NEM Dubrovnik 2026 opened its doors for its 13th annual event on June 8, 2026, with an expanded market floor and distributors reporting full schedules of meetings.
The Monday-to-Thursday CEE-focused market — which benefited from the cancellation of NATPE Budapest and Content Warsaw — hosted 110 exhibitors with stands and meeting tables spread across three areas of the Dubrovnik Palace Hotel.
In terms of content buyers, organizers reported that 220 “real” buyers were in attendance, with the majority coming from Poland and the Czech Republic, followed by the Balkans, the Adria region, and territories as far as India. A growing number of telco representatives were also present. Telcos have always had a strong presence at NEM, although this used to be mainly limited to participants from their business units.
The expected strong turnout prompted companies such as Korea’s CJ ENM to decide to attend at the last minute, forcing reps to book rooms directly with the hotel (which is allowed since the hotel retains 25 percent of the rooms). As a result, the company’s name did not appear in the official market directories published by the organizers.
The spike in participation brought the total number of attendees close to about 1,200, sparking concerns among organizers about the Dubrovnik Palace Hotel’s capacity for future editions. A change of hotel is not out of the question, but the well-oiled machine of this long-standing venue is considered difficult to replicate.
Meanwhile, a brand-new tented section — the Adriatic area — was built on the terrace of the top floor of the Palace. Its inauguration was not without glitches, as the tent proved difficult to keep cool. Organizers promptly placed several cool-mist fans to help alleviate the problem.
Conferences kicked off on Monday afternoon with a panel on CEE Media Trends, powered by the European Audiovisual Observatory. The busiest conference day was Tuesday, featuring a packed program that started with a session on strategy vs. intuition in programming. The general consensus among the panelists — RTV Slovenia’s Natalija Gorscak, Antenna’s Henrik Schneider, RTL Croatia’s Stella Litou, e-Clutch’s Arnaud Verlhac, Armoza’s Avi Armoza, and BBC Studios’ Bartosz Witak — was that strategy and intuition must work hand in hand. While data and technology provide the foundation for monetization, intuition remains essential, particularly when it comes to developing compelling local stories.
The first Q&A keynote of the second day was delivered by Sam Barnett, CEO of CME. Barnett delved into the nuances of creating content in the CEE region, noting that scripted content does not always travel well across its diverse territories. He also addressed the challenges of competing with U.S. streaming platforms. He emphasized the importance of keeping linear television strong for news, live programming, and sports, while expanding digital offerings to avoid becoming irrelevant.
Additional keynote sessions featured Fremantle’s Jens Richter and Antenna TV’s Henning Tewes on the following day.
Panel discussions on day three explored topics such as “What Mega Mergers Mean for the Future of Media,” the role of “YouTube as a Distribution Opportunity,” what actually works to “Stop Digital Piracy,” and micro-dramas in CEE.
Showcases and screenings were presented by Globo, Global Agency, Disney, Paramount, Spain Audiovisual, Lionsgate, and A+E across four days of activities.
NEM maintained its reputation for vibrant social events, with evening parties held in the Old Town on Monday and Wednesday. Paramount Global Content Distribution once again sponsored Happy Hour cocktails poolside (on Tuesday), while the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce offered morning coffee to attendees.
However, with success came limitations, and indeed, NEM organizers sent out notices that photography and filming were not permitted at any screenings/showcases, plus that Paramount allowed media attendance yet requested that there be no reporting or posting related to their sessions/content. Finally, Lionsgate’s and Fremantle’s sessions were closed to media attendance.
With success also came scrutiny, since many distributors wondered if the 220 or so buyers were adequate for the increased number of sellers. The rationale is also that, between NATPE Budapest, Content Warsaw, and NEM, sellers could have seen many CEE buyers within a two-week period in the past, but now that there is only NEM, the buyer/seller ratio tends to be reduced.
Pictured above, from top l. to r.: Calinos Entertainment’s Asli Serim; Inter Medya’s Hasret Ozcan and Sinem Aliskan; Kanal D’s Onay Devrim and Sangerim Zhakhina; Simonetta Polese of Italy’s TVCO at NEM for the first time; an exhibition area; one of the many conferences; Paramount’s cocktail party.
Leave A Comment