Penthouse 10

Save the Dates for NATPE ‘08

Mark your calendar with the NATPE ’08 Conference & Exhibition dates, January 28-31, 2008, at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas.

NATPE – where content is King – is home to the largest and only U.S. video content marketplace.

If you’re buying or selling video content for any platform, NATPE ‘08 is where you need to be.

NATPE Highlight Reel

Hot off the digital press!
Here is the NATPE Highlight reel, enjoy!

This Just Added

The latest addition to the NATPE conference!

Chat With Bart Soepnel, SBS Broadcasting Europe BV an exciting session hosted by Elizabeth Guider
Noon-Tuesday, January 16 for Reef F
Register Today!
For the latest information about the conference go to http://www.natpe.org/conference/agenda/
See you in Vegas!

NATPE Notes

Here's the toast...

“From our members, we have four significant first-run strips coming out next season, which includes Rachael Ray, who was the toast of NATPE,” says Burg.

Post-NATPE

Real Talk With Kietta,” an issues based, adult-oriented program discussing such topics as surviving cancer, teens at risk and men on the "down low," earned rave reviews from audience members of NBC’s “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” during his “Sold/Not Sold” segment.  Well received at the 2006 NATPE Convention, “Real Talk” has received multiple network bids.

NATPE Blogged

• Well...I had quite the time at the NATPE Educational Foundation workshop today.
• It's finally time for me to push off into the dark waters of...networking. Print up the business cards, dry clean the suit-- I'm goin' to Boston!
• Farmers Almanac TV just returned from the National Association of Television Programming Executives conference (NATPE) in Las Vegas last week where we learned that the strategy of launching a series on public television and a broadband network on the internet is the perfect approach to building a media brand in this day and age of convergence.
• Turns out not even people who have hosted syndicated talk shows and attended annual programming conventions can't get the Name of the National Association of Television Program Executives, or the acronym, straight.
• The National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) did not know what they were in for when "Shut Up and Model!" took its 2006 Conference & Exhibition by storm.

Conference Update

From TV Week:

The National Association of Television Program Executives has scheduled its 2007 conference for Jan. 15-18, once again holding the event at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas.

NATPE Alert

Says Variety:

It's early, of course, for Warner Bros. to start planning its NATPE party to celebrate off-network deals, but this is one of those rare series that arrives feeling like it's been on the air for a while.

Here's the thing: it's NEVER to early to start planning your NATPE party.

Exhibitor Follow-Up

Bennett Media Worldwide, which launched with a slate of high-definition programming at Natpe, has hired a former International Pacific Associates exec as its director of international sales and acquisitions. (courtesy C21)

More from the show

Blast Podcast provided previews of their Blast Player and ad-supported internet and mobile television solutions at NATPE in January -- where the Company is begun to move professional, Branded, content into the video podcast arena which is expanding advertiser interest. (from streamingmedia.com)

More Post-NATPE

NATPE has long been the industry's most whimsical get-together, known mainly for its bounty of eccentric personalities trying to sell themselves to any TV buyer that'll take them. (from CableWORLD)

DVDs Available

Order them online now!

NATPE Follow Up

"Our goal was to let the television industry know that Planet X was going to the next level with greatly expanded distribution, resources and staffing adding to this leading, extreme sports programming icon," stated Jeff Criswell, President of CyberAds, Inc. "We are very busy following up on the many inquiries and business initiatives from the show." (from market wire)

And more

From last week:

News from the exhibition floor Thursday saw more programme pick-ups, for companies including Warner Bros, Cinamour Entertainment and MTV Networks. (from C21)

NATPE has also devoted a good portion of the trade-show floor to "Digital Village," a collection of exhibitors who are all riding the second great wave of Internet television. (from UPI)

At its first NATPE this week, WPT Enterprises announced a slate of deals on the World Poker Tour and unveiled a new series, Professional Poker Tour. (from World Screen)

CHUM International has announced a slate of deals at NATPE on its catalogue of original entertainment, fashion and music programming. (World Screen again)

