“It’s a generational shift.” That was how Lucy Smith, MIPCOM’s director, described this year’s edition of the Cannes market during an early-morning press conference yesterday, Wednesday, October 15, the third-day of the four-day event. Indeed, there were lots of changes that VideoAge will be detailing in its November (MIP Cancun) edition.
What has not changed over the years, however, is the habit of some MIPCOM participants to go for an attention-getter run along the Croisette each morning, bumping, along the way, into people rushing en masse toward the Palais as they make their way up the Croisette (instead of exercising earlier in the morning).
The hype has also remained solidly ingrained into MIPCOM’s mentality, seeing as how the powers that be announced that some 3,314 content buyers were there among the 10,600 participants. There were also 350 stands.
The fact, however, remains that the P-1 level of the Palais (aka: the Bunker) was, for a good portion, empty, while the other levels, like R-7 and R-8, were buzzing with activity and practically bursting at the seams. So, while the numbers might have been puffed up, the market remained solid.
In terms of big news, the underlying theme of this MIPCOM was the creation of MediaForEurope (MFE), the continent’s largest pan-European media conglomerate, grouping Spain’s Telecinco, Italy’s Canale5, and Germany’s ProSieben Sat1 (which also covers Austria and Switzerland) into one entity. Portugal’s SIC may also soon join in.
Under the MIPCOM media radar, but an important part of the market, was the gaming sector, as demonstrated by a large crowd hoping to go in to an evening party hosted by a gaming company that was taking place at a Croisette restaurant.
The large number of LatAm participants (both buyers and sellers) was unusual. Why? Because, in a few weeks, MIP Cancun will unspool in Mexico, where almost all LatAm buyers will be gathering. This time around, spotting LatAm executives was easy since they were all attending the numerous parties hosted by Turkish companies.
As indicated in VideoAge‘s MIPCOM Daily, there was also an unusually large number of new smaller companies both as exhibitors and participants, particularly in the service areas, including dubbers, data gatherers AI specialists, and technology-related experts.
The participation of major U.S. studios was also quite clear, as all attracted large crowds, Disney and NBCUniversal in particular.
At the press conference the dates for next year’s MIPCOM were also announced as unspooling October 12-15, 2026.
Pictured above, from top r. to l.: MIPCOM’s Lucy Smith at the press conference; Lionsgate’s Agapy Kapouranis and Skai’s Clepatria Vasilakou; NBCUni’s Jessy Tse and Gustavo Schneideroff; Austria’s ORF sales team; the Chilean delegation welcoming MIP Cancun director Maria Perez; the WAWA gathering at Cafe Roma.
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