NATPE Budapest is currently underway, connecting key players, highlighting regional innovation, and fostering crucial discussions across the content industry. Taking place from June 23 to 26 at the InterContinental Budapest Hotel, this year’s edition features a dynamic conference program and expanded networking opportunities.
With over 85 exhibitors and more than 350 buyers already confirmed, NATPE Budapest reaffirms its position as a vital platform for content discovery and deal-making. The event brings together high-level executives, producers, distributors, and content buyers in a setting designed to drive business and strategic alliances.
A new addition for 2025 is a collaboration with Realscreen, a leading voice in non-fiction and unscripted content, to launch a robust Formats track. This track includes “30 Minutes With” — a series of focused buyer briefings — and new case studies on transcreation and international scaling. Realscreen also brings its successful intimate, off-the-record session format, with László Gáspár, Director of Infotainment at AMC Networks Central Europe, sharing insights on strategy and programming priorities.
The conference agenda is packed with activities blending business and creativity across three days. Highlights include an opening keynote by Andreas Briese from YouTube, who offers actionable insights for CEE creators on monetizing content and growing audiences on the platform. The “View from the Top” panel features industry leaders such as George Levendis (ANT1 TV), Stella Litou (Pro Plus & RTL Croatia), Levente Málnay (AMC Networks), and Magdalena Szwedkowicz (MAG Entertainment), discussing innovation, collaboration, and regional strategy.
The Formats agenda delves into industry trends with figures like Clare Thompson (K7 Media) and Sebastian van Barneveld (Talpa Studios). Panels such as “Making It Work Locally” and “How to Make a Splash Globally” feature leaders from Paprika Studios, Seefood TV, and Starlight Media.
NATPE Budapest 2025 also introduces the “NATPE Honors Europe”, an initiative celebrating influential voices and leaders shaping the European media landscape. The popular Pitch & Play LIVE! returns, showcasing exciting original format concepts from the CEE region with international potential. Confirmed for exclusive screenings are major studios including A+E Global Media, Lionsgate, Paramount Global Content Distribution, and Sony Pictures Television.
Networking opportunities are a key draw, including exclusive “Meet a Decision Maker” sessions, providing attendees with face-to-face conversations with industry leaders. The legendary NATPE Boat Party also returns, offering networking with views of Budapest’s riverside.
Claire Macdonald, Executive Director for NATPE Budapest, stated, ‘NATPE Budapest has long been regarded as the most effective and efficient marketplace in CEE, and this year builds on that tradition. Our raison d’être is to bring together the major players in the region, and this year we’ve expanded the market floor due to exhibitor demand’.
The conference program also includes sessions on market changes and new regulations, with panels like “Streamers are Becoming Operators and Operators are Becoming Streamers?”, exploring the convergence of business models. A presentation by Emilie Anthonis, President and Managing Director of MPA EMEA, delves into the Motion Picture Association’s strategy to protect the creative sector. The “TV Ads vs. TV Digital Ads” panel examines how CTV, FAST, AVOD, and SVoD are reshaping the traditional TV ad landscape, with an introduction from Google and Omdia. Discussions also cover “Europe’s Audiovisual Future: Do We Have the Necessary Conditions to Succeed?” regarding the AVMS Directive, and “How Inflation Affects Already Expensive Content”.