More from NATPE

• At NATPE last week Viz Media marketed a number of anime they have available for broadcasters. (from Anime News Network)
• 2006 NATPE Wrap-Up Report (By The Futon Critic Staff)
• Raven Moon Entertainment, Inc. is pleased with the interest and response to its forthcoming animated movie Gina D & The Transistor Sisters In Search of the Golden Record by attendees at the National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) convention in Las Vegas last week. (from PR Newswire)

NATPE Wrap 1

Some of the NATPE News that emerged over the last week:

For cable consultant Ray Solley, a NATPE attendee and a speaker on a convention panel, that made NATPE an epicenter when it came to reaction to the new network.  (TV Week)

If there is one thing NATPE ’06 will be remembered for, it’s the surprise announcement (no doubt strategically planned) of the merger of the WB and UPN into new network CW, which sent waves of shock—and optimism—through the conference. (Mediaweek)

ReelTime attended the NATPE 2006 Conference to network with television executives and media professionals regarding the acquisition of additional content for ReelTime's subscription service upon the forthcoming launch. (Primezone)

"With the Disney planned merger with Pixar it is anticipated that there will be a greater emphasis on animated theatricals. We spoke to many interested and excited buyers and potential distributors at NATPE about Raven Moon's ability to create 3D animated family films for a fraction of the cost," stated Len Koch, Chairman of ROLE Entertainment, the syndicator of Gina D's Kids Club®. (Yahoo! News)

NATPE News

NATPE and iHollywood Forum have announced the final slate of sessions and speakers for the 2nd annual NATPE Mobile ++ event on January 23 at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas. (via WorldScreen.com)

Cinamour Entertainment heads to NATPE this year with new talk shows, documentaries and reality titles, including its long-running Cheaters, which recently celebrated its 100^th episode. (WorldScreen again)

3DD Entertainment will be presenting a slate of music programs at NATPE, including performances by James Blunt and the Gorillaz, as well as a concert by Barry Manilow. (and again)

Ten French distributors will be attending NATPE next week as part of the TV France International stand in the hopes of boosting sales to the U.S. market. (and again)

More News

The AIM Tell-A-Vision(R) Group (AIM TV), pioneering producers and distributors of English language programming for the U.S. Latino market, announced that it has chosen the NATPE conference to continue its "Change The Sample" initiative to convince Nielsen Media Research, Inc. to change its language preference method of monitoring U.S. Hispanic TV viewing to a more accurate measurement based on nativity (U.S. Born / Foreign-Born).

--prnewswire.com

NATPE News

NATPE and iHollywood Forum Announce Final Lineup of Sessions, Speakers and Sponsors for NATPE Mobile ++

--tmcnet.com

NATPE News

BBC Worldwide Americas will present a slate of diverse programming at NATPE, including big-budget natural history specials and drama offerings.  (via WorldScreen.com)

The FOX network’s Prison Break and NBC’s popular comedy My Name is Earl are among Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution’s lead properties for NATPE this month. (via WorldScreen.com)

iHollywood Forum, Inc., Fun Little Movies (FLM) and NeTV today announced that an unexpected volume of quality films from around the world have been submitted to the first MoTV Awards. Film and TV comedy star Eddie Griffin (Deuce Bigalow, European Gigolo) will present the Fun Little Movies Award for Best Comedy at the gala MoTV Awards presentation, which takes place on January 23 at 5:30 PM in the Mandalay Bay resort, Las Vegas. The MoTV Awards are a hotly anticipated feature of the Mobile ++ conference at NATPE. (via businesswire.com)

N06 Coverage

From Ad Age:

The National Association of Television Programs Executives is betting on a dose of digital media to revive its January meeting, which kicks off next week in Las Vegas.

Coming to NATPE

From B&C

Change comes slowly in the huge factories that are TV studios, but many business-development executives say that producers, writers and other members of the creative community need to start thinking in terms of creating shows for all sorts of new platforms.

The proof of that will be in plain sight at the National Association of Television Programming Executives (NATPE) conference beginning Jan. 24 in Las Vegas.

Coming to NATPE

Leading independent production and distribution company Off the Fence today announced that in conjunction with CDC United Network, they will offer more than 30 hours of world-class documentary programming to the Latin American market at NATPE 2006.

