NATPE - National Association of Television Program Executives

NATPE Presents Content Panels at MacWorld

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 20:48:00 +0100

Sessions To Illuminate New Apps for Traditional Programming Along With Insider Tips On Selling Your Digital Creations

LOS ANGELES, CA, January 5, 2009 – For the first time, the National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE), will present content panels at this week’s MacWorld Conference & Expo in San Francisco. The sessions will offer a first look at never-before-seen interactive mobile video technologies, present the ways in which traditional programming content is being customized for the iPhone and competing mobile platforms and explore the options available to content creators in new media.

NATPE President and CEO Rick Feldman notes, “NATPE is dedicated to celebrating and monetizing great professional video content. MacWorld is a wonderful platform for us to highlight how content and distribution can best work together to serve consumer needs.”

NATPE new media advisor Arthur Greenwald, President, Greenwald Media, and Contributing Editor, TVNEWSDAY, is producing the panels and will serve as moderator.

Panel one, NATPE at MacWorld: TV, Mobile TV and the iPhone, will look at how familiar television shows are expanding their audiences by making innovative use of customized iPhone applications as well as new and emerging handheld video devices and platforms.

The second NATPE presentation, So You Want To Sell Your Idea to Television?, features experts in developing content and technology partnerships who will discuss the best way to approach studios, networks, and syndicators along with advice on digital rights management.

The NATPE at MacWorld: TV, Mobile TV and the iPhone session is on Wednesday, January 7, at 11am to 12:15pm. Panelists include Kanishka Agarwal, VP of Mobile Media, Nielsen Mobile; Kelly Liang, Senior Director of Business Development, YouTube; Ted Malone, VP Product Marketing, Sling Media; Sam Methany, General Manager, News Over Wireless, WRAL-TV, Raleigh, NC; and Cyriac Roeding, Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers (backers of the iFund).

The So You Want to Sell Your Idea to Television? panel is scheduled for Wednesday, January 7, from 6:30pm to 7:30pm. Speakers include Gannon Hall, Chief Marketing Officer, Kyte; Sam Methany, General Manager, News Over Wireless, WRAL-TV, Raleigh, NC; Tom Smuts, Co-Founder of United Hollywood's Founder Media Group and Television writer, producer, director; and Daisy Whitney, Contributing Writer/TVWeek and Host of New Media Minute (TV Week, ABCNews.com).

NATPE is a global, nonprofit organization dedicated to the creation, development and distribution of televised programming in all forms across all mature and emerging media platforms.

NATPE develops and nurtures opportunities, both commercial and educational, for buying, selling and sharing of content and ideas. For more information link to www.natpemarket.com.

The 2009 NATPE Market & Conference is being held January 26-29, 2009, at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas.

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CONTACTS:
Paul Nichols/Christine Dinh
The Lippin Group/LA
323/965-1990

NATPE Presents Highlights of 2009 Market & Conference

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 16:57:49 +0100

Leading Global Programming, Advertising and New Media Figures to Tackle the Issues and Solutions of Monetizing the Digital World

LOS ANGELES, December 9, 2008 – Monetizing the convergence of programming, advertising and emerging media will be the focus of the 2009 National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) Market & Conference being held January 26 - 29 at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas, it was announced today by Rick Feldman, NATPE President and Chief Executive Officer and Kevin Beggs, President, Programming and Production, Lionsgate and NATPE Co-Chair. The 2009 NATPE Market & Conference theme is “Content – Commerce - Connections,” reflecting NATPE’s stature as the world’s preeminent digital content market.

Dozens of panels and sessions will illuminate the rapidly changing landscape of programming, advertising and new media along with opportunities for new revenues. Participants will include Shari Barnett, Microsoft TV; Thom Beers, Original Productions; Andy Bird, Walt Disney International; Paul Buccieri, Granada America; Chris Coelen, RDF USA; Michael Davies, Embassy Row; Tony DiSanto, MTV; Vicki Dummer, ABC Entertainment; John Ferriter, William Morris Agency; Cecile Frot-Coutaz, FremantleMedia; David Goldberg, Endemol USA; Irwin Gotlieb, GroupM; Chris Grant, Reveille LLC; Peter Guber, Mandalay Entertainment; Jordan Hoffner, YouTube; Mark Itkin, William Morris Agency; Andy Kaplan, Sony Pictures Television International; John Langley, Twentieth Television; Gary Lico, CABLEready Corporation; David Lyle, Fox Cable Networks; Gary Newman and Dana Walden, Twentieth Century Fox Television; Sean Perry, Endeavor Talent Agency; Douglas Scott, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide; Donna Speciale, MediaVest Worldwide; Barry Wallach, NBC Universal Domestic Television Distribution; Ken Werner, Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution;; Michael Wright, Turner Entertainment Networks; Strauss Zelnick, ZelnickMedia and many others, in addition to the previously announced keynote address by Jon Feltheimer, Lionsgate, and the newsmaker address by Tom Rogers, TIVO.

The recipients of the 2009 NATPE Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award - Chuck Lorre, Tyler Perry, Ben Silverman and Anne Sweeney – will take part in one-on-one interviews Tuesday morning.

“The caliber and diversity of our speakers and panelists send a clear message that NATPE is more important than ever to the leaders in all areas of the global content business,” commented Mr. Feldman. “There has never been a time when the need to maintain a sharp focus on both the short and long-term challenges of our business has been more important. The value of NATPE continues to grow.”

Mr. Beggs added, “Quite simply, participating in NATPE is the most efficient way to do business. Companies need to find ways to generate revenue, connect with people and exchange ideas. NATPE is the premier content marketplace and forum to achieve these goals.”

Buyers from 50 countries spanning all continents will attend along with every major U.S. studio, network and production company.

NATPE 2009 debuts a series of unique original demonstrations of new digital and mobile video technologies --- exciting new tools designed to enhance television production, distribution and marketing. These demos will not merely debut at the NATPE conference; they were made possible by NATPE, which served as the matchmaker between the technology companies and content creators.

Participating companies include MobiTV, NOKIA, Kyte Media, Image Metrics Animation, Loopt.Com, Tapioca Wireless, CityVoter.Com and several others.

New to the exhibit floor, along with the previously announced NATPE Power Lunch Restaurant & Café, is the NATPE Celebrity Test Kitchen. Top chefs will participate in cooking demonstrations, book signings, wine and food tastings and audience Q&A. The Celebrity Test Kitchen will be hosted by Evan Kleiman, who hosts KCRW’s “Good Food” and owns the popular Los Angeles restaurant, Angeli. There’ll also be a B2B business lounge for meetings.

NATPE is a global, nonprofit organization dedicated to the creation, development and distribution of televised programming in all forms across all mature and emerging media platforms.

NATPE develops and nurtures opportunities, both commercial and educational, for buying, selling and sharing of content and ideas. For more information link to www.natpemarket.com.

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CONTACTS:
Paul Nichols/Christine Dinh
The Lippin Group/LA
323/965-1990

TiVo Chief Executive Officer Tom Rogers to deliver NATPE 2009 Newsmaker Address

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:30:39 +0100

LOS ANGELES, November 17, 2008 – Tom Rogers, President and CEO of TiVo Inc., will deliver the NATPE 2009 Newsmaker Address at the association’s annual Market & Conference, it was announced by Rick Feldman, NATPE’s President and CEO. Mr. Rogers will speak on Wednesday, January 28 at 9 a.m.

In his address, entitled “Avoiding the Demise of Advertising,” Mr. Rogers will examine the serious commercial avoidance issue that will create an overwhelming challenge to the economics of the television industry.

“Analysts predict that there will soon be 50+ million DVRs, and with that the homes most desirable to advertisers will be fast-forwarding through ads,” Mr. Rogers commented. “There needs to be greater urgency and television must learn from the lessons of the newspaper and music industries, which didn’t act quickly enough to prevent their business models from being severely damaged. The TV advertising crisis is real, the stakes are high, and the time to address the issue is now.”

“Tom is a dynamic leader as head of a company that has revolutionized the content business. He is a perfect choice to deliver our Newsmaker Address,” said Mr. Feldman. “Traditional advertising models are rapidly giving way to change and Tom’s analysis will be very enlightening.”

Tom Rogers is President and Chief Executive Officer of TiVo (NASDAQ: TIVO), the creator of and a leader in television services and advertising solutions for digital video recorders (DVR). With a career that operates at the nexus of where media, technology, advertising and public policy come together for more than two decades, he brings to TiVo a distinctive blend of operational leadership and corporate strategy experience across multiple facets of the industry. With vast experience in running traditional media and new media companies, and in creating innovative business models for companies facing new challenges, Mr. Rogers is poised to help TiVo continue to revolutionize the way consumers watch and access home entertainment.

About NATPE

The annual NATPE Market and Conference will be held January 26-29, 2009 at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Convention Center, Las Vegas.

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CONTACTS:
Paul Nichols/Christine Dinh
The Lippin Group/LA
323/965-1990

Chuck Lorre, Tyler Perry, Anne Sweeney and Ben Silverman are named as Recipients of the Brandon ...

