NEM Dubrovnik 2025 officially opened yesterday at Hotel Dubrovnik Palace. As the organizers announced, the event brought together more than 1.000 participants, including over 200 buyers, more than 100 exhibitors, and more than 300 major industry companies - the highest numbers in the event’s history.

One of the most notable additions to this year’s program was the launch of the NEM Kickoff Sessions, a new format designed for the benefit of the TV industry. The sessions opened with Guy Bisson, Executive Director & Co-Founder at Ampere Analysis, who explored how content production and distribution are evolving in today’s increasingly protectionist global landscape. He was followed by Bernd Fesel, Director of Marketing, Communication & Partnerships at EIT Culture & Creativity, who shared strategies for scaling creative businesses through innovative investment partnerships. He expressed his strong support for platforms like NEM that drive industry collaboration and progress: “NEM is the ideal stage in Europe for the new Innovation Community, EIT Culture & Creativity, to deepen its support for innovation and entrepreneurship across the audio-visual and media sectors. EIT Culture & Creativity helps transform Europe’s cultural and creative sectors and industries to be more sustainable, resilient, and competitive. Through targeted grants, we help de-risk bold investments in generative AI, audience data collection and processing, and new approaches to IP, digital identity, and digital sovereignty. As NEM 2025 asks how European content can stand out on the global stage, we’re standing with the creative innovators rising to that challenge.”

Closing the trio, Marco Nadotti, Head of Media and Entertainment at BytePlus presented real-life case studies showing how AI is already powering significant media growth and reshaping audience engagement.

Later in the afternoon, attention turned to one of the event’s biggest names - BBC Studios. In an exclusive Keynote Q&A session, Bartosz Witak, General Manager, SVP of CEE, MENA and Turkey, at BBC Studios, sat down with Sanja Božić-Ljubičić, CEO at Pickbox, Mediatranslations, Mediavision and NEM, to discuss regional strategies, global distribution, and the evolving role of premium content in a competitive environment. Witak emphasized the importance of investing in human resources: “One of the reasons why the Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey region was added to our existing Central, Eastern, and Southern European territories is the recognition of the investment we are making in people. It’s also, to some extent, a recognition of the work we are doing - one wouldn't come without the other. Recently, we hired additional marketing team for the region and now, we are finalizing the recruitment process for a Programming Director for the region. These are just a few examples - and there are many more. This is the kind of investment required to deliver a high-quality service to our partners.” He also highlighted the integration of AI technology and a recent development. One of the newest and most exciting initiatives is the launch of BBC News Polska, created through internal collaboration. Launching in Poland on June 24, with plans to expand, the service aims to provide clear, explanatory journalism amid rising misinformation. It will also be the first BBC News World Service platform to use AI to enhance speed and responsiveness — not to generate content, but to support delivery.

Another highlight was the Globo showcase, titled 100 Years of Stories. Rodrigo Nascimento, Head of International Business for EMEA, took the audience through Globo’s remarkable history and offered a glimpse into the company’s vision for the future — one rooted in global storytelling, innovation, and expansion. Globo was present at NEM for the first time, and it is the largest media company in Latin America, as well as one of the biggest in the world.

The day wrapped up with a thought-provoking panel discussion on one of the industry’s most pressing issues: exclusivity and distribution rights and all the challenges surrounding the act of buying content. It featured representatives from PRO TV, COSMOTE TV, HRT, Latvian Public Service Media, TVN Poland, and Network4 Media Group. The discussion offered a range of perspectives on how to navigate an increasingly fragmented content landscape and balance the demand for exclusivity with the realities of audience reach.