All signs point to renewed vigor for markets leading up to and following MIPTV. It all started with the two Miami TV trade shows (NATPE and Content Americas, with a cumulative 3,500 participants), followed by Berlin’s EFM (which had some 12,000 participants, 614 companies with stands, and 1,263 buyers), the London Screenings (which welcomed an estimated 700 executives, of which 500 were buyers), Series Mania in Lille (which has registered over 4,000 participants), and in Asia, Filmart (which is expected to welcome some 7,300 professionals to Hong Kong). After MIPTV, NAB in Las Vegas is also expected to have a banner year with 65,000 participants.
MIPTV, however, seems to be lagging behind the rest, even though Lucy Smith, Entertainment Division director of MIPTV organizer RX France, said: “We enjoyed an early, very encouraging response to the plans for both market and pre-opening weekend this April. That response has been borne out with an expected 130-strong international line-up of exhibitors on the shop floor, including major studios and distributors, FAST, and tech companies, in addition to hundreds more exhibiting companies operating from within pavilions covering 11 countries, and we are again looking to welcome representatives from over 80 countries to Cannes overall.”
One plus for MIPTV — which is actually being perceived as a minus by some — is the absence of a massive U.S. studio presence at the Cannes market. This fact, coupled with a dearth of new shows, make indie content distribution companies with new product to offer highly sought after.
As for the question of a possible new location for future MIPTVs, London is already the venue of a very successful London Screenings, which, this year, took place between February 26 and March 1. It could be a good idea for MIPTV 2025 to trail it, thereby solving the calendar date problem that has afflicted MIPTV since the L.A. Screenings took flight in May of 1964, and became increasingly problematic in the 1990s. However, since the issue seems to be the date, and not the venue, the current Cannes locale is considered more than adequate. Plus, a London Screenings observer reported to VideoAge that MIPTV organizers “approached key [London] players a few months back [in late 2023], but [that] they run their own event, not for profit.”
Going back to the 1980s, the month of February has proven to be good for content markets, including Monte Carlo, NATPE, and even the AFM.
As for VideoAge, the trade will be coming out with its printed monthly in Cannes on Saturday, April 6, 2024, while its digital version will be available starting the last week of March. During MIPTV VideoAge will be reporting from the floor for its daily newsletter and Water Cooler features. The Issue will also feature a preview of the L.A. Screenings and the new broadcast U.S. TV season.
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