The NATPE brand went thru some turbulent times last year as the organization had to file for Article 11. The subsequent tender for the NATPE assets was won by Brunico Communications who will make their “debut” as organizers of the NATPE Budapest market on June 19-22.

Today, CEETV publishes a part of TVBIZZ Magazine's interview with Russell Goldstein, CEO of Brunico Communications, in which he talks about the challenges and opportunities that the NATPE brand will open up for his companies. He also talks about NATPE Budapest’s “restart” as a bigger and more comprehensive event which is already attracting more attendance and interest than last year.

The full interview will be published in the upcoming MIPTV 2023 issue of TVBIZZ Magazine.


Russell, in January 2023 Brunico acquired the NATPE assets. What made you bid for NATPE's assets and what are your plans for the brand?

For the last 60 years, NATPE has been operating some of the most important and respected content markets in the world including the Miami and Budapest events. As a world leader in the B2B event space with our widely acclaimed content markets and conferences like Realscreen Summit, Kidscreen Summit and Banff World Media Festival, we feel strongly that Brunico has the resources and experience to build on this legacy and help these crucial industry events reach their full potential.


NATPE Budapest is returning in June 19-22, 2023. What are your plans for the market which has established itself as the go-to event in Central and Eastern Europe? What will be some of the elements that other events won't be able to replicate?

The key to a successful market is high-quality buyer attendance, and for over 30 years NATPE Budapest has attracted the top acquisitions executives in the CEE region in the greatest volume. This is why the major US studios choose to showcase their latest programming at NATPE Budapest each year. In 2022, there were nearly 400 buyers in attendance and we expect that to grow now that travel restrictions have been fully lifted. In addition, Brunico has implemented additional rigor to the buyer qualification process to ensure that our list of buyers is superior in both quality and quantity. And we’ve made NATPE Budapest free to attend for buyers, which is drawing even more attendance and interest.

We will also be launching our Co-Pro Connections program, which matches established international producers bringing high-quality projects to the market with our regional buyers. Today’s ultra-competitive environment demands early access to new and diverse stories with local appeal, and we’re excited to deliver these kinds of opportunities that will make NATPE Budapest a one-stop shopping experience.

And to top it all off, we’re bringing back the much-loved Boat Cruise party on the Danube, a longstanding NATPE Budapest tradition from years past.


We can say that CEE is a new market for your company. In your opinion, what makes the region stick out among other territories? What makes it attractive to the international players?

The CEE region possesses such a positive dynamic relative to many other parts of the world which makes it attractive for international investment. The region’s economy is growing steadily, there’s low unemployment and it boasts a broad set of digital and OTT offerings for consumers in addition to a more stable traditional television market than what you would typically find in other developed regions. As a seller of content, this provides a rich mix of buyers for originals and library content as well as an excellent opportunity to adapt and extend global franchises and formats. This is the message we are receiving already from our international partners and the dynamic we are expecting to see unfold at NATPE Budapest this year.


There has been some confusion among people from the region due to the fact that there is another event in Budapest in June. What would you like to say to people who are having a hard time choosing “the right market”?

It’s difficult to understand the merits of an alternative event in the same timeframe and location, but with no clear point of differentiation. NATPE Budapest is back and we are ready once again to deliver the definitive market in the region with the highest-quality and largest contingent of buyers.