Two TV markets at exactly the same time, on exactly the same days. Could be doable… except for the fact that one, DISCOP, is being held in South Africa, while the other, MIP Cancun, is taking place some 13,400 kilometers away in Mexico. Both will start on November 14 and end three days later.
In terms of participation, 160 sales companies are expected in Cancun, with a similar number heading to Johannesburg. Of these, 26 will be exhibiting at both markets, trying to reach small LATAM buyers and small African territories at the very same time.
This November marks DISCOP Johannesburg’s sixth year, and MIP Cancun’s fifth. The idea behind these markets was to cater to those regional buyers who didn’t have enough in their budgets to attend bigger markets such as MIPCOM. But while the dates are perfect for buyers in those regions, they represent a problem for international sellers — especially small content distribution companies that have to stretch their sales forces thin.
When asked about the concurrent dates, DISCOP organizer Patrick Zuchowicki claimed that his organization, “decided on [our] dates before MIP Cancun did.”
This isn’t the first time that DISCOP has experienced date snafus of this nature. Last year, the main issue faced by DISCOP was that it started just five days after MIPCOM ended, forcing executives to scramble in order to be able to attend both events.
MIP Cancun will, for the second year in a row, be housed at the Moon Palace, a large gated hotel complex on the outskirts of the city that eliminates safety risks that other local venues could present.
In terms of safety, Johannesburg presents the same issues as Cancun, although DISCOP is also held in an elegant and secure complex. Asked why the market is not held in much safer Cape Town, one DISCOP organizer asserted that “80 percent of our attendees come from Africa and Africans prefer Johannesburg by far.”
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