Claire Macdonald (left) and Mary Maddever (Photo by Daniel Vegal/Vienna Event Photography)
January 24, 2026
Cognizant of how the streaming industry is shifting toward creators and brands, organizers of NATPE Global and the co-located Realscreen Summit are putting the spotlight on both when their respective events return to Miami in early February.
“Creators and brands are no longer adjacent to the business of television — they’re actively shaping it,” said Mary Maddever, chief content officer for Brunico Communications, producers of the shows. “What we’re seeing now is a convergence, where creators, brands, studios, and distributors are sitting at the same table, solving for the same challenges around audience, monetization, and scale.”
Both events will be held at the InterContinental Miami. The Realscreen Summit, which focuses on unscripted content, takes place Feb. 2-4, followed by NATPE Global Feb. 4-6.
The strategic focus of the two shows in years past has been on industry markets centered on traditional buyer-seller dynamics between networks, studios, and distributors. This year, both NATPE Global and the Realscreen Summit are placing greater emphasis on the full content ecosystem including creators, digital-first studios, brands, and new business models that sit at the intersection of entertainment, commerce, and culture.
Creator and studio founder Dhar Mann headlines NATPE Global as a keynote speaker, underscoring how creator-led businesses are now operating at true studio scale. Across both events, brands such as PepsiCo, P&G, Kansas City Chiefs, L’Oréal and Hasbro are active participants in conversations with producers and platforms around developing entertainment, IP ownership, audience trust, and measurable ROI.
“We have also curated a Media Leaders Lunch to bring together senior executives from across brands, creators, studios, and platforms in a more intimate setting,” said Claire Macdonald, EVP and executive director of NATPE. “It’s about creating the space for real conversation, where perspectives collide and partnerships form. We expect meaningful takeaways that speak directly to the innovation and convergence shaping the industry right now.”
“Brands today aren’t just buying media, they’re investing in storytelling,” Maddever noted. “And creators are building businesses, not just channels. We expect to see new partnerships and announcements that reflect the innovation and convergence shaping what comes next.”
“What makes this different is that these conversations aren’t theoretical. The people on our stages are actively doing the work, building partnerships, launching content, and redefining what success looks like across platforms,” commented Macdonald.
The 2025 edition saw record attendance and industry engagement, with more than 2,350 registered delegates across both events and more than 120 exhibitors and sponsors, according to organizers. The Realscreen Summit attracted more than 1,200 delegates from more than 25 countries marking an 11% increase in attendance from the previous year. NATPE Global welcomed approximately 1,700 delegates representing 54 countries, including more than 700 registered buyers, and saw a 13% increase in overall attendance, alongside a rise in producer participation and exhibitor partnerships. Additionally, more than 550 delegates attended both events, demonstrating strong industry interest in the crossover programming, according to organizers.
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