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:44:09 +0100

Honors Will Be Presented at NATPE 2009 Market & Conference January 26 in Las Vegas

LOS ANGELES, March 11, 2008—Chuck Lorre, Tyler Perry, Anne Sweeney and Ben Silverman will be honored with the National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) 6th Annual Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award, to be presented on January 26 during the NATPE 2009 Market & Conference. The announcement was made today by NATPE President & CEO Rick Feldman, along with NATPE co-chairs Kevin Beggs, President, Programming & Production, Lionsgate, and Roma Khanna, President, Global Networks and Digital Initiatives, NBC Universal Int’l, London. Chuck Lorre is Executive Producer, Writer & Creator of “The Big Bang Theory” and “Two and a Half Men,” Tyler Perry is creator and executive producer of “House of Payne,” Anne Sweeney is Co-Chair, Disney Media Networks and President, Disney-ABC Television Group, and Ben Silverman is Co-Chairman, NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios.

Rick Feldman commented, “Chuck, Tyler, Nancy and Ben all exhibit extraordinary passion, leadership, independence and vision in the process of creating television programming and in evoking the spirit of Brandon’s generosity. We’re delighted to be able to honor these special individuals at the 6th presentation of the Legacy Award.”
The Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award celebration is sponsored by Broadcasting & Cable and Multichannel News and NBC Universal. The honorees were selected by NATPE's Executive Committee.

"Broadcasting & Cable and Multichannel News are thrilled to recognize these four extraordinary professionals as we honor Brandon Tartikoff's legacy. It will be an inspirational night at NATPE on January 26 when we celebrate Chuck, Tyler, Anne, and Ben," added Larry Dunn, Publisher, Broadcasting & Cable and Multichannel News.

"Once again we are delighted to be participating in the Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Awards, an honor that annually puts the spotlight on the best and brightest in television," says Marc Graboff, Co-Chairman, NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios. "This year's diverse group of honorees truly exemplify all that Brandon stood for and we are especially thrilled that my friend and co-chairman here at NBC Universal Ben Silverman is being honored with this special award, as well."

The Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award will be presented on Monday, January 26 from 6-8:00 pm. at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. A limited amount of tickets to the event, benefiting the NATPE Educational Foundation, are available online for $100.00 through www.natpemarket.com NATPE is also planning a roundtable discussion with the 2009 honorees at a session to be held on Tuesday, January 27. The session will be moderated by B&C editor Ben Grossman.

Past Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award recipients are Stephen J. Cannell, Harry Friedman, Bonnie Hammer, Anthony E. Zuiker, Steven Bochco, Marc Cherry, Pat Mitchell, Carole Black, James Burrows, Dick Wolf, Gail Berman, Mark Burnett, Marcy Carsey, Tom Werner, Caryn Mandabach, Ken Lowe, Mark Itkin, Peter Roth, Nancy Tellem and Bob Wright.

For the past twenty years, award-winning creator, executive producer and writer Chuck Lorre has conquered the entertainment industry with hit shows like “Grace Under Fire,” “Dharma & Greg,” “Roseanne” and “Cybill” as well as the number 1 comedy on television and three year People’s Choice Award winner, “Two and a Half Men” and freshman series “The Big Bang Theory.”

A native of Long Island, Lorre got his start as a guitarist/singer, touring the country and writing several hundred pop songs that, as he puts it, “helped keep him out of the big time” (Debby Harry’s top 40 hit “French Kissin’ in the USA” being the lone exception). After more than a decade on the road, Lorre decided to turn his attention to television. He began writing animation scripts for DIC and Marvel Productions, as well as writing and producing the themes and scores for such animated series as “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.”
Since making his film debut with "Diary of a Mad Black Woman", Tyler Perry has become a multimedia phenomenon with a roster of hugely successful film, stage, television, and book projects. Perry's first two films both debuted at number one at the North American box office and the combined sales of his nine DVDs have sold over 11 million units. Perry's first book, "Don't Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings: Madea's Uninhibited Commentaries on Life and Love" debuted at #1 on the New York Times' hardcover nonfiction bestseller list and remained in the Top 10 for eight weeks. Most recently he created and produced 10 episodes of the first-run syndicated comedy series, "House of Payne," which premiered in select markets to excellent numbers. The first 100 episodes of "House of Payne," Perry's first-run syndicated comedy series began debuting nationally on TBS in the fall of 2007.

Anne Sweeney serves as co-chair, Disney Media Networks and president, Disney-ABC Television Group, where she is responsible for The Walt Disney Company’s entertainment and news television properties globally. She was promoted to this role in April 2004.

