Days after striking a deal to acquire Endemol Shine, Banijay CEO Marco Bassetti has been confirmed as a keynote speaker for NATPE Miami. The Endemol Shine deal will likely still be going through approvals when the Banijay chief takes the NATPE stage in late January, but as a major producer and distribution chief, Bassetti will give the crowd in Miami his take on the international content business.
Marcos Santana, president of Telemundo Global Studios, will also deliver a keynote address, NATPE president JP Bommell told Variety.
Armando Nuñez, president and CEO of CBS global distribution group; Louise Pedersen, boss of All3Media International; Kerim Emrah Turna, executive director of Turkey’s Kanal D International; and Valerie Creighton, head of the Canada Media Fund will speak at a Jan. 22 session on distribution, another key component of NATPE’s international track. It will be moderated by NATPE chairman,and former senior Sony distribution exec Andy Kaplan.
On the fast-changing calendar of international TV events, NATPE Miami has set itself as a start-of-the-year scene-setter. Once a U.S. syndication-focused event, the current version combines a conference lineup with a full-fledged market for international distributors and buyers.
Soumya Sriraman, president of Britbox, will head a panel on streaming content from the U.K.
Bommell told Variety that international attendance at NATPE has increased 15% in the past few years, and added that he wants it to be a one-stop shop for execs in the content business. This time out there will be pavilions from Brazil, Spain, China, South Korea, the U.K. and Turkey. “We see so many opportunities in global distribution for our constituents,” Bommell said. “We’re focusing on international distribution, new business and new revenues for them.”
Natpe Miami runs Jan. 21-23, 2020.