(Download off_the_fence_cdc_natpe_final.doc )

Coming to NATPE

A Comedy Pavilion dedicated to showcasing and promoting comedy programming across all platforms is to be built on the exhibition floor at Natpe 2006 in Las Vegas. (c21)

US producer Latin Lion Pictures is making its Natpe debut with a slate of feature film and documentary titles. (ibid)

Countdown: 12

NATPE Birthday to Ron Harper, Rush Limbaugh, Howard Stern (isn't it appropriate that he and Rush share a birthday?), Kirstie Alley, Christiane Amanpour and Farrah Forke!

Today in 1949, Arthur Godfrey and his Friends debuted on CBS. In 1949, Kukla, Fran and Ollie premiered on NBC. In 1965, Hullabaloo debuted on NBC (Woody Allen was one of the first acts). In 1966, Batman premiered on ABC (Woody Allen was not one of the first acts). In 1967, Dragnet returned to TV after an eight year absence. In 1968, The Supremes appeared on NBC's Tarzan as a group of nuns. In 1969, the Jets beat the Colts, 16-7, in Super Bowl III. In 1971, All in the Family debuted on CBS. In 1975, the Steelers beat Vikings, 16-6, in Super Bowl IX. In 1981, Dynasty debuted on ABC. In 2003, AOL Time Warner Chairman Steve Case announced his resignation.

There are 12 days until NATPE 2006.

Coming to NATPE

Distributor Program Partners will be introducing two new off-net dramas to programme buyers at Natpe, through its existing worldwide distribution agreement with Thunderbird Films. (courtesy c21)

CyberAds, Inc., an extreme sports and lifestyle marketing company, announced today that Planet X Group, Inc. will be launching a new slate of TV shows at the NATPE (National Assn. of Television Program Executives) Convention in Las Vegas January 24th - 26th. (from marketwire.com)

Countdown: 13

NATPE Birthday to Grant Tinker, Mitchell Ryan, Anna Calder-Marshall, Kim Coles and Rockmond Dunbar!

Today in 1958, Sea Hunt debuted on CBS. In 1970, the Chiefs beat the Vikings, 23-7, in Super Bowl IV. In 2001, the FCC approved the AOL Time Warner merger.

There are 13 days until NATPE 2006.

Countdown: 14

NATPE Birthday to William Sanderson!

In 1967, National Educational Television (PBS, in a later incarnation) carried President Johnson's State of the Union address. In 1971, Masterpiece Theatre debuted on PBS. In 1990, Time Inc. and Warner Communications Inc. merged to form Time Warner. In 2000, AOL announced an agreement to buy Time Warner for $160+ billion.

New releases on DVD this week include Andromeda (Vol. 5.3); Black Books (Series 1); The Flash (complete series); Hee Haw (Vol. 5); Men Behaving Badly (Series 3 & 4); Red Dwarf (Series 7); Strong Medicine (Season 1); Urban Gothic (Season 1); and Viva la Bam (Seasons 4 & 5).

There are 14 days until NATPE 2006.

Coming to NATPE

LOS ANGELES, January 9: Latin American buyers at NATPE are being invited to a European TV Showcase, featuring programming from France, Belgium, Spain, Switzerland and the U.K.

-via worldscreen.com

Coming to NATPE

Fremantle International Distribution (FID), the distribution arm of content company FremantleMedia, comes to NATPE 2006 in Las Vegas with a diverse range of entertainment titles.

-courtesy indiantelevision.com

On with the Shows

TV France International (TVFI) is inviting programme buyers from Latin America to a pre-Natpe preview of the best in European television programming. (C21)

Stocking its distribution roster in time for Natpe, Canadian distributor Octapixx Worldwide has picked up international rights to a natural history/reality special that looks inside a Tasmanian Devil sanctuary. (ibid)

Poker Face

Poker/NATPE News:

At the end of the month, people who think they might have come up with the next hit TV show will descend onto Mandalay Bay and do their best to convince a TV executive to air their creation.

There will be no shortage of people pitching poker shows.

At last year’s National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) Conference, veteran TV producer Mark Fracalossi says there were maybe five companies there to pitch poker programming ideas.

This year, he estimates there will be around 50.

-more here.

