Content Europe, a new TV market that took place April 21-23, 2026 in Lisbon, Portugal, was announced on August 22, 2025 by British trade publisher and TV market organizer C21.
A few months later, on November 5, 2025, New York City market organizer Questex announced its first Stream TV Europe, which took place April 13-15, 2026 at the Epic Sana Hotel in the Amoreiras district of Lisbon, Portugal.
Stream TV Europe attracted 1,000 participants from 30 countries. Next year’s event is set for April 20-22, 2027 at the Estoril Congress Centre, a new venue outside Lisbon.
Meanwhile, Content Europe attracted 800 participants and 71 exhibitors and will return next year on April 18-20, 2027, at the same venue.
Around the same time that these events happened in Lisbon, RaiCom staged a screening of its own content between April 14 and 17 in Assisi, Italy for some 100 buyers, while Canneseries, in Cannes, France, took place April 23-28.
Moving to North America, Toronto’s Hot Docs was held from April 23 to May 3, 2026, and the NAB Show was held April 18-22, 2026 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. There was also the Festival of Animation Films (FFAA), which began on April 28 in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
The month of April has obviously become a hotly contested period for TV markets, and Lisbon is now a hot destination after the closing of MIPTV in Cannes, France. However, the various April TV markets and events are not expected to affect the anticipated success of this year’s L.A. Screenings, set for May 14-20 in Los Angeles, with an extended schedule at all the U.S. studios, and confirmed participation by many independent exhibitors at the SLS Hotel.
Content Europe was held at the Marriott Hotel in Lisbon, some 5.4 kilometers from the Baixa city center. The three-day event consisted of a Marketplace, Screenings, and a three-track conference program: The Future Formats Forum, The Content Acquisitions Summit, and The Kids Content Summit; plus a Format Pitch. In total, there were 53 speakers for 25 conference sessions.
The whole event took place across two floors of the Marriot Hotel, and the marketplace offered booths and meeting tables to content distribution companies. The event attracted 271 international content acquisition executives who visited the 71 exhibiting companies. “All the major international TV companies are here,” reported Maria Chiara Duranti, who’s a format expert and publisher of FormatBiz. Among the big distributors were Warner Bros. Discovery, ITV Studios, All3 Media, Fremantle, Banijay, and Dori Media, plus Turkish content distributors such as ATV, Kanal D, and Global Agency.
“The [Content Europe TV] market has potential,” said Sangerim Zhakhina of Turkey’s Kanal D International. “It’s better than expected for the first edition. Good panels and time to network.”
In total, Content Europe drew over 800 participants, and organizer C21 explained that “buyers from platforms and channels registered for free.” As David Jenkinson of C21 Media explained, the goal was to fill the spring market gap left by the disappearance of Mip-TV in Cannes: “We knew there was a gap in the market… We wanted to create something positive, inclusive, affordable, cost-effective, and creative.”
NBCUniversal’s Hannah Mabruk said: “We don’t have MIPTV in the spring anymore, and I think it’s great to have a spring market in Europe.” That sentiment was widely shared. Reps for several companies indicated that they came specifically because the industry still needs a European market between MIPCOM in October and the L.A. Screenings in May.
Indeed, a number of distributors confirmed that they would also be attending the upcoming L.A. Screenings, though many emphasized that the two events serve different purposes. Lisbon was viewed as relationship-driven and pan-European, while the Los Angeles Screenings remain focused on major studio pipelines, U.S. content supply, and high-level acquisition meetings.
The market recorded a strong opening, with backing from the Portuguese government in the form of a statement from Margarida Balseiro Lopes, Portugal’s Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, who presented a €350 million (U.S. $410 million) funding program called SCRI.PT, designed to strengthen the country’s audiovisual sector and increase international competitiveness.
The hotel’s largest room, the Mediterraneo, hosted a strong Turkish presence. Another space, the Casablanca, was strongly anchored by French companies, including Unifrance, which hosted an exclusive invitation-only cocktail reception at the Embassy of France in Lisbon on April 22.
Asian firms were also out in full force, with a large presence from Japan and Korea, in particular. The latter one included Korean distribution company, Something Special.
Several exhibitors praised Lisbon as a venue. While the hotel is outside the historic city center, many participants felt the location was strategically smart. It kept delegates inside the property, while still maximizing spontaneous encounters.
Claudia Marra of Mediaset Italy confirmed that she arrived without any scheduled meetings, but was still able to meet with many buyers. Rocio Cachero of Mediaset Espana was happy with her 12 meetings, but she regrets that the market was more focused on formats than dramas. Simona Frau, head of Formats at Banijay Italy, said that she decided to come at the last minute, but that she had still had almost 20 productive meetings with independent producers and studios.
While no official country breakdown was released, exhibitors repeatedly cited strong attendance from Southern Europe, Iberia, Italy, Turkey, and Latin markets, with visible executives from Portugal, Spain, and Italy. Many sellers also reported meaningful conversations with buyers from Central Europe and the Nordics.
Pictured l. to r.: Sony Pictures Entertainment’ Laura St. Clair, consultant Lisette van Diepen, Paramount International’s Laura Burrell, NBC Universal’s Hannah Mabruk, and FormatBiz’s Maria Chiara Duranti At Content Europe.
(Maria Chiara Duranti contributed to this story).
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