At first glance, one might say that there isn’t really a need to hold a MIP London event this winter, although one is already scheduled for Sunday to Tuesday, February 22 to 24, 2026, at the Savoy Hotel, and in the adjacent hall (and, this year, we’ll avoid the London Marathon, scheduled for April 27).
However, if the reason to have such an event were to be analyzed in detail, a case would gradually be made that it makes sense and even cents (i.e., business).
Traditionally, the London Screenings and the BBC Showcase attract over 700 buyers from all over Europe, and it is a magnet for London-based British entertainment companies, as well as London-based American studios. The BBC, in particular, asks buyers to register months in advance if they want to secure chairs in their screening rooms.
For London-based companies, the costs are minimal (compared, let’s say, to MIPCOM), but the potential benefits are enormous. But what about the rest of the independent entertainment companies that are not based in London or cannot afford to rent a theater in town?
Without MIP London, these enterprises would be in a quandary. They need to be where this many buyers congregate, but cannot afford their own individual screenings.
Enter MIP London, where, for just U.S. $4,676 for registration and a meeting table (instead of $50,000 for a full-fledged separate screenings event in a cinema or $19,000 for a four-hour screening room at a hotel), participants can partake of all the amenities of a full-fledged private screenings event, including meeting tables, a buyers’ participation list, screening rooms (at extra cost), and even refreshments.
Now, the question is: How can an independent compete with the major and large studios for buyers’ attention? And the answers are: promotion, marketing, visibility, and good TV content.
MIP London can provide the facilities at affordable prices, but all the rest is on the shoulders of the exhibiting companies.
Naturally, good content is essential, and just one show would do the trick of attracting buyers. After all, acquisitions executives are attracted by anything of good quality from indies that is priced low, allows for accommodating windowing, and offers all-around flexibility. But around this “bait,” producers and distributors need to create a hook — something colorful, prominent, and attractive, something that every fish requires in order to bite. MIP London can provide the pond and the fish, but the indies have to bring all the rest.
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