Rick Feldman, NATPE’s president and CEO, calls the annual conference and exhibition ‘a mirror of the business,’ and, as such, mobile content issues will factor heavily into this year’s event, Jan. 24-26 in Las Vegas.

Broadcasters and exhibitors will be paying close attention during NATPE’s Mobile ++ day – held in advance of the conference proper, on Jan. 23 – for the latest developments in the business of wireless and mobile platforms. Last year’s Mobile ++ attracted 200 delegates, says Feldman, who expects about 300 this year in addition to the 8,000 or so he anticipates for the actual conference.

‘There is an incredible amount of interest and opportunities for producers to scope out the various platforms,’ says Feldman.

Mobile will also play into the conference proper with panels such as Insight Arena: Taking Mobile to the Mainstream, and Mobile TV: What Will Carriers Want. Roma Khanna, CHUM International’s SVP of content, will likely touch on the subject as well when she is interviewed by Variety’s deputy editor Elizabeth Guider about CHUM’s creative and distribution facets as part of NATPE’s ‘Chat With’ series.

NATPE will also feature territory-specific panels focusing on China, India and Russia, and a wide selection of panels about digital distribution and video on demand.

CHUM International – recently rebranded from CHUM Television International to reflect its hand in various media – will bring its largest-ever slate of HD and mobile programming to NATPE, as well as a dozen new shows that weren’t in its MIPCOM catalogue.

‘There is a real market developing for high-definition products,’ says VP and GM Kevin Byles. ‘This is the direction a lot of countries are going, and [international television] regulations are pushing in that direction with HD and digital.’

Meanwhile, Scott Dyer, EVP production and development for Toronto’s Nelvana, says the toon shop will tout completed episodes of its action series Di-Gata Defenders and fantasy toon Jane and the Dragon (both 26 x 30), and will be heavily talking up its Babar 3D, Ruby Gloom and Grossology projects.

‘There are a lot of important buyers that go to NATPE that we couldn’t easily [access],’ says Dyer. ‘I don’t know if it’s as much of a selling conference [for Nelvana] – although selling occurs – but it’s a great ‘catch-up and connect’ conference.’

Telefilm Canada had expressed doubts about continuing to attend NATPE, due to increased costs and concerns about the market’s organization, but is returning after a positive experience in 2005 with 20 companies under its Canada Pavilion. Some individual companies are also back on board.

‘We decided not to go for a few years, because the organizational structure of the market was a little confused, but now it looks like it is becoming a really good market again,’ says Lindsy Maren, director of sales for Toronto TV distributor Octapixx.

In 2002 and ’03, NATPE weathered criticism from delegates because several media outlets worked out of suites at the conference’s host hotels, leaving smaller companies alone on the floor. Things have started to turn around since Feldman came aboard in 2003. He predicts that 80% of the 350 exhibiting companies – including 88 first-timers – from 72 countries attending this year will be on the floor, led by heavy-hitters such as CHUM and FremantleMedia.

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