NATPE moving to Prague

NATPE’s European TV market is relocating from Budapest to Prague. The event will be rebranded NATPE Europe, be based in the Prague Hilton and will take place June 23-26.

The move follows the success shift of NATPE’s flagship US event from Las Vegas to Miami.

US-based NATPE acquired the Budapest-based content market from Basic Lead in 2011.

It has faced various challenges including coordinating its activity with local screenings held by the Hollywood studios at the same time.

The organisation said that moving to the Czech Republic capital will allow all market and studio screenings to take place in one location.

“We believe in eastern and central Europe, and this move represents a chance to refresh this yearly television market institution,” said NATPE CEO Rod Perth (pictured). “Budapest has been a wonderful location for many years, and after careful consideration and many conversations with our customers, the consensus was that Prague will provide more flexibility that will make NATPE Europe an even better market.”

Perth was announced as NATPE CEO last May, taking the reins from Rick Feldman. He has shifted the focus of the Miami event to digital, advertising and multiplatform content alongside TV and recently told TBI that he wants to do the same with the European market.

“We’re committed to Europe and investing in the event,” he said. “We respect MIPTV and MIPCOM and they are highly successful, but we are serving the [CEE] region in a unique way.”

There are, meanwhile, no plans to relocate the US event (pictured). “We’ll do everything we can to make certain we stay in Miami,” Perth said. He added that buyer registrations for the US market are three times up on the same point last year.