Coming to NATPE

UK indie music distributor 3DD Entertainment is heading to Natpe later this month with two new live music concerts shot in high definition. (courtesy C21)

Globo TV International will be offering three brand new telenovelas to Latin American buyers during Natpe 2006. (courtesy C21)

Rive Gauche International will be bringing 10 completed episodes of the documentary series Science of The Bible to Natpe 2006. (you guessed it...)

Coming to NATPE

"We're talking to a number of content owners right now, and we'll continue to do so at NATPE because it's obviously a wonderful place to meet with content owners who might be looking for a way to distribute their content online," said Jennifer Feikin, director of Google Video.

-- get the full scoop in TV Week

Countdown: 35

NATPE Birthday to Jim Simpson, John Hillerman, Michael Badalucco, Dick Wolf, Jenny Agutter and Blanche Baker.

Today in 1938, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin patented the iconoscope television system. In 1954, Buick Motor Company signed Jackie Gleason to produce 78 half-hour shows over a two-year period for $6,142,500. In 1980, NBC covered the Jets/Dolphins game with no commentators in the booth -- the only sounds were field and crowd noises. In 1996, Cosmos's Carl Sagan died at age 62.

New releases on DVD in this light week include The Amazing Race 7; Battlestar Galactica (Season 2.0); ER (Season 4); and Party of Five (Season 2).

There are 35 days until NATPE 2006.

Coming to NATPE

BuzzMetrics, the leader in online word-of-mouth research and planning, today launched the first syndicated service to tap into the massive pool of unaided television discussion occurring on blogs, message boards and other social media.

The new TV*BuzzMetrics ratings will help television executives and advertisers by delivering ongoing qualitative insights that help explain key drivers of viewer engagement, and understand potential value of new programs. BuzzMetrics is a business affiliate of VNU, owner of such renowned research brands as ACNielsen and Nielsen Media Research.

-read the press release

Review the Preview

FYI - the official NATPE 2006 Preview is in this week's issue of TelevisionWeek. It begins on page 47 of the print mag, and some of the content is also available online.

To look for: the floorplan and agenda (as of November 11).

Props

If you want to learn, the smartest thing you can do is go to conferences that are about other media. I think every online marketer should go to NATPE (National Association of Television Program Executives). What you see is the maturation of what a medium looks like 60-70 years [later], that’s really got itself buttoned up and together, and how they market themselves, how they look at data, and how they really understand building relationships, which is very important.

-sage advice from Bob Regular, President, Oridian

All NATPE, All the Time

Yesterday morning, we welcomed a group of journos to Penthouse 10 for breakfast and a chat with Rick, John and Steve, as part of our annual kick-off to the ramp-up to the Conference & Exhibition. Sorry there's no breakfast nosh left (our staff can pick a bone clean in under a minute), but you can still read all about it. Some headlines:

NATPE '06 to focus on new content
Confab to focus on producing, protecting product

-Variety

Grade, Pedowitz to Speak at NATPE 2006

-TV Week

High Hopes for NATPE 2006

-Broadcasting & Cable

Grade expectations for Natpe speech

-C21, listed last because they still haven't figured out that NATPE is typed all in caps.

Go Us

NATPE TAKES TOP HONORS IN IAEM’S 2005 ART OF THE SHOW COMPETITION FOR SHOW DAILY AND SIGNAGE

We're not above self-tooting.

Call for Faculty

NATPE has officially put out the call to educators who want to learn more about the biz as membes of its in its 2006 Faculty Fellow Program.

The academic year is short--the NATPE convention in Las Vegas, Jan.24-26.

- via B&C

French Kiss

Fifteen production and distribution companies from France will be attending NATPE as part of TV France International's contingent with a view to doing increased business in North America and Latin America.

- World Screen News

Think Globo

Globo TV International’s new novela Her Own Destiny has attracted the interest of broadcasters worldwide, with deals already in place in 12 Latin American countries since its launch on the global market at NATPE.

- From World Screen News

Mooned

Raven Moon Entertainment is thinking ahead to 2006...

THEreview

The New York Times reviews THEhotel in Vegas, home of NATPE's exibitor suites and one of the show's official hotels.

Props

Kudos to NATPE 2005 attendees Project Firefly!