Guy Bisson
NEM Dubrovnik 2025 kicked off today in Croatia, gathering professionals from over 300 companies, with more than 1,000 participants. From June 9 to 12, the event will focus on networking, specialized TV industry topics, and presentations of the latest content.
One of the hot topics on NEM's opening day was the impact of Trump’s tariffs on European producers. Guy Bisson, Executive Director & Co-Founder of Ampere Analysis, admitted that the protectionist policies Donald Trump wants to impose to "make Hollywood great again" are unlikely to succeed. One of the main reasons is the differing windows of exploitation for content. "U.S. companies depend on international markets to make their money," he asserted. "54% of the box office revenue from U.S. films comes from outside the U.S., and 69% of all transactional revenue—that is, rentals and retail sales of movies and TV—comes from outside the U.S. The subscription window is even bigger, with 55% of revenue generated from international markets."
Bisson also pointed out that if Trump succeeds in restricting international production, ten countries will be most affected, including major European markets such as the UK, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Poland, Turkey, and the Scandinavian countries. "These countries have been the biggest beneficiaries of runaway production," he explained.
Bisson elaborated on Trump’s plan to make Hollywood great again, which includes proposals such as a federal tax credit (with both federal and state taxes), a 100% write-off on production investments for one year, and reinstating the domestic production activities deduction to reduce the effective tax rate on U.S. productions. Other measures would include a 120% tariff on any money received from overseas incentive schemes, effectively canceling out the benefit of international schemes and imposing a penalty. Additionally, Trump’s proposal includes the reinstatement of FINSYN, an old rule that applied to network TV, whereby producers retained all rights. For California specifically, the plan includes increasing the cap on production investment incentives, as the state has been losing business not only to international markets but also to other U.S. states.
Analyzing these proposals, Bisson called the 120% tariff on international incentives "patently ridiculous and potentially very damaging to the European industry." However, he noted that the tax treaty idea is "quite interesting" because, while the majority of the budget would still need to be spent in the U.S., it would allow producers to stack or "double dip" incentive schemes through tax treaties. Additionally, the reinstatement of FINSYN would help curb the common practice of streamers retaining all rights in perpetuity, a practice that has frustrated many producers. As for California's unique situation, Bisson observed that the state has fallen behind states like Georgia and New York in terms of its incentive schemes and faces a growing drain on production.
WHAT WORKS IN THE CEE
Free and pay TV players from Poland, Romania, Croatia, Greece, Latvia, and Hungary discussed their main current challenges and revealed their strategies for maintaining relevance in the market. Iulia Plesi, Head of Acquisitions at PROTV, Romania’s number one commercial TV station for the past 30 years, shared the struggle to remain at the top year after year. "We’ve had to continuously innovate to stay number one—offering the latest formats, blockbusters, sports, and series," she said. "Localizing content is crucial for us, as it helps bring the audience back."
Daniela Draštata, Editor for HTV1 and HTV2 at Croatian Radiotelevision (HRT), highlighted that while the public broadcaster offers a variety of content—sports, big formats like The Voice, and fiction series—its strength lies in documentaries. "At Croatian television, we offer variety. Exclusivity is a different matter, but we are working on that," she emphasized.
András Borsányi-Gyenes, Chairman of the Board at Network4 Media Group in Hungary, noted that 96% of homes in Hungary have paid TV, making it a highly paid TV-dominant market. "We own key sports rights like the Premier League, and in motorsports, we have everything from MotoGP to NASCAR. We are also the exclusive rights holder for NFL games in Hungary," he said. Network4 also runs a streaming platform and is planning to expand its content offerings.
Faye Tsitsipi, Deputy Director of Content at COSMOTE TV in Greece, explained that the company is the market leader, with a strong presence in both traditional pay TV and streaming. "We have major sports rights, including the Champions League and the NBA, and we’ve formed partnerships with companies like Paramount, BBC, and ITV," she said. "We also produce and co-produce local and international content, which has worked well in terms of exclusivity."
Anna Borys, Director of Content Acquisition & Sales at TVN in Poland, noted that TVN is the largest commercial TV station in the country and always aims for full exclusivity in its acquisitions. "The majority of our acquisition efforts focus on feature films, and we also produce a lot of entertainment content, ensuring that we own the rights across the territory," she said.
Jana Semjonova, Program Director at Latvian Public Service Media, mentioned that being based in a small country comes with challenges. "We need a broad range of content—sports, animation, films, and series. The real challenge is local production because the market is small, and everyone is fighting for a share of the same product," she explained.
A CENTURY OF GLORY
In its centennial year, Globo highlighted its latest telenovelas and series at NEM, reinforcing its long-standing presence in the region and positioning itself as a strategic partner for the local market. Rodrigo Nascimento, Head of International Business for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa at Globo, emphasized that despite Brazil’s vast size and cultural diversity, the company has been telling stories that resonate with audiences for nearly 100 years. He also pointed to the success of GloboPlay, which has used storytelling to build cultural bridges. "Popular telenovelas like The Clone and Brazil Avenue have garnered millions of viewers, showing that despite language and cultural differences, we all share the same emotions and love for great stories," he said.
Nascimento added that Globo aims to work more closely with its partners through new formats and long-term collaborations, bringing the best of Brazilian entertainment to international audiences. "Our goal is to continue winning audiences and bringing the best of Brazil to screens around the world."
NEWS FROM CALINOS
To wrap up the day, Calinos Entertainment showcased the global series “Ana: You Are in My DNA” (69x45'), produced by Antena and DreamFilm and starring Karina Jianu and Vlad Udrescu.
Ana is an ambitious and determined young woman living in a foster home with other youth like herself. The only mother she has ever known is Mama Lena, the social worker who raised her. In her final year of her master’s degree in journalism, Ana works as an event hostess. With the money she earns, she takes a genetic test to find her biological mother. As she investigates the reasons behind her abandonment, she uncovers a "baby broker" who facilitated international adoptions in exchange for money. This was supposed to be Ana’s fate, but the police intervened, and she was abandoned instead. Ana is now tempted to seek justice, but this search will bring her into conflict with the man she loves. Although she knows the story could make her famous as a journalist, she isn’t sure if she’s willing to lose the love of her life.
By Romina Rodríguez from Dubrovnik
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