NEM Zagreb’s second day doubled down on creativity, AI and marketing, with sessions on micro-drama, YouTube strategy and new monetisation models capped by an awards ceremony and Christmas party hosted by Pickbox.
Panels brought together executives from broadcasters, streamers, agencies and tech companies across CEE. In Video Ads: Linear TV vs. TikTok, Meta and YouTube on TV, Omdia’s Maria Rua Aguete moderated a debate on how shifting spend and connected TV are reshaping video advertising, with contributions from VIDA A, CGM Films, Omnicom Media Group Croatia, 404 agency and Aleph. Format owners and commissioners then compared approaches to cross-border development in Original TV Series Formats and Adaptation, sponsored by Viaplay Group, with speakers from CME, HRT, Czech Television, Viaplay and TVP.
Mobile-first storytelling took centre stage in The Vertical Revolution: Micro-Drama. Aguete forecast 2026 as an inflection point, with vertical video becoming “prime time” on social platforms and social video expected to capture close to half of TV and video ad revenue. She also highlighted the role of agentic AI in speeding campaign creation while consolidating the position of major digital ecosystems. When asked whether vertical drama is an opportunity or a cost for telcos, A1’s Elena Petrova argued it is both, noting network load but calling short-form vertical video a powerful engagement tool for Gen Z, millennials and a broader, predominantly female audience when bundled with connectivity.
Another panel, Creatives: It’s Not Hard Only in Your Country, examined the pressures facing writers and producers in global markets, with speakers from TV Nova/VOYO, Galileo Films, Rainmaker Production, Antitalent and Boat Rocker discussing how to balance local specificity with international appeal.
Marketing and platform strategy dominated the afternoon. Aleksandar Ašković set out why “every TV station needs a YouTube strategy” in From Broadcast to Algorithm, while Ampere Analysis’ Guy Bisson explored how to manage reach, engagement and windowing when TV meets YouTube. Dalibor Šumiga (Promosapiens) closed the marketing block with Inception: The Art of Planting Ideas, a behavioural deep-dive into how neuromarketing insights can be baked into creative and media plans. AI’s commercial impact was tackled in Revolutionizing Streaming: AI & New Monetization Innovations, where Harmonics’ Mikel Darrigues outlined new revenue models and data-driven tools for OTT growth.
Q&A sessions drilled into craft and infrastructure. Composer John Altman used A Band for a Brand? to show how music can define brand identity, drawing on his work on more than 4,000 commercials. A joint A1 and UniqCast session examined how telcos can build scalable B2B OTT ecosystems. In a Pickbox-sponsored keynote, Big Talk Studios’ Kenton Allen unpacked the International Emmy-winning comedy-drama Ludwig, arguing that long-term success lies in aligning “artistic ingenuity with entrepreneurial discipline” so that distinctive ideas can both shift culture and create commerce.
The day ended with the NEM Awards Ceremony and a Christmas Party that doubled as the launch of new pay-TV channel Pickbox 2, positioned under the slogan “Less Crime, More Feeling”. The service will focus on lighter fare including Latin American drama, US/UK reality and lifestyle content. Awards went to Gray Divorce as Best Pre-Development TV Series in Europe, with The Boy Who Could Listen to the Soil and In Nomine Patris taking second and third place. In finished series, ATM Group’s The Breslau Murders won Best Finished TV Series in the CEE, ahead of A Decent Man and Detective Von Fock, with a Special Mention for Sram.
