” explained Raul Piña, Director of International Distribution and Marketing. “The good thing is that we have a lot of dubbed library films. That is a benefit for us.”
