C21 Media has revealed new details about Content Europe, its brand-new international market that will hold its first edition from April 21st to 23rd, 2026, in Lisbon. Designed as a comprehensive meeting point for content buying and selling, the event will combine a market, conferences, and screenings, with the ambition of becoming the industry’s major spring event following the demise of MipTV.
The focus will be on formats, factual, drama, and children’s content, with a three-pronged structure: the “Future Formats Forum”, the “Content Acquisitions Summit”, and the “Kids Content Summit”, which takes center stage in this inaugural edition. ‘The market response, especially in formats and factual, was immediate. We have already expanded the space at the Marriott in Lisbon to meet demand’, explained David Jenkinson, editor-in-chief and managing director of C21. Early bird registration is now available and closes at the end of October.
The “Kids Content Summit” will feature a strong lineup of international leaders, including Sarah Muller (BBC Children’s & Education), Agnes Augustin (Shaw Rocket Fund), Kate Smith (WildBrain), and Kate O’Connor (Animation UK). The program will address commissioning trends, digital-first strategies, shortform, new financing models, and the emerging impact of AI, in addition to a market pavilion dedicated exclusively to children’s content.
Content Europe also has the backing of LineUp Industries, with Julian Curtis and Ed Louwerse joining the advisory committee alongside Chiara Duranti, founder of FormatBiz. “The idea is for it to be more than a market: a celebration of the creative and strategic value of content,” said Curtis.
Lisbon is thus shaping up to be the venue of choice for the European premiere of an initiative that aims to read—and accompany—the moment of transformation that the audiovisual industry is undergoing globally.
