NATPE, the industry convention that has brought together television executives for decades (and was at one time the nation’s largest syndicated sales market), is coming to an end. Canada-based publisher Brunico Communications, which acquired NATPE assets in 2023, announced Tuesday that its U.S. events, including NATPE Global, RealScreen Summit and KidScreen Summit, will not continue next year.
As part of the closure, NATPE executive director Claire McDonald and Kidscreen publisher Jocelyn Christie will leave Brunico.
Brunico blamed “difficult but necessary decisions” to end the situation in the United States on “this period of market change.” The company will continue to run the Banff World Media Festival (held this year from June 14 to 17) and continue to publish Realscreen, Kidscreen, Playback, and Strategy.
Russell Goldstein, president and CEO of Brunico Communications, said in a statement: “This decision was deeply considered and stems from continued market consolidation, which is having a structural impact on the content production business.” The company’s Kidscreen Awards and Realscreen Awards will also continue.
Regarding McDonald’s and Christie’s departure, Goldstein added, “From the quality of their brand portfolio to the level of respect they hold in our industry, their passion for the communities we serve has always been evident, and we are grateful for their significant contributions.”
Brunico acquired NATPE in 2023 after the event, which started as the National Association of Television Program Executives in 1963, declared bankruptcy. Among the assets Brunico purchased were NATPE Global, NATPE Budapest, NATPE Streaming+ and Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Awards. Due to bankruptcy, NATPE canceled its 2023 event, which was already difficult to continue amid the coronavirus pandemic. In 2024, the show was revived, and in 2025 and 2026 it was combined with Brunico’s long-standing RealScreen Summit in Miami.
NATPE’s peak was probably in the 1990s and early 2000s, when thousands of attendees roamed the massive NATPE convention floor as major syndicated distributors like Warner Bros., Universal, Paramount, King World, and Sony set up huge booths boasting A-list talent and gourmet catering. At night, distribution companies like King World hired talent like Elton John to wow the stationmaster’s audience. However, things changed with the consolidation of television and the decline of the syndication business, and NATPE struggled to maintain its presence into the 2010s, turning its focus to the international and then the creator economy, but never fully finding its place in the new media order.
Perhaps more surprising, given Bruno’s long history of running RealScreen Summit and KidScreen Summit (held alongside an ongoing trade publication), is the decision to also end these events. The two events are “proud to have served as the epicenter of the international unscripted children’s content community for the past 30 years, serving as a creative catalyst for opportunity for an entire generation of media executives and their companies,” Brunico said.