Ms. Sweeney oversees the ABC Television Network, which provides entertainment, news and kids programming to viewers via 228 affiliated stations across the U.S. in addition to other technological platforms. ABC series, many of which are produced by ABC Studios, are distributed to more than 200 territories across the globe by Disney-ABC Worldwide Television. Disney-ABC Television Group also comprises Disney Channels Worldwide, which includes 27 Disney Channels, 10 Playhouse Disney Channels, nine Toon Disney Channels, three Disney Cinemagic channels and 19 Jetix/GXT Channels, as well as Radio Disney and Walt Disney Television Animation, a TV animation studio. Today Disney Channel programming reaches more than 500 million individuals in 127 countries. Ms. Sweeney also manages cable networks ABC Family and SOAPnet, as well as Disney’s publishing imprint, Hyperion, and the company’s equity interest in Lifetime Entertainment Services and A&E Television Network.

Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning producer Ben Silverman was named Co-Chairman, NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios, in May 2007, and began his new role in June 2007. His multiple responsibilities include directing the efforts of NBC Universal’s television operations based in Universal City, California. Since joining NBC, Silverman has transformed the television business model by connecting advertisers and consumers through content in a more profound way. He moved the Upfront earlier and brought brands into the entire fall schedule. Also, despite a writers' strike, he delivered the highly rated "Knight Rider" movie while also reinventing the network's "The Biggest Loser," "Deal or No Deal" and "Celebrity Apprentice" franchises.

Earlier, during his tenure at the William Morris Agency, Silverman crafted breakthrough international format deals that brought the hits series “Ugly Betty” to ABC and “The Office” to NBC.

NATPE is a global, nonprofit organization dedicated to the creation, development and distribution of televised programming in all forms across all mature and emerging media platforms.

NATPE develops and nurtures opportunities, both commercial and educational, for buying, selling and sharing of content and ideas.
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CONTACTS:
Paul Nichols/Christine Dinh
The Lippin Group/LA
323/965-1990
Don Ciaramella
The Lippin Group/NY
212/986-7080
Debbie Lawrence
The Lippin Group/UK
44 203 008 5406

Can the Entertainment Industry Survive the Recession?

Sat, 25 Oct 2008 00:24:28 +0100

“Yes” according to a national survey released today by NATPE and E-Poll Market Research.

LOS ANGELES, CA (October 22, 2008) - In a joint study conducted by NATPE and E-Poll Market Research, consumers say they will cut back on eating out, shopping, and vacations before they’ll give up entertainment expenses such as cable/satellite service, DVD rentals and going out to a movie.

When asked what they’ll be doing more of, the survey of 2,806 adults cited “staying home,” “watching television,” “visiting video web sites,” and “watching DVD movies” as their top choices during these tough times.

Consumers state they have cut down the following activities in the last 6 months due to the economy (By Percentage):
· Going out to a restaurant 38%
· Shopping for clothes/household Items 35%
· Vacations 34%
· Weekend Outings/Amusement Parks 32%

Other key findings:
· Women are significantly more likely to be thinking about ways to stretch their budget, cut back on some activities, pay off debt, and shop for sale items.
· Those who say they are in most control of their lives are those age 55 or older.
· 30 to 54 year olds appear to be squeezed the hardest by recent economic times. They are more likely to say they have less freedom to do the things they want. Also, compared to younger or older respondents, 30 to 54 year olds are more likely to be thinking of ways to stretch their budget.
· Females and those aged 55 or older are more likely to have simplified their lives in the last six months.

Programming Opportunities:
· Overall, Dramas are edging out Comedies in the past 6 months as preferred programming choices. News and Reality shows also rate high among people who say they are spending more time at home.
· However, the “anxious” 30 to 54 year-olds cited above prefer comedies, competitive reality shows, SciFi, and other escapist programming genres.

Methodology: The study was conducted among a nationally representative sample of those aged 18 or older from the proprietary E-Poll panel. The study was fielded from August 12th to September 4th, 2008. There were a total of n=2,806 completes. They survey yields a margin of error of +/- 1.85%.

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About E-Poll Market Research: A leading provider of products and custom research solutions for entertainment and media companies, agencies and Fortune 1000 companies.

Research products include E-Score® Celebrity, Character and Brand, and FastTrack™ Television tracking.

About NATPE: The National Association of Television Program Executives is a global nonprofit organization dedicated to the creation, development and distribution of digital video content in all forms across all mature and emerging platforms.

The NATPE 2009 Market & Conference will take place January 26-29, 2009 at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Convention Center, Las Vegas.

For Immediate Release
Contact: Mark Crary
Phone: 818-995-4960
mcrary@epoll.com