Moving away from the past, not quite ready for the future.

While NATPE's glory days of flashy booths and syndication superstars are undoubtedly in the past, the future of the TV trade show--which celebrated its 44th incarnation in 2007--is getting plenty of attention, with the market's feet firmly planted in transition. In fact, NATPE has essentially transitioned from a two-day market into a one-day affair (day three has traditionally been used to pack-up). The question remains whether new platforms, international buyers and sellers and independent distributors can take the place of NATPE's traditional bread-and-butter: the syndication business.

Long gone are the days when U.S. syndicated talk shows and action series created loads of buzz and attracted superstars. In fact, there was very little buzz leading up to this year's NATPE, since few U.S. syndicated shows were rolled out prior to the market.

Although there were no vehicles garnering as much attention as, say, last year's Rachael Ray, some industry-wide speculation was confirmed once NATPE got underway. NBC Universal unveiled a talker starring Jerry Springer alum Steve Wilkos (cleared on Tribune and Sinclair stations); Warner Bros. announced its celebrity newsmagazine TMZ (based on celebrity gossip blog TMZ.com), which will run on Fox owned-and-operated stations; and Twentieth shared plans to launch new game show series Temptation. While these shows resemble the more traditional NATPE syndicated fair, it's worth mentioning that the latter two series, especially, were touted for their interactive capabilities.

Most studio announcements came in the way of renewals. CBS Paramount upped Lara Spencer to co-anchor of The Insider, with a new multi-year contract, and announced renewals for Ray until 2010 and for Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! through to the 2011-2012 season. Twentieth was busy renewing Divorce Court, Judge Alex and Cristina's Court. Disney spent its week on multi-year clearances for Live With Regis and Kelly and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Sony Pictures Television announced increased clearance levels for Judge Hatchett and Judge Maria Lopez (as well as upcoming court series Judge David Young.

A lack of new syndicated shows can be attributed both to the astronomical costs of producing daily series, as well as a shortage of available dayparts on broadcasters' schedules. "[The lack of new, syndicated first-runs] is a combination of a few things," explained Bruce Rosenblum, president, Warner Bros. Television Group. "Suppliers can't spend as much on these programs and consumers are a bit less interested in talk shows, so the risks are higher. First-run is a tough business," he conceded.

A few questions still linger on past the close of NATPE. First, without its first-run syndication business, will there still be a need for the market? Second, if the studios don't need NATPE to launch their first-run shows, who does? And finally, would the U.S. TV business suffer without NATPE? "The majors could survive without markets like this," said Herb Lazarus, president of International at indie Carsey-Werner, "But it would be very hard for us to do without it. This market is important," he said, "because if you're producing shows for a network, you have ratings results for midseason, and those are important to show to clients."

In addition to domestic companies, a respectable (though not overwhelming) contingent of foreign buyers and sellers showed up at NATPE, though the market's reported total of just-under 8,000 attendees seems a bit steep, especially considering the floor appeared all but abandoned after the first rather busy day of the market.

Out of a total 133 international exhibitors, Latins made up a large majority--many of whom bought product from one another. "NATPE is mostly visited by Latin American television executives," said Jose Escalante, vice president and general manager at telenovelero RCTV International. "In our case, we also had a significant representation from our clients from Europe and Asia because we had our 25th anniversary celebration," he said.

During the market, RCTV celebrated its silver anniversary at an invitation-only breakfast. "We chose NATPE [to celebrate] because it's the first major festival of the year, and what better way to start the year than with a celebration? Plus, we could tie our new programs to those in the past," Escalante said.

Also at NATPE, Telemundo officially launched its new international division, Telemundo Internacional, after acquiring Miami-based Tepuy International. Telemundo, a Spanish-language TV network in the U.S., is part of NBC Universal and also resides under the GE corporate umbrella.

But Latin distributors exhibiting on the fifth floor of THEhotel were thrown a curve ball when a small fire broke out during the first day of the market, forcing them to evacuate for a short time. Subsequently, one of TV Azteca's meeting rooms was closed off. And while business went on as usual, the smell of smoke permeated nearby exhibitor suites.

Additionally, distributors from the U.K. and Canada and buyers from Asia, Scandinavia and Eastern Europe, specifically, joined the Latins to comprise the foreign contingent.

At this year's convention, Fox, Buena Vista and Warner Bros. domestic operations opted to exhibit in nearby THEhotel suites rather than on the convention floor, but a few of the studios opted for show-stopping booths. The recently unified CBS Television Distribution Group, NBC Universal Television Distribution and Warner Bros. International Television Distribution chose flashy on-floor venues, which could be described more accurately as compounds. These mammoths were sprinkled amongst an array of small, independent companies looking for recognition.

Virtually every one of the 60-odd panels at NATPE addressed the impact of user-generated content, new distribution technologies and their associated business models. It seems that everyone--from content providers to station groups--is looking to make money off these new technologies, though at present, no one knows exactly how. "At the moment new technology applications are primarily about promotion," said Gary Newman, president of 20th Century Fox Television Group. "As these businesses mature, they'll begin to infringe upon network audiences." Marc Graboff, West Coast president, NBC Universal television concurred: "Networks need to be able to secure as many rights as possible to make money." But Warner Bros.' Rosenblum was quick to add that new technologies provide opportunities for station groups as well. "Stations can fight back by streaming shows on their websites. New technologies don't need to hurt them. It's imperative for local stations to get involved in broadband streaming," he said.LCB 

Next year, NATPE will commence on January 28 at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas.